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This blog reflects my views of current political issues.. It is also an archive for columns in the Sky Hi News 2011 to November 2019. Winter Park Times 2019 to 2021.(paper publishing suspended in 2021) My Facebook page, the muftic forum, posts blog links, comments, and sharing. Non-political Facebook page: felicia muftic. Subscribe for free on Substack: https://feliciamuftic.substack.com
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Something popped up today on a publication I follow to get a sense of how others see us, and it was jaw-dropping. I follow Germany very closely because I see it as key in upholding democracy and stability in Europe, where much of my family lives. Der Spiegel is a centrist news magazine in the tradition of Time or Newsweek, and it posts selected articles and opinions on an English-language Substack. The Germans have just had a shock with a far right political party, AfD, winning elections in the state of Saxony. Does that mean in Germany the far-right is rising? What to do, what to do? The US was once the model of how democracies should work, but now it is the resistance to Trump that should be the model for Germany of how to preserve democracy.
Until recently, and since my junior year abroad in Berlin in the late 1950's, a unified Germany had sought to construct a liberal democracy using the US as a model (though the parliamentary system differs). Der Spiegel's editorial today was expressing fear that the rest of Germany was just hand-wringing, with no idea what to do. The new model of how to stop this AfD march to more power was, brace yourself- the resistance to Trump in the USA, and in particular, the immediate reaction of his banning reporters from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico, followed by the boycott of other media in solidarity to even cover the White House. (Update: last night the judge reviewing the suit filed against Trump by the banned networks temporarily restored their press passes.)
The Der Spiegel opinion piece was a shocker to me, too, that Trump was even viewed in the same category as the AfD, and that instead of the government of the US being the role model for how democracy should be run and act, it was the USA's local grassroots resistance movement to Trump and his policies that was now a model. If anyone understands "far right" and/or fascism, it is Germany. There is a great fear among many there of its resurgence..
How does Derr Spiegel see Trump and his regime in the US? "Compared to the situation in the United States, the far right has not made significant inroads in Germany. .... In the US, by contrast, Trump holds the most powerful office in the world – for a second time. He is surrounded by a nationalist circle of advisers, backed by majorities in both chambers of Congress, supported by paramilitary police units, and secure in the knowledge that three of the nine justices on the Supreme Court were chosen by him." That is a brutal view, but not incorrect.
The Der Spiegel opinion piece was inspired by examples of US resistance, such as the immediate boycott by unbanned White House reporters also refusing to cover the White House media pool when Trump attempted to ban CNN, MSNow, and Politico, because he did not like how they reported his news. Also cited as examples of resistance in the US were the local nature of the anti-AI data centers, the Minneapolis grassroots action against ICE, and more. Der Spiegel urged those in Germany who feared the AfD to go and do likewise.
I might add that NO Kings Day on Oct. 17 is an opportunity for those in Germany to see how peaceful resistance is done, and to add their moral support to the "resistance' in the US
What's the difference between celebrating No KINGS and on July 4? I saw an objection to No King's Day...we already celebrate it on July 4th. Obviously, some still do not get it, or else they are just being cute or trolling instead of being ignorant. Here is why we should also celebrate July 4th, in addition to the 8 million-plus who got it on March 28. Believe me, it is one more opportunity to make a point on July 4th. For the ignorant, not for the MAGA trollers, a reminder, here is to remember the reason why we declared independence: No tyrannical kings, and to get out from almost exactly what angered us about what the King did,(Bill of Particulars in the Declaration), which are mostly now enshrined in the Bill of Rights. We also rose up in 1776 because of one issue that resonates today: taxation without representation.
Trump thinks he's a dictator, acts like one, and ignores laws and Constitutional provisions he does not like, treating executive orders like a law, making up his own laws as he will, punishing those who do not support him with retaliatory action by the DOJ and threats of being primaried. Dictators are the modern version of a tyrannical king, and every day he violates those First Amendment rights, particularly press freedom and civil rights of individuals and the 4th amendments. Pro democracy, the protection of the Constitution, and the spirit of 1776 are inseparable.
