Political Quotes

“It is about Paul Revere's ride in April 1775, as he sounded the alarm about military troops marching on American cities; one lantern if the British were attacking by land and two lanterns if they were attacking by sea. He rang the alarm bells so that the American colonists could respond and save their Colonies, just as I am attempting to ring alarm bells to say that we here in the Senate and in the House have to respond and save our Republic. So I am going to start with the book ``How Democracies Die.'' It is a pretty hefty one. The two authors, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, are political scientists; they are professors of government. They have spent their careers studying how once-stable democracies in Europe, in Latin America, and around the world have collapsed into being strongman states, sometimes gradually and sometimes suddenly. Political parties prioritize their own power over obeying the law. An aggressive President tries to seize more power. Congress becomes a rubberstamp. The courts hand more power to the President, and the President heightens his control. The press softens its criticisms, and other institutions start to tread carefully. These are the six warning signs of a democracy in trouble.”