1). “Between Democracy and Dictatorship: Where We Are and How Long We Have”, Oct 24, 2025, Christopher Armitage, The Existentialist Republic, at < https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/between-democracy-and-dictatorship >.
2). “Trump Cut Funding to 16 Dem States. Can States Cut His?”, Oct 02, 2025, Christopher Armitage, The Existentialist Republic, at < https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/trump-cut-funding-to-16-dem-states >.
3). “5 Phone Calls Can Stop American Fascism. Here Are the Numbers”, Sep 02, 2025, Christopher Armitage, The Existentialist Republic, at < https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/5-phone-calls-can-stop-american-fascism >.
4). “Cut the Failed Red States Loose: Why America Can't Keep Carrying the Dead Weight”, Sep 02, 2025, Christopher Armitage, The Existentialist Republic, at < https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/cut-the-failed-red-states-loose-why >.
5). “I researched every attempt to stop fascism in history. The success rate is 0%. Once they win elections, it's already too late”, Aug 13, 2025, Christopher Armitage, The Existentialist Republic, at < https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/i-researched-every-attempt-to-stop >.
~~ recommended by desmond morista ~~
Introduction by desmond morista:Here I look at five articles from The Existentialist Republic, an important voice counseling realistic methods to resist the fascism that is rapidly enveloping and destroying what is/was good about the U.S.
We all owe a tremendous debt to Christopher Armitage for his dogged efforts, both to wake the American People up to the horrific fate that is dangerously close to engulfing us, and for suggesting realistic efforts that could basically limit the horror of out and out fascism to the Dark Ages States in the South and Midwest. I have selected 5 of the many articles Armitage has posted, to look at The Existentialist Republic archive go to < https://cmarmitage.substack.com/ >.
Item 1)., is a realistic assessment of what the U.S. has become by this point in time. In that article Armitage writes that:
“The coup already happened. Leading scholars of democratic backsliding now classify the United States as a competitive authoritarian regime. Steven Levitsky, co-author of 'How Democracies Die,' stated in April 2025 that 'we are no longer living in a democratic regime.' Multiple scholarly frameworks confirm we crossed the threshold from democracy into authoritarianism’s early stages. The confusion about when it happened doesn’t change that it did. (Emphasis added)
“That doesn’t mean it’s over.
“Understanding where we are on the authoritarian spectrum determines what we’re fighting for and what tactics actually work. The distinction between competitive authoritarianism and consolidated authoritarianism matters more than any other political question right now. One can be reversed in years. The other takes generations. We’re in the first category, but the window is narrowing. (Emphasis added)
“Democracy isn’t about having elections. North Korea has elections. Venezuela has elections. Political scientists use specific operational tests to distinguish democracies from regimes that merely perform democratic rituals.
“Levitsky’s test is simple and measurable: is there a cost to opposing the government? When the answer becomes yes, democracy ends. The playing field must be level enough that opposition can realistically win. Loss of power must be accepted as legitimate by incumbents. And two informal norms must operate: mutual toleration (treating rivals as legitimate, not enemies) and institutional forbearance (not using legal powers to their maximum to entrench advantage). (Emphasis added)
“When these conditions disappear, formal institutions remain but democracy dies. ….
Levitsky calls US recovery 'eminently reversible.' Why? The United States has structural advantages. A large wealthy private sector exists independent of government control. A well-organized opposition party operates. Civil society possesses 'organizational and financial muscle.' (Emphasis added)
“The requirement is sustained civil society mobilization. Not normal politics. Normal politics cannot fix what competitive authoritarianism breaks. Levitsky criticizes civil society for being 'very, very slow to respond.' He notes 'the wealthiest, most prominent, most powerful, most privileged members of our civil society have, for the most part, remained on the sideline.' ” (Emphasis added)
In Item 2)., “Trump Cut Funding ….”, Armitage goes over some basic financial tactics that the Blue States could use to counter the Fascists' attempts to enforce harsh, unwanted, draconian actions and laws on the Blue States that, do not want to enforce the Dark Ages measures that Trump and his minions want to impose. He notes that:
“Within 72 hours of the October 1st government shutdown, the Trump administration weaponized federal funding against Democratic states with surgical precision. OMB Director Russell Vought froze $18 billion in New York City infrastructure for 'unconstitutional DEI principles,' cancelled $8 billion in climate funding across exactly 16 blue states (every one a state that voted for Kamala Harris), and sent compacts to nine universities demanding they protect 'conservative ideas' in exchange for federal funding advantages. ….
“The Trump administration designed this as financial warfare to force compliance through economic pain. But they made a catastrophic miscalculation: the states they're targeting are the ones bankrolling the entire federal system.
“New York sends the federal government $24 billion more each year than it receives back. Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts together contribute another $40 billion surplus. These same states now face federal freezes on programs Congress has already funded.” (Emphasis added)
Armitage lists 5 major areas where the Blue States could effectively counter the attacks by Federal Government. These are:
“1). Hold Federal Tax Payments in Escrow
“States and cities process billions in federal tax payments from their employees. These payments flow to Washington automatically, but automatic is not mandatory. States could hold these funds until the federal government certifies it has met its own obligations. ….
“2). Charge Federal Facilities Market Rates for Everything
“Every military base and federal building depends on state-funded infrastructure. Roads, snow removal, emergency services. States have traditionally absorbed these costs. Tradition is not law. When a military base calls for emergency services, bill them at market rates. ….
“3). Apply Federal Standards to Federal Payments
“When states request entitled funds, they face months of documentation requirements and delays. States can apply the same standards to federal tax transfers. ….
“4). Form an Interstate Compact for Fiscal Fairness
“The Constitution allows interstate compacts, though Congress must approve those affecting federal power. Donor states can achieve the same result through coordinated state legislation without requiring a formal compact. New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts passing identical escrow laws on the same day creates collective leverage without needing Congressional permission.
“These states could establish uniform procedures for federal payment processing during funding disputes. When the federal government withholds congressionally appropriated funds, coordinated states simultaneously implement reciprocal delays. Individual states invite retaliation. Ten states acting together change the conversation. (Emphasis added)
5). Convert Every State Service to Fee-for-Service
“Road maintenance to federal facilities? Calculate actual costs per mile. Water and sewer connections to federal buildings? Full municipal rates, no subsidies. State police responding to federal property? Invoice for each call. Environmental monitoring around military bases? Hourly billing for state inspectors. The federal government assumes these services are free. They're subsidized and subsidies can end.
“These strategies will face constitutional challenges, particularly regarding the Supremacy Clause. But the Supremacy Clause only protects lawful federal action. Withholding congressionally appropriated funds violates the Appropriations Clause and the Impoundment Control Act. States enforcing reciprocal standards are defending the rule of law, not defying it.” (Emphasis added)
Item 3)., “5 Phone Calls ….”, discusses the well proven strategy of contacting governmental officials demanding that they stop cooperating with the outrageous projects the fascist operatives keep foisting on the Blue States and Blue Cities. It discusses the impact of various ways of contacting politicians and notes that individual phone calls, followed up by e-mail inquiries is the most effective.
