As a general truth, no matter your side of the aisle, where do you think America is right now?
Throw out the hate and use some common sense in your answer – and what is your conclusion?
Whether you are a PBS junkie or not (and I am not, I have not owned a television in 20 years) they looked at how modern democracies collapse politically and I thought it was quite interesting.
Turns out it usually never has anything to do with individual atrocities committed against citizens.
So then how do authoritarian regimes actually take control?
For one, they create structural changes that happen so fast that by the time anyone can do anything about it you have waited too long to do anything at all.
Historically, let’s look at the Cold War era from 1949 to 1989. In this case military generals stood at the top in the role of autocratic takeover. They saw to it that violence was used to overthrow existing leaders, while also forcing democratic opposition to either flee or face imprisonment.
Fortunately, that type of brute force is not so today, but in some ways, it could now be considered much worse.
As I listen to Americans talking politics from both sides of the aisle, many are aware democracies are dying at the ballot box. Legitimate elections where the populist politicians (often these days in cahoots with lobbyists who have an agenda) are systematically dismantling institutions from the inside out.
Consider the fact of how, in US politics, it has come down to the candidate who raises and spends the most money. Did you know that 90% of the time in the House of Representatives and 80% to 90% of the time in the Senate incumbents win?
Voters don’t seem to have a clue about how to research and decide on the best candidate nor do they realize they are being bamboozled by big money allowing lazy voting to win the day.
And that lazy voting means what OpenSecrets reports in their data as translating into Political Action Committees (PACs), Super PACs, and lobbyist interference.
And just so you are “in the know,” PACS and lobbyists don’t distribute their cash evenly. Nope, instead they target specific groups to ensure high win rates.
Instead of backing a single party, the PAC systematically floods the field. In other words, they spend millions in the primary elections contributing money directly to leadership both blue and red to make sure they have full access no matter who wins the majority.
Now let’s take that a step further and consider that once “populist or autocratic leaders” win and take the power by elections they then execute several strategic steps to ensure voting is no longer a viable path to change the regime.
NO WAY, that cannot be true you say (does anyone really still believe we are seeing anything other than that overall, these days)?
The winners then can manipulate rules, which are easy, and incumbents get a free pass to rewrite and alter electoral laws to make it impossible for opposition parties to challenge them.
Just think of the fact that about every voter wants term limits and less lobbyist, PAC involvement. Has that happened yet? No, and more to the point, do you really believe that aging, career incumbent you voted for in the last election wants to give up that big paycheck and big payout.
Once in office too, those in charge pack the courts, government bureaucracies, and public media regulators with yes men and women to make sure they avoid legal oversight.
And, because these “fearless leaders” were voted into office through an election that they won, the illusion remains that of a “democracy.”
So, what does that mean? Well, it means those citizens who do realize their democratic rights are in shambles have no leg to stand on – and the beat goes on.
And let me remind you, this is not a blue or red exercise, it is an exercise used by both parties to keep voters divided and change non-existent.
Let’s stop for a moment and circle back to PAC and lobbyist dominance in elections.
I dare you to pay attention to the ads and the smoke and mirrors coming up for the mid-terms and see if you can see the millions of dollars spent on the PAC and lobbyist favorites (blue and red) and then do yourself a favor and vote exactly the other way.
Oh wait, they work with both sides of the aisle so I guess you’ll have to wait until the next primary season to have your voice again.
It’s an ugly game, people!
Last week, whether it was a ploy moving into the midterms or just his feelings on the matter, President Trump offered the finger at Israel regarding the middle east (that is another red and blue conversation I don’t care to get into this week) and he did not invite Bibi to the ceasefire party.
Looks like AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) did not get what they paid for and Israel’s “powers that be” were big mad.
Then to add insult to injury Trump later said while meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France “Israel is fighting Hezbollah too long, and too many people are being killed. And you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody. Because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses. And they’re not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you.”
Let’s remember for those of you new to the room, AIPAC represents one of the most statistically dominant examples of PAC-driven electoral success in the United States with a 98% of AIPAC-endorsed candidates successfully winning their races in federal elections.
OpenSecrets reported that (PACs) and outside groups poured over $128 million into the March 2026 Texas primaries alone, making it the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history. It was noted most of this spending was concentrated on the Republican side in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
And you thought your vote had an influence, that is if you voted at all.
Knowledge is power and corruption only wins the day when convenience takes precedence over common sense and action.
The good news: it is up to you.
The bad news: it is up to you.
That’s right, so remember a flippant attitude in voting is a big no if you value your freedom. Otherwise, in the end your lack of knowledge is going to be what results in your lack of personal autonomy with no individual atrocity required.
Rita Cook is a freelance writer for The Ellis County Press. She can be reached at rcook13@earthlink.net.