Imagine that you are Sohrab Ahmari, and you are determined to impose your “order and orthodoxy” on hundreds of millions of American unbelievers. It’s a daunting task, to be sure. How would you do it?
You have some things going for you. First of all, you have Trump. Admittedly, he’s far from a perfect instrument; he’s lazy, egotistical, and corrupt, just to name a few undesirable characteristics. What you want is a Franco, and he’s far from that. Still, he has a devoted following and authoritarian leanings. He will do for now.
You also know that history shows that a ruthless, determined minority can get its way in spite of the majority’s wishes, and that you have plenty of fellow travelers who will support you if the alternative is even worse. With that in mind, here’s how it could be done:
- Trump starts a foreign war. This is most likely against Iran, but the enemy doesn’t matter that much. The war has to be ongoing to provide the legal basis for the rest of the program.
- Trump uses the war, and Civil War precedents, to crack down on First Amendment rights. Given his enthusiasm for executive power, Barr is firmly with him on this. The internet is censored, and wartime controls are imposed on print and broadcast media. These reinterpretations of First Amendment jurisprudence are challenged in the courts, of course, and lower courts invalidate them. The Trump Supreme Court, however, ultimately determines that it must defer to the executive even in the instance of bogus “emergencies,” so the restrictions are upheld.
- Barr uses his powers to eliminate all opposition to Trump. Right-wing media are permitted to broadcast the administration’s views 24/7. War opponents are regularly denounced as traitors by Fox News.
- New voter suppression measures are introduced, and are also upheld by the Supreme Court.
- Law enforcement and the military are purged and politicized. Trump loyalists are, of course, put in charge.
- Blue states resist. Martial law is imposed. Troops are sent to restore “order” in LA and New York.
- With this system in place, the national election is a formality. In the meantime, Fox News and other right-wing media are encouraging state and local governments to take complementary action against known Trump opponents. Groups of right-wing thugs are created to take the law into their own hands. They do.
- And there you have it! Liberal democracy is now dead in America. And all because of abortion and gay pride parades. Sad, isn’t it?