Kelly tabbed The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide. It was “published in social media in January 2017 in a series of improvised, spontaneous tweets, which reached 3 million views within one month.” The piece also resides here. It was compiled in 2018 by Martin Mycielski, the Vice President and Executive Director of the Open Dialogue Foundation in Brussels. This is an extensive, annotated excerpt, with the guide in italics.
They will come to power with a campaign based on fear, scaremongering, and distorting the truth. Nevertheless, their victory will be achieved through a democratic electoral process. But beware, as this will be their argument every time you question the legitimacy of their actions. They will claim a mandate from the People to change the system.
From the Guardian (who I give money to, BTW): “The world’s most admired democracy is being held hostage by a clique of far-right thugs. It would be a mistake to placate them.” Watch Jon Stewart’s Daily Show intro from 24 March.
They will divide and rule. Their strength lies in unity, in one voice and one ideology, and so should yours. They will call their supporters Patriots, the only ‘true Americans.’
I read this even more from the supporters of FOTUS. “DOGE is saving you money. Why aren’t you grateful?”
They will subjugate state media, turning them into a propaganda tube. Then, through convoluted laws and threats, they will attempt to control all mainstream media and limit press freedom.
See the ABC News capitulation to FOTUS, the AP ban at press conferences, et al.
They will create chaos, maintain a constant sense of conflict and danger.
You have likely said, “I can’t keep track of these things; it’s coming holus-bolus.” There have been over 100 executive orders.
Liars!
They will distort the truth, deny facts, and blatantly lie.
Watching the national security team lie before Congress about the Yemen attack leak was remarkable. “Nothing to see here! ” FOTUS LIED 30,000 times in his first term, and he lies now. The LA Times noted on 26 March, “Elon Musk has benefited from his close alliance… as [FOTUS] has ousted federal officials who had overseen departments investigating the billionaire’s multiple companies.”
They will propose shocking laws to provoke your outrage. You will focus your efforts on fighting them, so they will seemingly back off, giving you a false sense of victory. In the meantime, they will push through less ‘flashy’ legislation, slowly dismantling democracy.
You have noticed announcements about everything, especially tariffs, start and stop. What’s the rule now?
“When invading your liberal sensibilities, they will focus on what hurts the most – women and minorities. They will act as if democracy was majority rule, without respect for the minority. “
All of the anti-DEI crap.
They will paint foreigners and immigrants as potential threats.
Tom Homan, head of Homeland Security, says all of the Venezuelans sent out of the country were thoroughly investigated and shown to be in gangs. Since they often lie, I remain unconvinced. Not incidentally, the CECOT prison in El Salvador is awful.
They will challenge women’s social status, undermine gender equality and interfere with reproductive rights.
The reversal of Roe v. Wade continues to resonate. Plus all of the anti-DEI crap, et al.
Disorder in the courts
“They will try to take control of the judiciary. They will assault your highest court. They need to remove the checks and balances to be able to push through unconstitutional legislation.”
FOTUS Ramps Up Attacks On Judges, Calls Out Justice John Roberts
They will try to rewrite history to suit their needs and use the education system to support their agenda.
Judge Orders Administration to Stop Deleting January 6 Videos. See also FOTUS suggesting taxpayers may compensate the pardoned J6 criminals with taxpayer dollars. And the anti-DEI crap.
They will alienate foreign allies and partners, convincing you don’t need them. They won’t care for the rest of the world, with their focus on ‘making your country great again’ while ruining your economy to fulfil their populist promises. They will omit that you’re part of a bigger world whose development depends on cooperation, sharing, and trade.
See recent US attitudes towards NATO, Canada, Greenland, Mexico…
They will eventually manipulate the electoral system. They might say it’s to correct flaws, to make it more fair, more similar to the rest of the world, or just to make it better. Don’t believe it. They wouldn’t be messing with it at all if it wasn’t to benefit them in some way.
The executive order, PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS, does neither.
Oppose any changes to electoral law that an authoritarian regime wants to enact – rest assured it’s only to help them remain in power longer.
With love, your Eastern European friends
There is a helpful “authoritarian checklist” in The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide.
6 RULES for Survival under an Authoritarian Regime
Don’t stay indifferent. Expose their scaremongering and show flaws in their arguments. Organize protest movements, mobilize civil society. Don’t let them DIVIDE you into different classes of citizens, “true Americans,” “patriots” vs “traitors,” “enemies of the state.” Don’t hope it will pass; it WON’T.
If you don’t get them to back off or to step down, you better make goddamn SURE that when the next elections come, assuming there’s still any democracy left, NO ONE will vote for the same bastard(s) again!
Look for your nearest Indivisible chapter.
7 RULES on Approaching Authoritarian Supporters
What if your neighbour, friend, or family supports the authoritarian regime?
Don’t look down on or patronize them, even if you know what they’re saying has no factual basis or you find it offensive. Don’t get emotional, and don’t get provoked into heated arguments. Focus on what you have in common. Use their language. Don’t block their news sources or turn away from their leaders and authority figures. Pinpoint the practical, adverse effects of their side’s actions, ones that affect them directly. If all else fails, don’t turn away, don’t abandon your friends and family, and don’t shun your neighbors.
I will admit that the last one, especially, is mighty tough. You should read the entirety of the original document.
