How Wobbly Is Our Democracy?

by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

I don’t have anything all that profound to say about this essay. Essentially, the authors argue that our politics have become so polarized over the past 20 years that we are in danger of damaging our democracy. No argument from me.

While our country has been in worse shape - I’m thinking of c.1850 through the Civil War - the past 20 years of politics have been increasingly partisan, to the point where we no longer trust members of the other party. I can’t say I trust Republicans at all, especially since Trump was elected to office. According the the authors, while 50 years ago roughly 5% of Democrats and Republicans claimed they didn’t trust members of the other party, today 49% of Republicans and 33% of Democrats say the same. This is ludicrous.