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President’s Podium John C. Buchanan
Are we beyond the point of no return?
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Some readers might consider the above headline as illusory, in the form of a so-called warning shot across the bow about the perilous situation America’s democracy is facing as the current presidential administration freely exercises its autocratic ambitions. Other readers may prefer to view it as a gross mischaracterization of the current political state in America, which they see as a long overdue reckoning designed to make the government strong, its enemies weak, and the nation god-fearing and “great” once again. The chief difference between the two views is that in a deeply polarized democracy such as in the U.S., the lines between reality and illusion are constantly blurred with little chance for clarity.
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In many ways, the political circumstances of today are unprecedented, a touchstone time racked by culture wars, deeply partisan talking points promoted as fact on both sides, and an ongoing power grab that could lead democracy down a path to ruin, thereby sending shock waves through the spine of every American.
Iran, unscripted moments like his desire to award himself the Congressional Medal of Honor, and his media-focused performances where he fancies himself as worthy of a place on Mount Rushmore.
We now have a president who is a master at stirring the political pot and for making nonsensical statements that are tailor-made for the 24-hour news cycle, where intense, shocking events are rapidly replaced by new ones, dulling the everyday public’s emotional responses over time.
How else can we explain the actions of a man who depicts himself in Christ-like scenes on social media, who picks online fights with Pope Leo XIV, who posts memes of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, and who takes delight in the deaths of award-winning director Rob Reiner and former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
In effect, Donald Trump has turned his presidency into nothing more than a grim reality show, characterized by high-stakes drama such as his unprovoked war with
For purposes of this column, the question of how America drifted toward democratic erosion should be addressed within the framework of the rise of Third
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