How are things going?
A summary of some recent observations (June-July 2025) about the state of democracy in America.
We're in Cabaret - at the end of Act 1
Marc Elias, Democracy Docket, July 22, 2025, Click to subscribe
This is a slow, internal coup. And one day, we’re going to wake up and democracy as we know it will be over.
In the musical “Cabaret,” Cliff Bradshaw leaves the audience with this monologue: “There was a cabaret, and there was a master of ceremonies. And there was a city called Berlin in a country called Germany. And it was the end of the world. And I was dancing with Sally Bowles, and we were both fast asleep…”
For those of you who haven't been to the Kit Kat Club, “Cabaret” starts as a story about the relationship between Cliff, an American who’s recently moved to Berlin, and Sally Bowels, a cabaret performer. Spoiler alert: by the end of Act I, it’s clear that we're well into the dawn of Nazi Germany, and this is no longer a light-hearted musical about the characters at a cabaret.
The genius of “Cabaret” is that you’re so swept into the lavishness of the show that it’s almost easy to miss the signs. You’re dancing at the cabaret until you’re no longer dancing, and when the plot twist comes, it comes at you fast.
Well, we’re at the end of Act I, and we can’t be caught off guard. It’s the end of the world, and we’re all fast asleep.
I started Democracy Docket to ensure that we wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel. And I know that you’re receiving my tip sheet because you don’t want to tune out what’s happening to our democracy.
So, thank you for being a soldier in this fight. But the truth is, we don’t have enough soldiers.
I know it’s hard, I know it’s scary, but we have to pay attention. Donald Trump and his henchmen know exactly what they’re doing. The weaponization of government, the political attacks and the mass firings are all becoming too normalized.
The legacy media treats every unconstitutional act as normal ideological differences. They focus on the mistakes of the last election while ignoring the chaos around us. They make deals with the devil, silence outspoken voices like Stephen Colbert and fail to meet the moment at every turn.
Let me be clear: none of this is normal. This is a slow, internal coup. And one day, we’re going to wake up and democracy as we know it will be over.
I know that sounds dramatic, but we have to sound the siren. The bells aren’t ringing loud enough.
So, this tip sheet isn’t for you. It’s for your friends and family who are fast asleep. It’s for the people in your life who tune out the noise. It’s for your loved ones who have yet to join the fight. We need all of them on our team — and we welcome them with open arms.
It's not just a Constitutional crisis - it's Constitutional failure
Jack Rakove, Washington Monthly, June 27, 2025
It’s Not Just a Constitutional Crisis in the Trump Era. It’s Constitutional Failure
The problem isn’t just the crisis of the administration defying the courts. It’s the failure of the legislative and judicial branches to check the president.
The idea that the United States awaits some dread constitutional crisis has become commonplace. …Such scenarios are not unfounded, but they do not diagnose our true malady. Our ongoing constitutional crisis began with the presidential election last November 5. Reelecting an individual culpable for January 6 who has twice made a mockery of the presidential oath of office is itself a constitutional crisis. Nothing in his past or current behavior suggests that Trump has ever felt fidelity to his constitutional duties.
Once a constitutional crisis becomes an endemic condition, the term no longer usefully describes our collapsing system. Instead, we live in an era of constitutional failure when the relevant institutions cannot fulfill their responsibilities.
… In our fractious polity, fresh insults to constitutional norms and settled practices of governance occur daily. That is why the phrase constitutional crisis no longer describes our situation. The Constitution has failed, and we no longer know which institution will rescue it.