Item 4)., “Cut the Failed Red States Loose: ….” points out that the Dark Ages Red States have already sunk to below Third World socioeconomic and health & well being conditions; all while being subsidized by the funds extorted from the Blue States. Armitage notes that:
“Jackson, Mississippi residents spent weeks collecting rainwater in buckets during their third water system collapse since 2021. During those same weeks, the state legislature devoted substantial time to debating mandatory 'In God We Trust' classroom posters. ….
“The UN Special Rapporteur on poverty visited Alabama in 2017 and found raw sewage pooling in yards due to failed septic systems, conditions he said were 'uncommon in the developed world.' Alabama now has a hookworm problem affecting 34% of residents in Lowndes County, a disease of extreme poverty eradicated in most developing nations decades ago. The legislative response? Passing abortion bans while allocating nothing to sewage infrastructure. (Emphasis added)
“Louisiana tells the same story through different failures. The state has the highest incarceration rate on Earth at 1,094 per 100,000 people, higher than El Salvador or Rwanda. It ranks 50th in education, 48th in healthcare, and 45th in infrastructure. Ten major insurers fled after hurricane losses, triggering an insurance market collapse. The legislature's 2024 priority? Mandating Ten Commandments displays in classrooms, (Emphasis added) ….
Between 2000 and 2018, nearly 300,000 children were legally married in the United States, overwhelmingly concentrated in Southern states, with documented cases of children as young as 10. Tennessee legislators in 2018 attempted to eliminate age requirements for marriage entirely before public backlash. These same states depend on massive federal transfers: Mississippi receives $2.73 in federal spending for every dollar it contributes, Kentucky $2.35, Alabama $2.03. (Emphasis added) ….
Mississippi's maternal mortality rate of 40 deaths per 100,000 live births is worse than Lebanon and Iran according to WHO data. Black women in Mississippi die in childbirth at rates comparable to Sub-Saharan Africa. Rather than expand healthcare access, the legislature focuses on prosecuting women and doctors over abortion care. Texas has recorded over 200 deaths from power failures since their deregulation, yet refuses to connect to federal grids that would require winterization. The legislature prioritized abortion bounty systems over grid reliability requirements after failures that killed 246 people in 2021 alone. Of course we all know that Republicans have no concern for human life unless it's an embryo. (Emphasis added)
“The economic exodus accelerates. Major tech companies flee Texas and Florida despite zero income tax advantages, explicitly citing social policies in relocation announcements. Disney halted a billion-dollar Florida expansion. North Carolina lost $3.76 billion over a bathroom bill. Meanwhile, these states' education systems hemorrhage teachers over book bans that have removed everything from math textbooks (for 'prohibited topics') to encyclopedias. Oklahoma, ranked 47th in education, lost 3,000 teachers last year while the state superintendent mandated Bible instruction in public schools. (Emphasis added) ….
“ …. child labor violations that have spiked 283% in Southern states since 2015.” (Emphasis added)
And we should remember that the Red States have had the benefit of several booms and massive business investment from sectors like trucking, computer and high tech, among others; along with migration from the Blue States, this is in addition to 100 years of tax subsidies courtesy of the working class of the Blue States; and still social conditions are better in the Blue States despite losing several important industries over the past 50 years.
Finally Item 5)., “I researched every attempt ….”, was the first article posted by Christopher Armitage to open up The Existential Republic substack. He examined 60 societies where Fascism took power, and found that after they had enjoyed electoral “wins”, they were never stopped. We have already had two incidents where the Republican Fascist operation has “won” national elections (it does not matter that voter purges, and other methods disqualified enough opposition voters and their ballots to make the difference). But, despite this grim history, Armitage is relatively optimistic about our chances of keeping at least the Blue States safe from the most outrageous excesses of the Trumpista forces.
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Between Democracy and Dictatorship: Where We Are and How Long We Have
There won’t be a day when we wake up and the Wikipedia page suddenly says “The US is a Fascist Christian Ethnostate.” That’s not how authoritarian takeover works for people living through it. When did it happen? Some say Jan 6. Others point to Trump’s subsequent lack of consequences, or his “revenge tour” victory. In the words of Christopher Wallace: things done changed.
The coup already happened. Leading scholars of democratic backsliding now classify the United States as a competitive authoritarian regime. Steven Levitsky, co-author of “How Democracies Die,” stated in April 2025 that “we are no longer living in a democratic regime.” Multiple scholarly frameworks confirm we crossed the threshold from democracy into authoritarianism’s early stages. The confusion about when it happened doesn’t change that it did.
That doesn’t mean it’s over.
Understanding where we are on the authoritarian spectrum determines what we’re fighting for and what tactics actually work. The distinction between competitive authoritarianism and consolidated authoritarianism matters more than any other political question right now. One can be reversed in years. The other takes generations. We’re in the first category, but the window is narrowing.
Democracy isn’t about having elections. North Korea has elections. Venezuela has elections. Political scientists use specific operational tests to distinguish democracies from regimes that merely perform democratic rituals.
Levitsky’s test is simple and measurable: is there a cost to opposing the government? When the answer becomes yes, democracy ends. The playing field must be level enough that opposition can realistically win. Loss of power must be accepted as legitimate by incumbents. And two informal norms must operate: mutual toleration (treating rivals as legitimate, not enemies) and institutional forbearance (not using legal powers to their maximum to entrench advantage).
When these conditions disappear, formal institutions remain but democracy dies.
So have we crossed that line? Levitsky thinks so. “I would go as far as to say that today, we are no longer living in a democratic regime. I think we have already crossed the line into competitive authoritarianism very quickly.” His test asks whether credible risk of government retribution exists for opposition. The answer is yes.
The evidence is specific. Federal judges have found probable cause for criminal contempt against the administration for “willfully disregarding” court orders. Judges issue warnings that compliance is “not optional” while lacking enforcement mechanisms if the executive simply refuses. Political opponents face IRS audits and DOJ targeting. Media outlets experience economic pressure and threats. State officials faced direct pressure to overturn election results.
Mutual toleration is gone. Rivals get called “enemies from within” and “vermin.” Institutional forbearance is gone. The administration pardons criminal contempt, defies court orders, and weaponizes agencies. These aren’t predictions about future risks. Multiple scholars confirm these thresholds have been crossed in 2025.
So what do you call a system that’s no longer a democracy but still holds elections?
Competitive authoritarianism has a known definition with precise boundaries. It means formal democratic institutions remain “the primary means of gaining power” but rules get violated so systematically that the regime fails minimum democratic standards. Elections still happen. Opposition parties exist. Courts function. Media operates. But all of these operate on a playing field tilted so severely that calling it democratic becomes inaccurate.
The key distinction: competitive authoritarianism differs from both democracy and consolidated authoritarianism. It sits on a spectrum. Democracy offers a fair playing field. Competitive authoritarianism offers a tilted playing field where opposition can still theoretically win. Consolidated authoritarianism offers no meaningful path for opposition to challenge power.
