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Over the past few weeks and days, I’ve been sounding the alarm about the authoritarian dangers we’re facing right here, in real time, in our country. We are not watching history unfold from the sidelines; we are living it. And I’ve joined different conversations to underscore one truth: democracy only survives if we fight for it and reclaim it. 
On Mornings with Zerlina Maxwell, I laid it out plainly:
“We are fully in an authoritarian regime. If we were listening to this conversation in any other nation-state, we would say that the head of the regime has taken over the capital city.”
This isn’t a warning about what might come—it’s a recognition of where we already are. We would never hesitate to call it out if it were happening abroad. But because it’s happening here, in our own institutions, too many of us struggle to name it. Authoritarianism thrives on that hesitation. Naming the threat for what it is must the first step toward fighting it.
On Amanpour & Co. with Michel Martin, I reminded listeners that this didn’t happen by accident:
“We ushered in authoritarianism using democracy; now it is our responsibility to protect democracy from those who would take it from us.”
That’s the uncomfortable truth: authoritarianism today doesn’t arrive through military coups or tanks in the street. It arrives through ballots, by leaders who win democratic elections, and then govern as autocrats. We’ve seen it in Turkey, Hungary, and Russia. We’re seeing it in America. And if democracy can be weaponized to usher in authoritarianism, then democracy must also be the tool we use to defend and reclaim our freedoms. That means voting, yes, but it also means organizing, protesting, holding leaders accountable, and refusing to normalize the erosion of our rights.
And on The Best People Podcast with Nicolle Wallace, I pointed to the work ahead:
“Victory is not a cinematic moment… When you’re defending democracy, progress counts as victory. Their goal is your silence—every day we remain free, that is progress.”
It’s tempting to believe there will be a single, sweeping moment when democracy is saved: a dramatic climax where the music swells and the good people win. But that’s not how this works. Defending democracy is daily, often unglamorous work. Every march, every organizing call, every community garden built when the government fails to deliver—these are all acts of defiance. Every time we refuse to be silent, we chip away at authoritarian control. That progress matters, because their goal is to exhaust us into silence. Our responsibility is to keep going.
Authoritarianism feeds on silence. Assembly Notes exists to push back—and your support makes it possible. Become a free or paid subscriber today.
Together, these conversations tell the same story: America is not immune to authoritarianism. We are in it, and it’s on us to stop it. That doesn’t mean waiting for a single dramatic turning point, it means doing the daily, relentless work of defending freedom, demanding accountability, and refusing to surrender. Because the moment we stop pushing back is the moment they win.

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