I am responding to the editorial article in the March 27 issue. I think this editorial raises some serious concerns, but it presents a one-sided and very much partisan interpretation of what is very complex and debated data.
Yes, organizations like V Dem, Freedom House, Bright Line Watch, and the Economic Intelligence Unit have noted declines in U.S. democratic indicators.
What the editorial fails to mention is that those ratings are based on subjective assessments — often from small panels of experts. These experts frequently disagree on both the severity and the causes of those declines. All the groups agree that the U.S. remains a democracy with functioning elections, independent courts, and a strong civil society.
Importantly, we still have key democratic guardrails that remain intact: Courts continue to rule against administrations, elections are regularly held and contested, and power still changes hands peacefully most of the time at state and federal levels (the Jan. 6 event at the Capitol was a very rare occurrence). These are not characteristics of an authoritarian governing system.
The editorial states that we have a window to save the country we all grew up in. Does that mean we get Aunt Jemima syrup back, giving Uncle Ben his rice back, Cleveland Indians back to Cleveland, the Redskins back to Washington, or the native lady back on Land O’ Lakes butter … of course not. How about replacing all the statues that were torn down that represent American history … of course not.  It is a sophomoric attempt to say we just need to get rid of our current president and his administration or the United States will be destined to disaster. Most reasonable people agree that American democracy faces challenges. It is not authoritarianism — just a messy, functioning democracy. Overstating the crisis risks undermining public trust just as much as ignoring real problems does. What is dangerous is declaring the system is broken beyond repair. That kind of rhetoric erodes trust far more than it informs. A much more constructive conversation should focus on addressing long-term structural and cultural issues rather than framing the situation as a collapse driven by a single figure.
Phil Bakken
Soudan