Levitsky and Way identify four arenas that determine regime type: electoral, legislative, judicial, and media. In democracy, all four function competitively. In competitive authoritarianism, all four remain contested but compromised. In consolidated authoritarianism, all four effectively close.
Where does the United States fall?
The electoral arena shows systematic tilting but not closure. Gerrymandering produces absurd distortions. Wisconsin’s 2018 State Assembly saw Democrats win 53.6% of votes while Republicans secured 63.6% of seats. Election deniers occupy positions throughout electoral administration. Yet the 2020 election occurred and results were certified despite enormous pressure. The 2022 midterms saw every swing-state election denier running for offices with election oversight lose their race. Opposition can still win. Margins narrow but alternation remains possible. We’re not seeing 70%+ supermajorities yet.
The judicial arena demonstrates the enforcement paradox. Some maverick judges still rule against the government. Federal judges threaten contempt and issue strong warnings. But courts depend on the executive branch for enforcement. The pardon power eliminates criminal contempt deterrence. The Supreme Court grants broad immunity while avoiding confrontation. Formal judicial authority exists. Practical effectiveness approaches zero when the president controls enforcement and can pardon violations.
The media arena maintains pluralism under severe strain. Independent outlets remain legal and influential despite harassment. Reporters Without Borders documented in 2025 that more than half the world’s population now lives where press freedom rates as “very serious” in 42 countries. Economic fragility makes outlets vulnerable to pressure even when direct censorship doesn’t occur.
The legislative arena shows degraded but not eliminated accountability functions. The Senate is effectively shut down for oversight. Military personnel must route communications through the executive before reporting to Congress. But some mechanisms persist.
All four arenas show degradation without closure. That’s the precise definition of competitive authoritarianism.
Competitive authoritarianism doesn’t inevitably become consolidated authoritarianism. But without active resistance, that’s the trajectory. Princeton’s Kim Lane Scheppele studies this process through Hungary’s transformation under Viktor Orbán. Her research documents how Hungary degraded from robust democracy in 2010 to consolidated authoritarianism by the end of that decade, with most damage occurring in the first three years.
Consolidation has measurable markers. Electoral victories climb above 70% through systematic opposition elimination. Judicial capture becomes complete with no maverick judges. Media gets monopolized or eliminated. Legislatures become rubber stamps. These represent qualitative shifts, not just more of the same degradation.
Scheppele documents how Hungary provided the blueprint. She identifies direct coordination between Viktor Orbán’s team and Project 2025. The script involves defunding opponents, purging civil service, and threatening media with economic sanctions. She calls this “autocratic legalism,” using legal mechanisms to systematically dismantle accountability institutions.
Historical data shows competitive authoritarian regimes rarely reverse through elections alone. Levitsky and Way studied 35 such regimes from 1990 to 2008. Successful democratization required extraordinary combinations: mass mobilization, opposition unity, international pressure, and usually either economic crisis or regime splits.
Poland in 2023 offers the clearest recent example. Reversal required all of these simultaneously: record 74% voter turnout, unified opposition, massive street protests, and EU pressure backed by €35 billion in frozen funds. Even then, recovery remains incomplete years later with institutional traps persisting. Poland demonstrates both that reversal is possible and how difficult it proves.
Levitsky calls US recovery “eminently reversible.” Why? The United States has structural advantages. A large wealthy private sector exists independent of government control. A well-organized opposition party operates. Civil society possesses “organizational and financial muscle.”
The requirement is sustained civil society mobilization. Not normal politics. Normal politics cannot fix what competitive authoritarianism breaks. Levitsky criticizes civil society for being “very, very slow to respond.” He notes “the wealthiest, most prominent, most powerful, most privileged members of our civil society have, for the most part, remained on the sideline.”
Daniel Ziblatt warned in September 2023 that “even if we get through the 2024 election with our democracy intact, unless we reform our democracy, we will remain in this fragile position where every national election is a national emergency.” Reform requires “generations of people pushing for institutional changes” similar to women’s suffrage or civil rights movements.
The window exists but gets measured in years, not decades. And it’s narrowing.
Understanding this distinction changes everything about what you’re fighting for and what tactics work. If we were still in democracy, normal politics would function. Vote, advocate, wait for the pendulum to swing. Trust institutions to self-correct.
If we had reached consolidated authoritarianism, the fight would be for recovery over a generation. Like post-Soviet transitions or post-Pinochet Chile. A decades-long project with uncertain outcome.
But competitive authoritarianism occupies the space between. We’re fighting to prevent consolidation. The window gets measured in years. Scheppele’s Hungary research shows this degradation can occur within a decade when resistance fails, with front-loaded damage in the early years. That requires extraordinary mobilization now. Poland-level effort: 74% turnout, unified opposition, sustained pressure. Different tactics, better odds than the consolidated case. But no margin for waiting.
Leading scholars confirm the coup already happened. What matters now is whether we reverse it before it consolidates. That depends entirely on actions taken in the next several years.
The window for normal politics has closed. But the window for extraordinary politics remains open.
What does extraordinary politics mean in practice? State-level resistance using every legal mechanism available. Refusing state cooperation with unconstitutional federal overreach by banning local agencies from assisting federal operations that violate civil liberties. Creating or strengthening state safety nets to replace federal benefits under threat, including Social Security, Medicare, and SNAP. Establishing state-owned financial institutions like North Dakota’s public bank to protect funding and independence. Pushing for or joining multi-state compacts to coordinate healthcare, civil rights defense, infrastructure, and disaster response. Leveraging tax dollars by stopping subsidies to failed red state governance and redirecting funds to protect state residents.
The Constitution and multiple Supreme Court decisions make clear that states cannot be forced to enforce federal laws. Red states have used this principle to block gun safety and abortion access. Blue states can use it to protect civil rights, healthcare, and economic stability.
The legal precedent exists. The money exists. Now it’s on us to demand action.
State officials have the authority to implement these strategies now. Whether they do depends on constituent pressure. Sustained pressure campaigns like Poland’s street protests. Opposition unity across differences. Civil society mobilization from those with the most resources and influence. Making the costs of consolidation higher than the costs of reversal.
The scholars have given us the diagnosis. Competitive authoritarianism. Poland proved reversal works. State officials have the tools. Whether they use them depends entirely on whether constituents make the cost of inaction higher than the cost of resistance.
Here are the state officials with authority to introduce this legislation, direct agencies to refuse cooperation with unconstitutional federal overreach, and coordinate multi-state resistance strategies.
They need to hear from constituents that inaction is not acceptable. They will listen, but only if we make it clear that there will be zero tolerance for bending the knee.
