From The Case for Consequences
A democracy is not only a collection of laws, and norms of behavior by political elites. It is a set of beliefs by the people. The conviction that crime pays, and that the law is a weapon of the powerful, is a poison endemic to states that have struggled to establish or to maintain democracies.
Democrats and Never-Trump Republicans argue that Donald Trump’s potential return to the presidency poses a dire threat to American democracy. Some advocate drastic measures to prevent it, but true democracy demands nonviolent persuasion, even in the face of fear and uncertainty.
“You don’t stop being a fascist because you don’t get everything you want in your first term because you’re surrounded by people who aren’t fascists. They’re right-wing Republicans, they’re craven, but they’re not going along with fascism. You don’t get to do full fascism until you’re surrounded by fascists.”