The other reason for independence was that we were being taxed without representation...another provision enshrined in the Constitution, to make sure we, the people, would control taxation and its use through Congress, especially the House. Trump cowed the House into a bunch of yes people (whatever Trump wants, Congress gives him), whether with tariffs or the cost of war. Now, he wants to make it more difficult for voters to cast their vote, particularly old people, brown people, and women. FYI, we celebrate the freedom our forefathers fought for, now in jeopardy, too, on July 4
The patriots who were the founders of the Constitution and our form of governance sought to preserve our right to govern ourselves, to preserve all who were created equally inalienable rights to pursue happiness, and to keep us from a tyrannical ruler, making those governing subject to the rule of law instead of the rule of an individual. Those who experienced the revolution in 1776 were also given the opportunity to write the Constitution which was approved in 1787. Aside from limiting the power of tyrants with checks and balances of three power centers, legislative, judicial, and executive, they added more safeguards to protect the power of individuals to protest peacefully per the Bill of Rights. They attempted to tackle some of the trickiest problems of governance in the Constitution and in both the amendments and in the regulated election process. How do you provide a peaceful transition of power while still allowing an outlet for the masses to express themselves and let off steam peacefully? They gave those who lost the election the protections and ability through the Bill of Rights to convince a majority of voters that those governing need to be replaced by the ballot box and not by a bloody revolt.
A message to the non-MAGA: Are we there yet? Is Trump's rule already an autocracy? Yes to some extent... With unimaginable speed, Trump has shredded democracy and turned the government into his tool to amass more power and wealth for himself and his wealthy cronies. According to polls, nearly half of Americans think this is okay, excuse it, or disbelieve it. Over half of Trump's political party wants to replace our democracy with an autocracy (called a variety of names: Rule by a strong man, dictator, a king, a tyrant). Trump talks and acts like a dictator, abusing power, dishing out fear threats, and favors so successfully that this is no longer a free country.
Update: October 31, 2025; This is an extremely important editorial from The New York Times. It cites ten markers of what ends democracy and becomes a country ruled by an "authoritarian"based upon the study and history of authoritarians.. It makes a case of whether we are there already or it is in process. The general gist is that if we are not yet fully there in some markers, but in others, he has already done it. Please take this seriously. I am. I am gifting this for you to read. The 12 markers and reasons for it are graded by whether we are on the way, have started, and to what degree, or are already there. For the reasons and evidence regarding each of these markers, go to the text of the editorial itself: I have gifted it and hope you can access the full text. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/31/opinion/trump-autocracy-democracy-report.html? I like this approach because it is based on what Trump has done or tried to do, is devoid of inflammatory language, and is grounded in facts and examples. Here is a summary by marker headings.
Of the markers of Democacy's demise in terms of what markers of authoritarianism Trump has already accomplished are
-persecutes political opponents
-declaress national emergencies on false pretenses
-vilifies marginalized groups
-creates a cult of personality
-uses power for personal profit
Of the authoritarian markers Trump has already started and yet to have fully accomplish:
Is it a great thing to give up your right to complain, disagree when you are harmed by your own government?. We are now there...a country ruled by one man who not only has gone rogue, ignores the rule of law and the Constitution, issues orders and memos he expects all to treat as the law and he will punish those who do not, abuses his power to line his family's pockets with crypto, but is already frightening the media, universities, law firms, and anyone who dissents against him now or in the past or in the future to shut up.. He is stacking the cards against opponents by political gerrymandering. Now he is demanding voting records from states...for what purpose? DOJ sues six states to hand over their voter registration lists. All six states are led by Democratic governors.
Be very afraid, you should be, but you can still take a deep breath and join the 53% of those polled who do not approve of him. The 2026 midterms may be the last chance to freely express objections without total federal control over how votes are counted and if voters are suppressed. The GOP representatives in the House, with all seats up for election, put loyalty to Trump first when his policies hurt their constituents. That the GOP representatives vote to harm their own constituents makes for fertile grounds for winning campaigns by the opposition. This is your opportunity to send a message and undo an autocracy. The courts are slow, and the final word in justice is a court tilted 6-3 to Trumpism. People's power is all that remains to reverse the Trump autocracy. There is safety in numbers, and the only real power left is the voters, you. Your only chance before voting in 2026 is to demonstrate in numbers your passion to keep this the land of the free. October 18 is No Kings, day the opportunity to show your power..