California
Governor Gavin Newsom
Email: governor@governor.ca.gov | Phone: (916) 445-2841
Attorney General Rob Bonta
Phone: (916) 445-9555 | Public Inquiry: (916) 210-6276
Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire
Email: senator.mcguire@senate.ca.gov | Phone: (916) 651-4002
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas
Email: assemblymember.rivas@assembly.ca.gov | Phone: (916) 319-2029
New York
Governor Kathy Hochul
Phone: (518) 474-8390 | Online form: governor.ny.gov
Attorney General Letitia James
Phone: 1-800-771-7755 | Online form: ag.ny.gov/contact-attorney-general-letitia-james
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Email: scousins@nysenate.gov | Phone: (518) 455-2585
Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie
Email: Speaker@nyassembly.gov | Phone: (518) 455-3791
Illinois
Governor JB Pritzker
Email: Gov.Press@illinois.gov | Phone: (217) 782-0244
Attorney General Kwame Raoul
Phone: (312) 814-3000 (Chicago) | (217) 782-1090 (Springfield)
Senate President Don Harmon
Phone: (217) 782-8176 (Springfield) | (708) 848-2002 (Oak Park)
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch
Phone: (217) 782-5350 (Springfield) | (708) 450-1000 (District)
Washington
Governor Bob Ferguson
Phone: (360) 902-4111 | Online form: governor.wa.gov/contact
Attorney General Nick Brown
Email: press@atg.wa.gov | Phone: (360) 753-6200
Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen
Email: jamie.pedersen@leg.wa.gov | Phone: (360) 786-7628
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins
Email: laurie.jinkins@leg.wa.gov | Phone: (360) 786-7930
Massachusetts
Governor Maura Healey
Phone: (617) 725-4005 | Toll-free: 1-888-870-7770
Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell
Email: agoweb@mass.gov | Phone: (617) 727-2200
Senate President Karen E. Spilka
Email: Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov | Phone: (617) 722-1500
House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano
Email: Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov | Phone: (617) 722-2500
Colorado
Governor Jared Polis
Email: Governorpolis@state.co.us | Phone: (303) 866-2471
Attorney General Phil Weiser
Email: attorney.general@coag.gov | Phone: (720) 508-6000
Senate President James Coleman
Email: james.coleman@state.co.us | Phone: (303) 866-4879
House Speaker Julie McCluskie
Email: julie.mccluskie.house@coleg.gov | Phone: (303) 866-2923
If you found this article helpful then you may find more useful information in my latest book “Conservatism: America’s Personality Disorder”
https://a.co/d/bEtgrjs-
References
Brennan Center for Justice. (2022, November 14). Election deniers running for secretary of state were this election’s biggest losers. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/election-deniers-running-secretary-state-were-elections-biggest-losers
Council on Foreign Relations. (2023, October 23). How Poland’s election results could reshape Europe. https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/how-polands-election-results-could-reshape-europe
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2020, November 12). Joint statement from Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council & the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/joint-statement-elections-infrastructure-government-coordinating-council-election-infrastructure
DeSmith, C. (2023, September 12). ‘Tyranny of the Minority’ warns Constitution is dangerously outdated. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/09/scholars-warn-of-danger-in-an-outdated-constitution-democracy-tyranny-of-the-minority/
European Commission. (2022, June 1). NextGenerationEU: European Commission endorses Poland’s €35.4 billion recovery and resilience plan [Press release]. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_3375
Ex parte Grossman, 267 U.S. 87 (1925).
Goodman, A., & González, J. (Hosts). (2025, February 12). “Are we sleepwalking into autocracy?” Trump embraces authoritarian playbook of Hungary’s Orbán [Television broadcast interview with K. L. Scheppele]. Democracy Now! https://www.democracynow.org/2025/2/12/kim_scheppele_autocracy_trump_musk
J.G.G. v. Trump, No. 1:25-cv-00766-JEB, 2025 WL 1119481 (D.D.C. Apr. 16, 2025).
Johnson, J. D. (2021, February). Why do Republicans overperform in the Wisconsin State Assembly? Partisan gerrymandering vs. political geography. Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog. https://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2021/02/why-do-republicans-overperform-in-the-wisconsin-state-assembly-partisan-gerrymandering-vs-political-geography/
Levitsky, S. (Interviewee). (2025, April 22). America’s path to ‘competitive authoritarianism’ (D. Davies, Interviewer) [Audio podcast episode]. In Fresh Air. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/1246322283/levitsky-harvard-democracy
Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2002). Elections without democracy: The rise of competitive authoritarianism. Journal of Democracy, 13(2), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2002.0026
Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2010). Competitive authoritarianism: Hybrid regimes after the Cold War. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511781353
Polish opposition leader Tusk declares win as ruling conservatives lose majority. (2023, October 16). NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/10/15/1206033591/poland-votes-in-an-election-seen-as-the-most-important-of-its-3-decade-old-democ
Rascoe, A. (Host). (2024, June 23). Hungary’s far-right leader is set to take over rotating presidency of the EU [Radio broadcast interview with K. L. Scheppele]. NPR Weekend Edition. https://www.npr.org/2024/06/23/nx-s1-5010956/hungarys-far-right-leader-is-set-to-take-over-rotating-presidency-of-the-eu
Reporters Without Borders. (2025, May 2). 2025 World Press Freedom Index: Over half the world’s population in red zones. https://rsf.org/en/world-press-freedom-index-2025-over-half-worlds-population-red-zones
Scheppele, K. L. (2018). Autocratic legalism. University of Chicago Law Review, 85(2), 545–583. https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclrev/vol85/iss2/2
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Trump Cut Funding to 16 Dem States. Can States Cut His?
Within 72 hours of the October 1st government shutdown, the Trump administration weaponized federal funding against Democratic states with surgical precision. OMB Director Russell Vought froze $18 billion in New York City infrastructure for "unconstitutional DEI principles," cancelled $8 billion in climate funding across exactly 16 blue states (every one a state that voted for Kamala Harris), and sent compacts to nine universities demanding they protect "conservative ideas" in exchange for federal funding advantages.
The message was explicit: bend the knee on culture war issues, or watch your federal dollars disappear. Trump himself framed mass layoffs as targeting Democrats, posting that Republicans should use the shutdown to "clear out dead wood" while threatening permanent workforce reductions within "one to two days."
The Trump administration designed this as financial warfare to force compliance through economic pain. But they made a catastrophic miscalculation: the states they're targeting are the ones bankrolling the entire federal system.
New York sends the federal government $24 billion more each year than it receives back. Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts together contribute another $40 billion surplus. These same states now face federal freezes on programs Congress has already funded. The money exists and Congress appropriated it. The executive branch simply refuses to release it.
Courts can issue orders, but court orders are just paper without enforcement mechanisms. States need leverage, not just legal arguments.
The anti-commandeering doctrine, confirmed in Printz v. United States, holds that the federal government cannot force states to administer federal programs. This means States participate in exchange for federal funding. When that funding stops illegally, the basis for cooperation disappears.
1. Hold Federal Tax Payments in Escrow
States and cities process billions in federal tax payments from their employees. These payments flow to Washington automatically, but automatic is not mandatory. States could hold these funds until the federal government certifies it has met its own obligations. No constitutional provision requires states to immediately forward federal taxes while waiting months for entitled federal payments. Make this an interstate compact for even more power.
