Thread by @AliVelshi

1/16
I talk about democracy a lot on this show- ad nauseum, in fact. I happen to quite like it and I’m more than a little worried about it, in America, right now. The term “democracy” quite literally means “rule by the people”. #velshi

2/16
A system of government determined by the people and for the people. While it has never quite perfected it, the United States of America was a hallmark of democracy since the ink dried on the Constitution in 1787. #velshi

3/16
Things have largely improved since then: The civil war gave black men the vote. The suffrage movement gave women the vote, and the civil rights movement made voting fairer and more accessible to all. #velshi

4/16
There are concerns that democracy is moving in the wrong direction in America. Last week, for the 1st time ever, a European think tank called the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, placed the U.S. on its list of “backsliding democracies”. #velshi

5/16
Now this isn’t news to those of you who regularly watch this show- look at some of the articles recently written about the perilous state of democracy in America. In fact, you can skip the headlines and just look at the photos: #velshi

6/16
Look: the January 6th insurrection, ballots and Donald Trump. These photos tell you everything you need to know about America’s democratic decay. #velshi

7/16
The report found that the U-S met several criteria to make the list, including unwillingness to accept credible election results, voter suppression efforts, increasing polarization, and declines in civil liberties. #velshi

8/16
The report singles out one person by name. The twice impeached, insurrectionist immediate past president of the United States. “The former U.S. President Donald Trump’s baseless allegations during the 2020 U.S. presidential election have had spillover effects.” #velshi

9/16
It adds, “The United States, the bastion of global democracy, fell victim to authoritarian tendencies itself, and was knocked down a significant number of steps on the democratic scale.” #velshi

10/16
The fact that the U.S. has always been a “bastion” of democracy is validly disputed by those who have been gravely marginalized throughout history. But we could, until recently, generally agree that we were on the right side of things. #velshi

11/16
I, for one, must admit that I didn't have a deadly insurrection, blatant voter suppression, election lies or vigilante justice on my 2021 Bingo Card. But here we are. This is NOT what America is supposed to look like & the rest of the world is starting to catch on. #velshi

12/16
Now, *some* democracies collapse under the weight of authoritarian leaders; Political violence, civil wars, coup attempts. The U.S. is not quite at that level. #velshi

13/16
But what makes the threat to America’s crumbling democratic infrastructure so urgent is that it comes almost entirely from within. While we have adversaries who are cheering anti-democratic forces in America on, the threats are coming from the inside. #velshi

14/16
Here’s the good news: As they say, not all who wander are lost. Just because a democracy is backsliding doesn't mean it must fall. This problem is entirely fixable but it means not acting like things are ok just because you-know-who isn’t in the White House anymore. #velshi

15/16
It means not assuming all those things that went wrong over the last few years will fix themselves. And it means not taking the pressure off of legislatures to invest in democracy and stand up against bigotry and exclusion. #velshi

16/16
Really, it just means remembering that the basic definition of “democracy” is that the people have the right to rule. But with that right comes an obligation to protect it from those who are trying to undermine it. #velshi