What Life Under Permanent Republican Rule Will Be Like
As Republicans move ahead with their second coup attempt to kill American democracy through extensive election rigging efforts, it is important to consider what the future of this country may look like if their undemocratic takeover is allowed to succeed unopposed. A warning, this article is going to be a stressful read, but for those considering taking action to resist impending Republican authoritarianism, it might be an important one. While it is impossible to know for sure what the future holds, the following is informed speculation based on the recent behavior of Republicans and that of other authoritarian parties around the world.
Before we get into what this putsch party will do to our country, it is important to address what they will not do for it. As the multitude of crises this nation faces continues to grow and worsen, our undemocratically elected federal government will do next to nothing to address these issues. People in need will receive next to no help as the country is rocked by the escalating effects of climate change, an impending disaster which those in power will do little to mitigate. Wildfires and floods will destroy homes and displace many, hurricanes will batter coastal cities with increasing frequency, and extended droughts will render some parts of the country uninhabitable.
Inequality will continue to soar, as the economic prospects of most Americans gradually decline. Automation destroying jobs in sectors such as trucking and finance while devaluing the labor of many other fields will greatly worsen this crisis. Many existing social programs will at best be left in their current inadequate state, and at worst be defunded all together. Our infrastructure will continue to crumble and Republicans will only act to repair it as far as it benefits large corporations, likely privatizing some of it. Future pandemics will go fatally under addressed by the federal government, just as COVID-19 was under Trump, leaving states and local governments to scramble to find solutions with very little money and Americans to wallow in despair and disease.
The American police state would expand rapidly and government surveillance will continue to chip away at whatever privacy we have left. Freedom of the press would of course be curtailed, as would freedom of information. Republicans will likely pass legislation that will fundamentally alter the internet as we know it, allowing for great government control and censorship on social media platforms. VPNs and encrypted messaging apps such as Signal may be banned under the guise of national security. No progress will be made on making college more affordable, after all, an uneducated population is easier to control.
As healthcare costs continue their rapid rise, the illegitimate federal government will take no action at all to address the population of the richest country on Earth dying in growing numbers due to lack of affordable healthcare. It is likely some current healthcare programs may be partially or completely dismantled. We are entirely unlikely to see any progress whatsoever on most social issues such as abortion and immigration. In fact it is almost certain that given the power and time to do so, Republicans will attempt to outlaw abortion at the federal level, pushing American healthcare back into the dark ages. The situation for undocumented immigrants would be dire, as we would likely see the rapid expansion and worsening of our immigrant detention facilities which even now meet the textbook definition of concentration camps.
But Americans classified as “illegal” will likely not be alone in these camps under authoritarian Republican rule. Given enough time and a lack of opposition, other people whose existence Republicans refuse to tolerate such as pro-democracy “terrorists” and transgender “sex criminals” may also be imprisoned. And if mass imprisonment becomes too much of a logistical hassle, they may just look to the state of Arizona for a solution, which is currently in the process of refurbishing its gas chambers for executions. If this sounds unlikely, remember that Hitler’s greatest source of inspiration was the United States. The fall from relative normalcy into the depths of authoritarianism can be a fast one; the last five years are a testament to this.
As the light of American Democracy dims, dictators such as Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China will aggressively expand their influence across the globe. Many smaller countries will find it hard to resist their authoritarian grip due to America’s waning influence and unwillingness to defend its allies. The trend of democratic retreat around the globe we have seen over the last 20 years will accelerate rapidly, as many of the remaining democracies struggle to fend off authoritarian foreign influence while also combating anti-democracy movements domestically. Globally, humanity may find itself in a dark age of authoritarianism which could last a very long time.
But maybe none of this will affect you personally. The changes will be slow at first. Perhaps you will be able to go about living your normal life just as before. If you are a white cisgender man in good financial standing who doesn’t like to get involved with politics then you might do just fine. In many ways, especially initially, society will appear relatively normal on the surface. The lack of democratic elections, mysterious concentration camps, rising poverty, heavily armed government security forces walking the streets of major American cities, all of this could potentially be ignored by someone in the right position. But doing so would be unwise, because as history has shown, the devastating effects of hate filled authoritarianism will reach nearly all members of a society eventually.
Maybe your child will come out as transgender, or you’ll suddenly get into an accident and be unable to pay for medical treatment. Perhaps your good friend will be arrested for their political activities, or a journalist who you went to college with will disappear under strange circumstances. All at once you may find yourself wondering why you did not stand against the rise of authoritarianism sooner. But by then it may be too late.
The time to begin organizing a campaign of mass nonviolent resistance to the ongoing Republican coup attempt is now. Americans have the power to prevent this future from happening. If tyranny is to be averted, it will take a large scale nonviolent uprising of citizens who refuse to live under permanent Republican authoritarian rule. It will take hard work, bravery, and likely a lot of time, but this can be done. The article linked below provides a rough outline as to how.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider supporting us on Patreon! This helps us to produce more content like this, host workshops on strategic nonviolence, and perform other work in pursuit of our mission to protect American democracy.