“ The process often begins with words. Demagogues attack their critics in harsh and provocative terms—as enemies, as subversives, and even as terrorists. Steven Levitsky
“ Knowing how citizens in other democracies have successfully resisted elected autocrats, or why they tragically failed to do so, is essential to those seeking to defend American democracy today. Steven Levitsky
“ Just as divine-right monarchies required forbearance, so do democracies. Think of democracy as a game that we want to keep playing indefinitely. To ensure future rounds of the game, players must refra… Steven Levitsky
“ I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money….So that when the New York Times writes a hit piece, wh… Steven Levitsky
“ It is difficult to find examples of societies in which shrinking ethnic majorities gave up their dominant status without a fight. Steven Levitsky
“ In addition, whereas a narrow (urban, secular, progressive) anti-Trump coalition would reinforce the current axes of partisan division, a broader coalition would crosscut these axes and maybe even hel… Steven Levitsky
“ Even well-designed constitutions cannot, by themselves, guarantee democracy. For one, constitutions are always incomplete. Steven Levitsky
“ As we noted earlier, the chief executive’s constitutional power to pardon is without limit, Steven Levitsky
“ America’s democratic norms, then, were born in a context of exclusion. As long as the political community was restricted largely to whites, Democrats and Republicans had much in common. Neither party… Steven Levitsky
“ Although many factors contributed to Donald Trump’s stunning political success, his rise to the presidency is, in good measure, a story of ineffective gatekeeping. Party gatekeepers failed at three ke… Steven Levitsky
“ Years after Chávez’s presidential victory, Rafael Caldera explained his mistakes simply: Nobody thought that Mr. Chávez had even the remotest chance of becoming president. And merely a day after Hitle… Steven Levitsky
“ We know that extremist demagogues emerge from time to time in all societies, even in healthy democracies. The United States has had its share of them, including Henry Ford, Huey Long, Joseph McCarthy,… Steven Levitsky
“ Under Perón, opposition leader Ricardo Balbín was imprisoned for disrespecting the president during an election campaign. Balbín appealed to the supreme court, but since Perón had packed the court, he… Steven Levitsky
“ Uma coisa que distingue autocratas de líderes democráticos contemporâneos é sua intolerância à crítica e a disposição de usar seu poder para punir aqueles que - na oposição, na mídia ou na sociedade c… Steven Levitsky
“ Trump also found new ways to use old media as a substitute for party endorsements and traditional campaign spending. A candidate with qualities uniquely tailored to the digital age, Trump attracted fr… Steven Levitsky
“ The rhetoric wasn’t limited to Tea Party activists. Republican politicians also questioned President Obama’s Americanness. Steven Levitsky
“ The real protection against would-be authoritarians has not been Americans’ firm commitment to democracy but, rather, the gatekeepers—our political parties. Steven Levitsky
“ The president may break the law, threaten citizens’ rights, and even violate the constitution without having to worry that such abuse will be investigated or censured. With the courts packed and law e… Steven Levitsky
“ The norms sustaining our political system rested, to a considerable degree, on racial exclusion. The stability of the period between the end of Reconstruction and the 1980s was rooted in an original s… Steven Levitsky