2. Charge Federal Facilities Market Rates for Everything
Every military base and federal building depends on state-funded infrastructure. Roads, snow removal, emergency services. States have traditionally absorbed these costs. Tradition is not law. When a military base calls for emergency services, bill them at market rates. The Pentagon's budget assumes free state services. That assumption is optional.
3. Apply Federal Standards to Federal Payments
When states request entitled funds, they face months of documentation requirements and delays. States can apply the same standards to federal tax transfers. Every payment can require comprehensive documentation, multi-level review, and accuracy verification. If processing a federal grant takes 18 months, processing federal tax transfers can take 18 months too.
4. Form an Interstate Compact for Fiscal Fairness
The Constitution allows interstate compacts, though Congress must approve those affecting federal power. Donor states can achieve the same result through coordinated state legislation without requiring a formal compact. New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts passing identical escrow laws on the same day creates collective leverage without needing Congressional permission.
These states could establish uniform procedures for federal payment processing during funding disputes. When the federal government withholds congressionally appropriated funds, coordinated states simultaneously implement reciprocal delays. Individual states invite retaliation. Ten states acting together change the conversation.
5. Convert Every State Service to Fee-for-Service
Road maintenance to federal facilities? Calculate actual costs per mile. Water and sewer connections to federal buildings? Full municipal rates, no subsidies. State police responding to federal property? Invoice for each call. Environmental monitoring around military bases? Hourly billing for state inspectors. The federal government assumes these services are free. They're subsidized and subsidies can end.
These strategies will face constitutional challenges, particularly regarding the Supremacy Clause. But the Supremacy Clause only protects lawful federal action. Withholding congressionally appropriated funds violates the Appropriations Clause and the Impoundment Control Act. States enforcing reciprocal standards are defending the rule of law, not defying it.
Making these things happen will require state action. It starts with focusing on state treasurers and state budget committee chairs who understand finances, as well as attorneys general who would be defending these measures in court. Contact them directly. Ask when then they'll be taking action to implement these strategies.
Share this with policy organizations in donor states. Make "fiscal leverage" something every state official has to address.
Will there be lawsuits? Yes. But litigation with leverage beats litigation without it. When both parties can inflict fiscal pain, they find solutions. When only one can, they don't.
States have accepted a fiction that federal fiscal dominance is constitutionally required. It's not. These strategies are all worth fighting for, all at least arguably constitutional, and all completely available to states willing to assert their actual authority rather than their assumed subordination.
Ultimately, bending the knee has never stopped autocrats. Not once.
It's time to defund fascism.
If you found this article worthwhile, check out my book:
Conservatism: America’s Personality Disorder
https://a.co/d/3l6qZb9
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5 Phone Calls Can Stop American Fascism. Here Are the Numbers.
Politicians have a secret math they don't want you to know. Something that is an open secret in politics was shared with the public by former congressional staffers who wrote the Indivisible Guide, here's how they actually count your complaints:
One phone call = 100-1,000 angry voters
One personal email = 10-50 voters
One form letter = maybe 1 voter, if they even count it
This is the economy of political pressure. The Congressional Management Foundation found that individualized contact influenced 94% of congressional offices on undecided issues. Mass email campaigns? 18%. Petitions? Worthless.
But here's the secret that changes everything: state officials are sitting ducks.
State Comptrollers generally receive 5-10 constituent calls per month. State Treasurers? Many have never experienced a coordinated campaign. District Attorneys? Only hear from victims and lawyers, not voters. State Legislators? They average 20-30 contacts per week
The magic happens at these thresholds:
10 calls in an hour = staff notices. 50 calls in a day = emergency meeting. 100 calls in a day = office shuts down to handle it. 500 calls in a week = policy change consideration. 1,000 calls = historical precedent shows this forces action
Academic research from Michigan State University found constituent contact increases legislator support probability by 12-20%. The Net Neutrality campaign's 1.3 million calls changed federal policy. The ACA defense campaign's 6,000 calls prevented repeal. At the state level, you need 100x fewer calls for the same impact.
Critical: Form letters, petitions, and automated messages go straight in the trash. Personalized calls are exponentially more powerful, with some studies estimating the impact could be as much as 70x more effective. One real phone call outweighs hundreds of form messages.
Script for your District Attorney
If you're in Manhattan: Call Alvin Bragg at (212) 335-9000. If you're in LA: Call Nathan Hochman at (213) 257-2000. If you're in Cook County: Call Eileen O'Neal Burke at (312) 603-1880. Everyone else: Google "[Your County] District Attorney phone"
Say this: "Hello, I'm [name] from [zip code]. When federal agents arrest people at churches, schools, or hospitals, that's a state crime. When they force doctors to report pregnancies or miscarriages, that's a state crime. When they build religious registries, that's a state crime. Presidential pardons don't work on state crimes. I demand our DA prosecute any federal agent who violates our citizens' constitutional rights. Will you protect us or collaborate with people destroying American values?"
Script for your State Comptroller/Controller
If you're in California: Call Malia Cohen at (916) 445-2636. If you're in New York: Call Thomas DiNapoli at (518) 474-4044. If you're in Illinois: Call Susana Mendoza at (217) 782-6000. Everyone else: Google "[Your State] Comptroller" or "Controller" or "Auditor"
Say this: "Hi, I'm [name] from [zip code]. You control our state's money. You have the power to suspend information sharing with the IRS. You can redirect federal tax withholdings to escrow accounts. You can delay federal fund transfers pending constitutional review. When Trump cuts our disaster relief or defunds our schools for teaching real history, you have the power to respond. Use that leverage today or admit you're too weak to fight authoritarianism."
Script for your State Treasurer
If you're in California: Call Fiona Ma at (916) 653-2995. If you're in Illinois: Call Michael Frerichs at (217) 782-2211. Everyone else: Google "[Your State] Treasurer phone"
Say this: "I'm [name] from [zip code]. Trump is using our tax dollars to fund mass kidnapping operations, private militias rounding up families, and his personal Gestapo. He's already started raiding Social Security to pay for concentration camps. You control billions in our state pension funds that are currently in federal bonds. You're literally funding fascism. Every day you don't pull that money out, you're financing raids on churches, hospitals, and schools. You're paying for the vans that disappear people. You're funding his brownshirts. Pull every penny out now or explain to retirees why you used their retirement savings to build America's concentration camps. Move our money today or admit you're being complicit in America's destruction."
Script for your Attorney General
If you're in California: Call Rob Bonta at (916) 445-9555. If you're in New York: Call Letitia James at (800) 771-7755. If you're in Delaware: Call Kathy Jennings at (302) 577-8500. Everyone else: Google "[Your State] Attorney General phone"
Say this: "I'm [name] from [zip code]. Every corporation operating in our state needs your permission to exist. Tech companies are selling location data to bounty hunters and ICE. Pharmacies are sharing medical records with law enforcement in abortion investigations. CVS and Walgreens have already complied with warrants. Amazon Web Services is hosting Palantir's ICE targeting systems. Data brokers are selling location information of anyone who visits abortion clinics. This is documented. These aren't hypotheticals. This is happening now. These companies are choosing profits over our citizens' safety. You can revoke their business licenses. You can ban state contracts with any company that shares data for political prosecutions. So tell me: Will you strip their right to operate in our state for collaborating with fascism, or are you owned by the same corporations enabling these atrocities? Use your power now."