Trump's final step in destroying democracy completely is to use federal power to control what we once had, fair and free elections. He is suing 6 states with Democratic governors to force them to turn over voter rolls and information. The pretext for seizing control from the states and federalizing elections has been that the 2020 elections were stolen. That is Trump's fabricated story, and five years of trying to provide evidence of that have failed. It isn't because they are not trying. Demanding proof of citizenship is one way to suppress vote/ Unlike many other countries, we do not have a national ID number, and for many, the only proof of being born in the US is a birth certificate, requiring an effort and fee to get. A lower court just ruled against the requirement..https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/judge-rules-trump-cant-require-u-s-citizenship-proof-on-federal-voting-form#
In modern autocracies such as Russia, Turkey, and Hungary, elections are held, but they are not fair.. The outcomes are not trusted, as the opposition is suppressed by strong-arm threats and actions in advance. The media message and the voting process are controlled to benefit their leaders, and the secrecy of the voters has been compromised, and can be individually targeted. The official count is tainted by a regime that uses fear, revenge, and favor to get and keep control. The result: lifelong tenure for all three of the successful autocrats in power, Putin, Erdogan, and Orban. Once in such control, they are nearly impossible to stop.
If Trump gets his way, every single person's political affiliation would now be in the centralized, federal government's hands, controlled by this autocrat instead of being dispersed among the 50 states. Not only is it unconstitutional, but federal control also makes it easy for manipulation to skew the results, ultimately consolidating an autocrat's power or that of their successor to rule without any serious pushback.
Trevor HughesTerry Collinswriting in USA Today, believe we have already arrived at the point where Trump is acting like a dictator. Like those individuals she cites, they have been in one and now see it happening here, as I have. In addition, they provide a list of Trump's actions, not just words, that verify their conclusion. This is why I write what I write. Married to a refugee from Eastern Europe..and having spent long family visits in his homeland during the time when dictators ruled..I see Trump acting like them. I fear for the future..and I wish this on no one.
These people grew up under dictators. They're worried that Trump has a 43 percent approval rating per recent polls. If it is a question of democracy vs dictatorship/authoritarianism, 55% of registered Republicans want a strong man president...which is the question one poll asked. If that is the case, if I had the general feeling...not an exact estimate, but between 30% and 35% of all voters were hard-core MAGA, and the 15 percent are either unengaged, squishy, self-interested business types. The puzzle: Why does Trump continue to consolidate and energize his base instead of reaching out to add to his base? By using fear and favor and cheating, he can afford to ignore the popular vote. My guess is that he thinks that by lies, threatening with military suppression, overt racism, anti migrant mass deportation, and suppression, and limiting the ability of targeted opposition demographic groups to vote, using methods to federalize elections, and above all, political gerrymandering, he can tip the vote to him. If so, he does not have to worry about the 55-plus who would turn up on election day to comprise the popular vote.Talk about what's happening here.
Seat of the pants guestimate of how many voters are hard core MAGA. Trump has a 43 percent approval rating per recent polls. If it is a question of democracy vs dictatorship/authoritarianism, 55% of registered Republicans want a strong man president...which is the question one poll asked. If that is the case, if I had the general feeling...not an exact estimate, but between 30% and 35% of all voters were hard-core MAGA, and the 15 percent are either unengaged, squishy, self-interested business types. The puzzle: Why does Trump continue to consolidate and energize his base instead of reaching out to add to his base? By using fear and favor and cheating, he can afford to ignore the popular vote. My guess is that he thinks that by lies, threatening with military suppression, overt racism, anti migrant mass deportation, and suppression, and limiting the ability of targeted opposition demographic groups to vote, using methods to federalize elections, and above all, political gerrymandering, he can tip the vote to him. If so he does not have to worry about the 55-plus who would turn up on election day to comprise the popular vote.
