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In late October 2024, the environment was entirely separate. Ahead of the American presidential vote, considerate Americans could acknowledge America's significant faults – its injustices and inequality – but they continued to see it as America. A democratic nation. A country where constitutional order held significance. A state led by a respectable and decent leader, even with his advanced age and declining health.

Currently, this autumn, many of us barely recognize the country we inhabit. People believed to be undocumented migrants are collected and pushed into transport, at times refused legal rights. The left side of the “people’s house” – is being torn down for a grotesque dance hall. The president is persecuting his political rivals or supposed enemies and demanding legal authorities transfer a huge total of taxpayer money. Uniformed troops are deployed across metropolitan centers on false pretexts. The military command, relabeled the Defense Ministry, has – in effect – freed itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny while it uses possibly reaching close to a trillion USD in public funds. Institutions, attorney offices, journalism organizations are yielding under the president’s threats, and rich magnates are treated like nobility.

“The US, just months before its quarter-millennium anniversary as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the edge toward dictatorship and totalitarianism,” a noted author, commented this past summer. “In the end, swifter than I imagined possible, it transpired in America.”

Every morning starts to new horrors. And it is difficult to grasp – and distressing to accept – how severely declined our nation is, and the rapid pace with which it unfolded.

Yet, it is known that the president was legitimately chosen. Even after his deeply disturbing initial presidency and despite the warnings linked to the awareness of Project 2025 – despite Trump himself declared plainly he planned to act as an autocrat solely at the start – sufficient voters chose him instead of the other candidate.

As terrifying as the current reality may be, it’s even scarier to realize that we have only been three-quarters of a year into this administration. What will an additional three years of this deterioration find us? And suppose that period turns into something even longer, as there is nobody to limit this ruler from determining that another term is required, perhaps for national security reasons?

Admittedly, not everything is hopeless. There will be legislative votes next year that could bring a different balance of power, should Democrats recapture either chamber of parliament. There exist government representatives who are attempting to impose certain responsibility, such as representatives who are initiating an inquiry concerning the try to fund seizure from the justice department.

And a presidential election in the next cycle could initiate the path to recovery exactly as last year’s election put us on this regrettable path.

We see millions of Americans marching in the streets of their cities, as they did in the past days in the No Kings rallies.

A former official, stated lately that “the slumbering force of America is rising”, just as it did after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or throughout the sixties activism or throughout the seventies crisis.

On those occasions, the listing ship ultimately corrected itself.

He claims he understands the signals of that resurgence and observes it occurring currently. As support, he points to the widespread marches, the widespread, cross-party resistance regarding a personality's dismissal and the largely united defiance by media to accept the defense department’s demands they only publish authorized information.

“The slumbering entity always remains inactive till specific greed turns extremely harmful, a particular deed so offensive of societal benefit, some brutality so noisy, that it is forced other than to stir.”

It's a hopeful perspective, and I appreciate Reich’s experienced view. Perhaps he will turn out correct.

Meanwhile, the crucial issues endure: can America regain its footing? Can it reclaim its standing globally and its adherence to legal principles?

Or should we recognize that the 250-year-old experiment functioned for a period, and then – suddenly, utterly – failed?

My negative thoughts suggests that the latter is true; that everything might be lost. My hopeful heart, however, advises me that we need to strive, through all methods available.

In my case, as a media critic, that means encouraging reporters to adhere, more thoroughly, to their mission of holding power to account. For others, it could mean engaging with election efforts, or coordinating protests, or developing approaches to protect electoral access.

Not even one year prior, we existed in an alternate reality. A year from now? Or three years from now? The fact is, we are uncertain. The only option is to strive to continue fighting.

What Provides Me Hope Now

The interaction I encounter during teaching with aspiring reporters, who are equally visionary and grounded, {always