Impact: Democratic AGs have already filed 20+ coordinated lawsuits against federal overreach. When multiple states get similar calls, they coordinate responses.
Script for your State Legislators
Find yours at: openstates.org
Say this: "I'm [name] from [district]. Federal agents are raiding schools and churches right now. They are tracking who visits abortion clinics through data brokers. They are prosecuting political enemies while pardoning violent criminals. They are using emergency powers to steal funds Congress allocated for disaster relief. They are building detention camps. They are surveilling journalists and protesters. This is happening today.
Pass nullification legislation this week. Declare federal raids at schools and churches void in our state. Make it a felony to enforce federal surveillance programs here. When they steal our disaster funds, have trigger laws already in place to automatically withhold our federal taxes. When they demand our pregnancy data, make compliance a crime. When they prosecute our citizens for peaceably assembling or exercising their freedom of speech, declare those prosecutions void and even better arrest those who are unlawfully arresting our residents.
Wisconsin's legislature declared the Fugitive Slave Act void. They didn't ask permission. Northern states made it a crime to enforce federal slave law. South Carolina nullified federal tariffs and forced Jackson to back down. States are successfully nullifying federal marijuana laws right now.
The Tenth Amendment gives you this power. The federal government is committing crimes against our citizens today. Pass trigger and nullification laws now."
The idea that this can actually make change isn't a fantasy. States have successfully defied federal authority throughout American history:
1832: South Carolina nullified federal tariffs. Jackson threatened military force. South Carolina prepared its militia. Jackson blinked. The tariffs were reduced.
1850s: Northern states nullified the Fugitive Slave Act. Wisconsin's legislature declared it void. Vermont passed laws making federal enforcement impossible. Federal marshals couldn't operate without local support. The law became unenforceable.
2013-Present: States nullified federal marijuana laws. The DEA lacks resources to enforce without state cooperation. Federal law became meaningless in legal states.
2017-2021: California passed sanctuary state laws limiting cooperation with ICE. Courts upheld these laws. Federal immigration enforcement became significantly harder.
2021-Present: Texas and Florida defied federal immigration policies, created their own border enforcement, bused migrants to blue cities, and sued the federal government repeatedly. They acted first and forced the federal government to react.
States that act first and dare the federal government to stop them usually win. States that ask permission first get nowhere.
Another important note, don't say "federal overreach." Say exactly what they're planning:
"Rounding up families at churches" "Tracking women's pregnancies" "Building Muslim registries" "Cutting off disaster relief over political affiliation" "Warrantless and illegal government agents kidnapping residents" "Forcing teachers and public servants to sign loyalty oaths to the President" "Kidnapping children and sending them unaccompanied by family to other nations" "Creating concentration camps" "Stealing our Social Security"
If You're in a Red State
Progressive policies win 67% of the time when separated from party branding. Add this to any script:
"The Tenth Amendment reserves powers to the states. Even conservative states have defied federal mandates they disagreed with. This isn't about party. It's about protecting our state's sovereignty against federal tyranny."
The 30-Second Nuclear Option
If you're nervous or short on time, use this for any official:
"I'm [name] from [zip]. Trump's building concentration camps, tracking pregnancies, and dismantling free and fair elections. You have the power to stop this in our state. Will you use your constitutional authority to protect us? Yes or no?"
How to Maximize Your Impact
Best times to call:
Tuesday-Thursday (avoid Mondays and Fridays). 10am-noon or 2pm-4pm local time. Avoid lunch hour (12-1pm). Morning crisis effect: 50 calls between 9-10am forces emergency meeting by 11am.
Triple your impact: After calling, immediately:
Email the same message (shows you're tracking). Post on social media that you called (triggers others). Call back in 3 days if no response (shows persistence).
The multiplier effect is real:
1 person posting they called = 5-10 others call. 10 people posting = 100+ calls. 100 people posting = thousands of calls.
Social Media Scripts to Share
Twitter/X: "Just called [Official Name] at [Number]. They control [$X billion/prosecutorial power/corporate charters] that could stop Trump today. They weren't expecting constituent calls. If 100 of us call, we force action. Here's what I said: [paste script]. Your turn. #StateResistance"
Facebook/Instagram: "Just called my state [comptroller/AG/treasurer]. They had no idea citizens knew about their constitutional powers. The staffer was shocked by the calls coming in. This is working. Call yours now: [paste relevant script and number]"
If They Deflect
They say: "We need to review the legal options..." You say: "Other states have already used these powers. When will you?"
They say: "It's complicated..." You say: "It's not complicated. You have constitutional authority. Use it or admit you won't."
They say: "We're monitoring the situation..." You say: "I'm not asking you to monitor. I'm demanding you act in the interest of the people of (your location). Yes or no?"
If they hem and haw further, just say "noted, have a nice day" and hang up!
Document Everything
Create a simple note outlining who you called. Date and time. Staffer name, asking for this always makes them nervous that if they don’t take it seriously and it ends up getting their boss in trouble, they’ll be the one who is blamed. Also document their response and when you'll call back.
Post it publicly: "Called [Official] at [time]. They said [response]. Calling back [date] if no action."
Why This Strategy Can Work
The Constitutional Powers Are Real:
State officials can prosecute federal officials for state crimes (presidential pardons don't apply). State comptrollers can suspend cooperation with federal tax collection. State AGs can revoke corporate charters. State legislatures can nullify federal laws within their borders.
California, New York, and Illinois send $119 billion more to DC than they receive back. These three states' comptrollers control $650 billion in cash flow. Every Fortune 500 company depends on state charters to exist. The federal government cannot function without state cooperation.
The precedent is real. States have successfully nullified federal laws throughout history. Courts have upheld state sovereignty in numerous cases. The anti-commandeering doctrine prevents the federal government from forcing states to enforce federal law.
What is really incredible about this strategy, is that you're not calling Congress where 10,000 calls might not matter. You're calling state officials who never get this pressure. 100 calls will shut down their offices. 1,000 calls can force policy changes.
These officials have massive constitutional powers they've never been pressured to use. History shows that states that resist first and forcefully usually win.
Trump is 79, obese, and in rapidly declining health. When he dies, Vance inherits everything. You have a narrow window to force your state to build the legal walls that protect democracy.
Make the calls. Today. This is how you force people to do their damn jobs and defend our rights.
If you found this worthwhile, check out my latest book!
