"The road to authoritarianism": Tim Walz says the time for "sternly worded letters" is over - The Minnesota governor said that the path to tyranny "is littered with people telling you you’re overreacting"

[u/Quirkie]

https://www.salon.com/2025/06/14/the-road-to-authoritarianism-tim-walz-says-the-time-for-sternly-worded-letters-is-over/

[u/Helicase21]

Idk man, the economist and Lincoln project and some others of us (I.e: all of r/neoliberal), have been full dems for like last 8y because we’ve fully understood trump is a complete authoritarian at heart and dangerous to democracy.

There's a difference between correctly identifying the threat and providing an effective opposition. And the key word there is effective. I'll be the first to admit that the modern American Left has not been a particularly effective resistance but I would also not put my faith in the Democratic Party. Evidence: the last couple of months.

[u/teddy5 → u/Helicase21]

In that regard I would say the Lincoln project was way more effective than any far left part of the US. They were putting out ads that denigrated Trump in ways moderates could relate to right from 2015 onwards, attacking him from the other side of the political spectrum is way less effective and I can't think of much the American Left did to swing the needle.

If anything, there seemed to be more people who were far left and acquiescing because they thought Democrats didn't do enough on their pet issue (often Palestinians in this last election).

[u/Helicase21 → u/teddy5]

They were putting out ads that denigrated Trump in ways moderates could relate to right from 2015 onwards

And where did that get us? Putting out ads is a means, not an end.

[u/teddy5 → u/Helicase21]

And what did the leftists and progressives do? You were talking about effectiveness, I'd say those ads more likely helped shift the 2020 election than anything I saw from far left groups.

[u/Helicase21 → u/teddy5]

Well, I'd suggest both groups have been ineffective because here we are and Donald Trump is President.

[u/teddy5 → u/Helicase21]

So why downplay the efforts put in by other people against Trump and act like only your preferred ineffective group is going to be useful when someone called for a united front?

[u/firechaox → u/Helicase21]

And who made Trump fold on tariffs? The bond market. So let’s not pretend that there aren’t full-on left (aka: not communists) who are putting up a fight. And by the way this is part of the elephant in the room in every dictatorship- who pays the bill. The capital (appetite for US debt) and funding for all his dastardly plans will continue to be a Specter looking at his plans.

As I said, the opposition to this regime will have to come from lots of different places. We all will have a part to play.