Prof. Lance Bennett and colleague Prof. Steven Livingston opine in The Boston Globe news that "American democracy will not be secured by Trump’s departure from the White House. It will require the full participation of the party of Lincoln.."
Before the November election, when most polls predicted an election blowout for Democrats, many pundits predicted the collapse of the GOP. The descent of the GOP into illiberalism did not begin Trump’s ride down an escalator five years ago. It started with the party’s Faustian bargain with racism, along with its embrace of billionaire backers who fund elections, think tanks, and media networks producing propaganda for extremists. All of this serves as a distraction from decades-long strategies to legalize voter suppression. As a result, the future of American democracy will not be secured by Trump’s departure from the White House, it will require the full participation of the party of Lincoln.