We Cannot Play by the Old Rules in an Authoritarian Era 

I’m starting this post with something that I still cannot fully believe I am typing, “We are living under an authoritarian regime. Every plan, strategy, and tactic must be developed with that reality in mind.” 

I have dedicated my 20+ year career to the fields of voting rights, democracy, civic engagement and organizing, and I am incredibly proud of working at a civil rights organization where I could carry forward the work of so many brave and inspirational leaders from our past. I believed deeply that the path to a more perfect union was through a fair, open, and accessible democracy where the majority of our citizens could participate. That if we dared to commit ourselves to reforming our election system, protecting voters, organizing, leading impactful voter engagement programs and sharp political strategies, implementing policies that improved people’s lives and communicating persuasive narratives then we could actually effect meaningful change.  

This was my own personal north star that drove me through many long days.  

However, we are now living in a new paradigm, one where norms have been shattered, guardrails bypassed, and rules bent beyond recognition. Trump and his allies have pursued total, unaccountable power, breaking through every barrier in their way. 

Minnesota became ground zero for their strategy: 

• A militarized federal force deployed in big cities and small towns.   

• Minnesotans intimidated, harassed, detained and killed.  

• People snatched off the streets without explanation. 

• Appropriated federal funds halted from expecting communities. 

…all punishment for a state that dared to stand up to the President. 

The intensity of these actions may be a shock to some of us, but their willingness to go this far should not. What’s more alarming is the near-total silence—and oftentimes outright support—from the establishment Right and corporate America. Courts, too, have failed to uphold constitutional restraints, often enabling this slide we are seeing into authoritarianism. 

And here’s the hardest part about it: What is not entirely clear but seems to be true is a sizable portion of the American public either supports this descent or are ambivalent – with a large segment regionally clustered in conservative areas. 

So, what do we do?  

Many of you reading this have also spent your careers working within traditional organizations with “lanes” and “missions” to operate in. There are certainly plenty of discussions and plans, as well as protections in place to address “authoritarianism.” We have seen this threat on the horizon, but a lot of that is still within the traditional context through which most of us have been trained.  

We are now in direct opposition to an autocratic government and their enablers who are willing to go to previously incomprehensible lengths to hold and wield unchecked power. They are no longer “governing for all Americans,” or seeking any compromise to solve big problems. Our federal government also has no qualms about inflicting maximum pain just to score political points or shift away from bad media coverage.  

So how much does operating within the traditional context work now? 

• How much does securing Blue State trifectas matter when the Federal Government steamrolls them? 

• What good are “messaging” and “narrative” when the right owns many of the means of distribution and AI-fueled disinformation drowns out and obscures the truth? 

• How effective are data-driven campaigns when we’re in a completely unprecedented political environment? 

• What good is judicial strategy when lifetime appointments have already locked in Trump’s judges? 

• What good is a Democratic Congress when Trump can, will, and has ignored Congressional guardrails?  

Between now and the next presidential election, irreversible damage—and real harm—will occur. Even if Trump disappears from the scene, what changes? Do Red States suddenly embrace democratic norms? Would Democrats be able to hold power long enough to undo the damage that has been done? We’re amid an almost unbroken string of change elections going back to 2006 (with 2012 as the only true outlier). That history tells us the answer is no. More likely, we’ll see backlash, a GOP-controlled Congress by 2030, and the looming threat of another autocrat in 2032. 

Where we go from here won’t be easy. Finding solutions will require us to have self-reflective, honest, and painful conversations. I need to come to terms with the fact that so much of what I have worked for has been undone or upended. That my own north star is no longer effective and that we all need to play by a new set of rules.  

Here’s one thing I know: I’m committed to helping our sector figure it out, and that starts with how I opened this piece. From now on, I’ll start every strategy conversation with this prompt: “We are living in an authoritarian country. Every plan, strategy, and tactic must be developed with that reality in mind.” 

If you’re wrestling with these questions too, let’s talk. Reach out any time at eric@grassrootssolutions.com.