In response to Jonathan Freedland's column on the United States' 250-year experiment, readers express deep concern that Donald Trump's presidency has irreversibly damaged American democracy. Ged Parker, chair of The Friends of Washington Old Hall, highlights two overwhelming horrors: the unquestioning obedience of state officials to the commander-in-chief, and the reordering of powers between branches of government that will not be reversed by future presidents or the Supreme Court.
Permanent changes to governance
Parker writes that paid officials implement Trump's orders with little question due to the reverence for the commander-in-chief, a concept given more weight than religious leaders. He argues that the reordering of powers between branches will persist, as future presidents will find them useful and keep them in reserve. The Supreme Court is unlikely to reinterpret these powers soon, leaving Congress to pass constitutional amendments that require state-by-state ratification—a lengthy process.
Chris Flowers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, calls Freedland's column required reading for all US citizens, stating that the US has been destroyed by a wealthy oligarch class prioritizing corporations over average citizens. He notes that the president does not care, science is ignored, and xenophobia and division are rampant, describing the fall of a mighty empire in real time.
American exceptionalism questioned
Patricia Lay-Dorsey, an 84-year-old white American woman whose father was a CIA founder, agrees with Freedland. She recalls believing in the US government's innate goodness until 1989, when she became an anti-war racial-justice activist. Now a disabled elder, she speaks out against government abuses on social media. She argues that the US has always had a mortal flaw: insistence on exceptionalism, even amid moral decay, and does not believe the republic is worth celebrating on its 250th anniversary.
Lay-Dorsey celebrates Air Force Major Jason Watson, who stood alone on the Capitol steps with a sign reading “Impeach, convict, remove” and was arrested. She states that his action represents democracy, and that change must come from the oppressed, ignored, and forgotten, not from the top.