Conservatism: America's Empathy Disorder
https://a.co/d/g5yLpcF
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Cut the Failed Red States Loose: Why America Can't Keep Carrying the Dead Weight
Jackson, Mississippi residents spent weeks collecting rainwater in buckets during their third water system collapse since 2021. During those same weeks, the state legislature devoted substantial time to debating mandatory "In God We Trust" classroom posters. This isn't about red versus blue. It's about a simpler question: How does a modern nation function when some of its governmental partners refuse to engage in governance or management rather than imaginary problems.
The pattern repeats across a growing swath of America. The UN Special Rapporteur on poverty visited Alabama in 2017 and found raw sewage pooling in yards due to failed septic systems, conditions he said were "uncommon in the developed world." Alabama now has a hookworm problem affecting 34% of residents in Lowndes County, a disease of extreme poverty eradicated in most developing nations decades ago. The legislative response? Passing abortion bans while allocating nothing to sewage infrastructure.
Louisiana tells the same story through different failures. The state has the highest incarceration rate on Earth at 1,094 per 100,000 people, higher than El Salvador or Rwanda. It ranks 50th in education, 48th in healthcare, and 45th in infrastructure. Ten major insurers fled after hurricane losses, triggering an insurance market collapse. The legislature's 2024 priority? Mandating Ten Commandments displays in classrooms, now tied up in costly legal challenges while basic services crumble.
These are symptoms of states that have essentially given up on good faith management. Between 2000 and 2018, nearly 300,000 children were legally married in the United States, overwhelmingly concentrated in Southern states, with documented cases of children as young as 10. Tennessee legislators in 2018 attempted to eliminate age requirements for marriage entirely before public backlash. These same states depend on massive federal transfers: Mississippi receives $2.73 in federal spending for every dollar it contributes, Kentucky $2.35, Alabama $2.03.
The human costs are staggering. West Virginia leads the nation in overdose deaths while rural hospitals close monthly. The legislature's response? Extensive debates over trans athlete bans affecting roughly a dozen students statewide while rejecting Medicaid expansion that would save hundreds of lives annually.
Mississippi's maternal mortality rate of 40 deaths per 100,000 live births is worse than Lebanon and Iran according to WHO data. Black women in Mississippi die in childbirth at rates comparable to Sub-Saharan Africa. Rather than expand healthcare access, the legislature focuses on prosecuting women and doctors over abortion care. Texas has recorded over 200 deaths from power failures since their deregulation, yet refuses to connect to federal grids that would require winterization. The legislature prioritized abortion bounty systems over grid reliability requirements after failures that killed 246 people in 2021 alone. Of course we all know that Republicans have no concern for human life unless it's an embryo.
The economic exodus accelerates. Major tech companies flee Texas and Florida despite zero income tax advantages, explicitly citing social policies in relocation announcements. Disney halted a billion-dollar Florida expansion. North Carolina lost $3.76 billion over a bathroom bill. Meanwhile, these states' education systems hemorrhage teachers over book bans that have removed everything from math textbooks (for "prohibited topics") to encyclopedias. Oklahoma, ranked 47th in education, lost 3,000 teachers last year while the state superintendent mandated Bible instruction in public schools.
Federal disaster relief has rebuilt some Gulf Coast properties four or more times since Katrina while these states reject climate planning. Kentucky had three "500-year floods" in two years, requiring billions in federal aid while state leadership denies climate change. These states sue to block the same environmental standards that could reduce disaster frequency while depending on federal bailouts for predictable catastrophes.
The federal government spends blue state resources forcing basic compliance in resistant states. Federal courts must repeatedly intervene to ensure hospitals don't turn away dying women, to keep polling places open, to prevent child labor violations that have spiked 283% in Southern states since 2015. When we need infrastructure modernization, partner states can't maintain existing roads. When we needed pandemic response, they banned mask mandates while requesting federal medical teams. When we need economic competitiveness, entire regions operate like corrupt developing nations.
These states demonstrably cannot provide clean water, prevent treatable diseases, or maintain first-world life expectancy. They survive on transfers from the states they call "coastal elites" while their legislatures debate requiring prayer in schools and banning books about seahorses for "promoting gender ideology." The question writes itself: How do you run a 21st-century superpower when your governmental partners can't, or won't, perform basic governmental functions?
You don't. Cut them loose so the rest of us can move into the 21st century, rather than back to the dark ages.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:
CONSERVATISM: AMERICA’S EMPATHY DISORDER
My latest book
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I researched every attempt to stop fascism in history. The success rate is 0%.
In 1933, German conservatives thought they could control Hitler. Two years later, they were being executed in their own homes. I spent weeks researching this question, desperately looking for counter-examples, for hope, for any time in history where people successfully stopped fascists after they started winning elections.
Here's what I found: Once fascists win power democratically, they have never been removed democratically. Not once. Ever.
I know that sounds impossible. I kept digging, thinking surely someone, somewhere, stopped them. The actual record is so much worse than you think.
Let's start with Germany because everyone thinks they know this story. Franz von Papen, the conservative politician who convinced President Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor, said "We've hired him" in January 1933. He thought he was so clever. Within 18 months, the Nazis were machine-gunning von Papen's allies in their homes during the Night of Long Knives. Von Papen himself barely escaped to Austria with his life. Every single conservative who thought they could "control" or "moderate" Hitler was either dead, in exile, or groveling for survival by 1934.
Italy was even dumber, if that's possible. October 1922, Mussolini announces he's marching on Rome with 30,000 blackshirts. Except here's the thing: they were poorly armed, disorganized, and the Italian military could have crushed them in about three hours. The King had his generals ready. He had martial law papers drawn up. The military was waiting for the order. Instead, he invited Mussolini to form a government. Just handed him power. Twenty-three years later, partisans hung Mussolini's corpse upside down at a gas station while crowds beat it with sticks. The king died in exile. Hundreds of thousands of Italians died for that moment of cowardice.
Spain might be the worst because everyone saw it coming. Three years of escalating fascist violence. Actual assassination attempts. Then in 1936, Franco and his generals launch a straight-up military coup. The Spanish Republic begged for help. France said "not our problem." Britain said "both sides are bad." America declared neutrality. The result? Franco ruled for 39 years. He died peacefully in his bed in 1975. They're still finding mass graves in Spain. Still. In 2025.
Want something more recent? Look at Hungary. Orbán won democratically in 2010. By 2011 he'd rewritten the constitution. By 2012 he controlled the media. By 2013 he'd gutted the judiciary. It's 2025 and he's still in power. The EU has been "very concerned" for fourteen fucking years. They've written strongly worded letters. They've held meetings. Hungary is now a one-party state in the middle of Europe and everyone just... accepts it.
Okay, but surely someone, somewhere, stopped them?
Finland 1932 is the only clean win I can find. The fascist Lapua Movement tried an armed coup before they'd secured government power. The military stayed loyal to democracy, crushed the rebellion, and banned the movement. That's it. That's the success story. One time out of roughly fifty attempts, fascists were stopped because they were stupid enough to try violence before winning elections.
