A Tragic Change a Single Year Has Brought in America
One year ago, the landscape was entirely separate. Prior to the national election, reflective residents could acknowledge the country's serious imperfections – its unfairness and inequality – yet they still could perceive it as the United States. A free society. A country where the rule of law held significance. A state guided by a honorable and decent official, even with his advanced age and growing weakness.
Currently, as October 2025 ends, many of us barely recognize the land we reside in. Individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants are collected and pushed into vehicles, at times blocked from fair treatment. The East Wing of the presidential residence – is being torn down for an obscene ballroom. The leader is targeting his adversaries or perceived antagonists and requesting the justice department transfer a massive sum of citizen dollars. Armed military personnel are dispatched into American cities with deceptive justifications. The Pentagon, renamed the Department of War, has practically freed itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny during its expenditure of what could amount to almost one trillion dollars from citizen taxes. Institutions, legal practices, news companies are yielding from leader's menaces, and rich magnates are regarded as aristocracy.
“America, just months before its 250th birthday as the globe's top democratic nation, has tipped over the brink into authoritarianism and fascism,” Garrett Graff, stated recently. “Ultimately, faster than I imagined possible, it did happen here.”
Every morning starts with fresh terrors. And it's hard to comprehend – and agonizing to acknowledge – how severely declined we are, and the speed at which it occurred.
However, we understand that the president was properly voted in. Despite his deeply disturbing previous administration and even after the warnings linked to the awareness of the rightwing blueprint – following Trump himself said publicly he would rule as a tyrant just on day one – sufficient voters chose him over his Democratic opponent.
While alarming as the current reality is, it's more daunting to recognize that we’re only three-quarters of a year into this presidential term. How will three more years of this decline find us? And what if the three years turns into a more extended duration, as there is nobody to stop this president from determining that a third term is required, perhaps for national security reasons?
Admittedly, not everything is hopeless. There will be congressional elections next year that may bring a different political equilibrium, in case Democrats retake either chamber of parliament. We have public servants who are striving to apply some accountability, like representatives who are launching an investigation concerning the try to cash appropriation by federal prosecutors.
And a national vote in the next cycle could start us down the road to healing precisely as the previous vote set us on this unfortunate course.
There exist numerous residents demonstrating in public spaces throughout communities, as they did recently at democracy demonstrations.
An ex-cabinet member, commented this week that “the dormant powerhouse of the nation is stirring”, similar to past after the Communist witch-hunt era in the 1950s or amid the sixties activism or in the seventies crisis.
During those times, the tilting vessel eventually was righted.
Reich says he understands the signals of that awakening and observes it occurring currently. For proof, he points to the recent massive protests, the widespread, bipartisan pushback against a television host's removal and the largely united rejection by reporters to accept military mandates they solely cover approved content.
“The dormant force perpetually exists inactive till some venality grows too toxic, an specific act so disrespectful toward public welfare, certain violence so noisy, that it has no choice except to rise.”
It’s an optimistic take, and I value the author's seasoned opinion. Maybe he’ll prove to be right.
At the same time, the crucial issues remain: will the nation return to normalcy? Can it reclaim its status in the world and its devotion to constitutional order?
Or should we recognize that the 250-year-old experiment functioned for a period, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?
My negative thoughts tells me that the final scenario is accurate; that everything might be gone. My positive feelings, though, tells me that we have to attempt, by any means available.
Personally, as a media critic, that involves pushing media professionals to commit, more completely, to their purpose of overseeing leadership. For some people, it may be engaging with election efforts, or organizing rallies, or finding ways to defend ballot privileges.
Under twelve months back, we were in a very different place. A year from now? Or after another term? The fact is, we are uncertain. Our sole course is try to persevere.
What’s Giving Me Optimism Currently
The engagement I encounter in the classroom with young journalists, who are equally hopeful and practical, {always
