“The US is no longer a democracy. One of the most credible global sources on the health of democratic nations now says this outright. The Varieties of Democracy Institute at Gothenburg University reaches the alarming conclusio … that the US is hurtling towards autocracy at a faster rate than Hungary and Turkey.” 1/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2026/mar/17/trump-is-aiming-for-dictatorship-thats-the-verdict-of-the-worlds-most-credible-democracy-watchdog

‘Trump is aiming for dictatorship’. That’s the verdict of the world’s most credible democracy watchdog

Sweden’s V-Dem Institute warns that the US is no longer a liberal democracy. And autocracy is creeping across Europe too, says writer Martin Gelin

The Guardian
‘“Our data on the USA goes back to 1789. What we’re seeing now is the most severe magnitude of democratic backsliding ever in the country,” says Staffan Lindberg, founder of the institute.’ 2/
“US democracy is now back at the worst recorded level since 1965, when US civil rights laws first introduced de facto universal suffrage. All progress made since then has been erased, according to the report.” 3/
‘The…“liberal democracy index” shows that the speed with which US democracy is being dismantled is unprecedented in modern history. [M]ain factor is a “rapid and aggressive concentration of powers in the presidency”, Lindberg says. Congress has been marginalised, jeopardising the “checks and balances” … so crucial to US democracy. [C]ivil rights have been rapidly declining and freedom of expression is now at its lowest level since the 1940s.’ 4/4

@heidilifeldman

Quibble: Congress has not “been marginalised.” Congress abdicated.

@donray @heidilifeldman

I agree. They are certainly compromised, but this can be corrected. Fixing the American people though…

@donray

That would be, with slight exceptions, Republicans in Congress.

@heidilifeldman

@donray @heidilifeldman hard agree, abdication is the correct term
@heidilifeldman man in fairness Congress mainly marginalized itself by a gradual conversion from legislating to being an insider trading sinecure

@ferrix @heidilifeldman

Really who in Congress is insider trading? What stocks and what insider information? I keep hearing this fact free claim.

@heidilifeldman

The EIU Democracy Index usually comes out in February, for the previous year.

No sign of it yet, this year.
🤔

Has anyone heard anything about it?

@[email protected]
ocial

@heidilifeldman Republicans packing the SCOTUS with regressive, religious, monarchist kooks has paid off exactly the way they wanted.