France in 1934 looked like a victory for about five minutes. Fascist leagues tried to storm parliament on February 6th. Six days later, twelve million workers went on general strike. Twelve million. The entire country stopped. No trains, no factories, no shops, nothing. The fascists backed down. Great victory, right? Except those exact same fascists enthusiastically collaborated when the Nazis invaded six years later. They just waited.
Portugal's fascist regime finally fell in 1974. After 48 years. How? Military officers launched a coup. Democratic resistance had been crushed for five decades. International pressure meant nothing. The dictator Salazar died in 1970 and his successor just kept going until the military said enough. That's your success story: wait half a century and hope the military gets tired.
The pattern is so consistent it's almost funny if it weren't so terrifying. Every single time it goes like this: Conservatives panic about socialism or progressives or whatever. They ally with fascists as the "lesser evil." Fascists take power. Fascists immediately purge the conservatives who helped them. Then it's 30-50 years of dictatorship. This happened in Germany, Italy, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Greece, Portugal, Croatia, Romania, and Hungary.
Want to know how many times conservatives successfully "controlled" the fascists they allied with? Zero. Want to know how many times fascists purged the conservatives after taking power? All of them. Every single time.
And here's the part that breaks your heart. Violence works. For them. Fascists use violence while claiming to be victims. They create chaos that "requires" their authoritarian solution. Then they purge anyone who opposes them. Meanwhile, democrats keep insisting on following rules that fascists completely ignore. They file lawsuits. They write editorials. They vote on resolutions. And fascists just laugh and keep consolidating power.
The statistics are brutal. Fascist takeovers prevented after winning power democratically: zero. Average length of fascist rule once established: 31 years. Fascist regimes removed by voting: zero. Fascist regimes removed by asking nicely: zero. Most were removed by war or military coups, and tens of millions died in the process.
I'm not allowed to make the obvious contemporary comparisons, but you're already making them in your head. "We can control him" is being said right now, in 2025, by people who apparently never cracked a history book.
Based on the historical record, there are exactly three ways this goes. Option one: Stop them before they take power. Option two: War. Option three: Wait for them to die of old age.
They tried anyway.
But here's the thing: we already missed our chance. The window isn't closing; it's closed.
The Supreme Court declared Trump above the law. He's threatening to arrest political opponents. He's already sent the FBI after elected officials when they haven’t committed crimes. Congress is his. Most state governments are his. Billionaire oligarchs openly coordinate with him. The window slammed shut.
So let's stop pretending we're in the "prevention" phase and start talking about what you do when fascists already control the institutions but haven't fully consolidated power yet. Because historically, nobody's been here before, not like this.
No wealthy democracy with nuclear weapons has ever fallen to fascism. The 1930s examples everyone cites were broken countries. Weimar Germany was weakened by World War I and hyperinflation. Italy was barely industrialized. Spain was largely agrarian. They didn't have the world's reserve currency. They didn't have thousands of nukes. They didn't have surveillance technology that would make the Stasi weep with envy.
America has all of that. Plus geographic isolation that makes external intervention impossible. Plus a population where 30-40% genuinely wants authoritarian rule as long as it hurts the "right people." The historical playbook is useless here. We're in unprecedented territory.
But that also means the old rules about what's possible might not apply.
Option 1: The Blue State Coalition
California's economy is bigger than the UK's. New York controls global finance. The blue states collectively represent over 60% of America's GDP. They could, theoretically, make the federal government irrelevant.
Imagine if California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Massachusetts, and others started coordinating directly. Ignoring federal mandates. Creating their own interstate compacts for everything from climate policy to civil rights. They already started this with climate agreements when Trump pulled out of Paris. But I'm talking about going much further.
State-level cryptocurrency to avoid federal monetary control. State-funded healthcare systems that ignore federal restrictions. State-level immigration policies that simply refuse to cooperate with ICE. Make the federal government have to physically enforce every single policy, stretching their resources to breaking.
The precedent? The way Northern states nullified fugitive slave laws in the 1850s. The way states are currently ignoring federal marijuana prohibition. But coordinated and comprehensive.
Option 2: Selective Compliance and Irish Democracy
The Irish called it "Irish Democracy" when they were under British rule, the silent, dogged resistance of millions who simply ignored laws they found illegitimate. Don't protest. Don't riot. Just don't comply.
Red states need blue state money. Blue state taxes fund red state governments. What if millions of people in blue states simultaneously decided to claim exempt on their W-4s and simply... stopped paying federal taxes? Not as protest but as a coordinated "forgetting." Overwhelm the IRS. Make enforcement impossible.
Doctors in blue states could ignore abortion restrictions. Teachers could ignore curriculum mandates. State police could refuse to enforce federal laws. Not dramatically, just... incompetently. "Sorry, we couldn't find them." "The paperwork got lost." "Our systems are down."
Make every single act of authoritarian control require physical enforcement, then make that enforcement impossibly expensive and difficult.
Option 3: Secession
We already have two incompatible visions of what America should be. One side wants a multi-ethnic democracy with a social safety net. The other wants a white Christian ethnostate with unlimited corporate power. These cannot coexist indefinitely.
What if blue states started seriously discussing secession? Not threatened as political theater but actually planned. Constitutional conventions. Referendums. Negotiations for national debt division. Military base transfers. Currency agreements.
Yes, the last time states tried to leave it caused a civil war. But that was over slavery, with clearly defined geographic boundaries and two relatively equal economic systems. This would be the economic powerhouses leaving the welfare states. What would the red states do, invade California? With what money?
The mere serious threat might be enough to force structural changes. Quebec nearly left Canada twice and got massive concessions both times just from credible threats.
Option 4: International Intervention
This has never happened to a nuclear power, but there's a first time for everything. Blue states could request UN election monitoring. They could sign their own climate agreements with the EU. They could create alternate diplomatic channels.
California could request Canadian peacekeepers for "election security." New York could invite European observers for "financial transparency." Make it embarrassing. Make America's collapse visible to the world. Force the international community to pick sides.
No, the UN can't invade America. But they can isolate it. Sanctions work. Ask Russia. International humiliation works. Ask South Africa under apartheid.
The Uncomfortable Truth
We're past normal. The fascists already won round one. They control the institutions. They have their judges. They have their media ecosystem. They have their army of true believers who will excuse anything.
But they don't have the money. They don't have the cities. They don't have the educated workforce. They don't have the young. And most importantly, they don't have legitimacy in the eyes of the majority.
The historical record says once fascists gain power, they stay for 30-50 years. But the historical record doesn't have examples of fascists taking over a country where their opposition controls most of the economy, technology, and cultural production. We're in uncharted territory, which means we need unprecedented responses.
The question isn't whether these options are extreme. They are. The question is whether we're ready to admit that normal is already gone. The window to prevent fascism closed. But the opportunity for something else, something unprecedented, might just be opening.
The German conservatives who said "we can control him" were all dead or fled within two years. We're just months into our version of this story. The question is: are we going to be the first generation that finds a new way out, or are we going to be another cautionary tale future historians write about?
At least we're finally asking the right questions.
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