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Last year, for the newsletter's third anniversary, when we were still relatively new to Substack Live, I did a series of conversations with friends united by the themes of autocracy and democracy.
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They were clarifying conversations. They helped us understand we were not alone in our observation that American democracy was slipping away while many, if not most, of the people around us seemed blind to it. Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the book Strongmen and the Substack Lucid, was one of those people. We spoke with her just after Trump unleashed the National Guard in Los Angeles. We came to grips with the dawning awareness that the administration was treating us—you and me—like we were the enemy, and that indeed, in the Trump administration’s eyes, anyone who opposed them and their divine right of kings was, or was about to become, the enemy.
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It is hard to understand a moment when you are living through it. One of the things I love about Ruth is that she’s exceptionally skilled at doing just that, and at drawing historical parallels that help us see where we are, where we are in danger of going, and what we can do about it. So I’ve asked Ruth to join us for our first Substack Live chat this anniversary, as part of a series titled “Autocracy, Democracy, and Kleptocracy.”
Mark your calendars for 8:30 am ET Saturday morning and join us. I know that’s a little early for West Coast folks, but don’t worry, I’ll circulate the video later in the morning. For those of you hardy souls who are up early, grab your coffee and join us. Leave your questions for us in the chat:
We’re in this together,
Joyce
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