UF professor predicts U.S. will be 'sham democracy' within three years
University of Florida law professor Neil Buchanan has long studied the issue of intergenerational justice, which basically boils down to the question of what one generation owes the next.
Through his research he has sought to dispel the notion that older generations are using Social Security to unfairly transfer wealth from younger generations. But he acknowledges that baby boomers are leaving subsequent generations in a worse position in other ways, such as the state of the environment.
Buchanan spoke Monday to the Gainesville-based Florida Free Speech Forum over Zoom briefly about those issues, but focused his talk on what he views as a more destructive legacy being left by his generation. He argued that the damage being done to democracy is an even bigger threat than the damage being done to the environment.
He predicts that the U.S. “will essentially become a sham democracy” within the next three years.
“I know that sounds like an extreme thing to say, but these are extreme times,” he said.
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Buchanan sounded alarm bells during the 2016 presidential campaign that Donald Trump’s election might destroy U.S. constitutional democracy. He now sounds even more worried after four years of Trump’s autocratic tendencies as president; the violent attempt on Jan. 6, 2020, to keep him in power; and efforts by Republicans to allow partisan officials to overrule future election results.
“I don’t think it’s an open question anymore," Buchanan said. “I think we’re already done in terms of the current state of American democracy.”
It’s a gut-punch to hear things stated in such stark terms. As a Gen Xer, I have tended to blame baby boomers for leaving future generations to face the consequences of climate change and an economy rigged to benefit the wealthiest Americans. I never expected that our democratic institutions would be in the worst shape of all.
Here in Florida, we’re seeing the erosion of democracy firsthand. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature aren’t content with more than two decades of Republican rule of the state, so they’re methodically passing measures aimed at voter suppression, eliminating home rule, silencing protests and limiting what can be taught in classrooms.
Buchanan’s warnings should serve as a call to action for those of us who want to save democracy. He noted that countries such as Spain descended into fascism only to restore democracy decades later, but argued that maintaining democracy is the best option.
“Getting it back is a lot harder than hanging on to it,” he said.
Baby boomers who care about the country they leave behind need to join younger people in revitalizing democratic institutions for generations to come. If we ever hope to tackle climate change and all the other problems facing us, we need institutions that respond to the needs of the majority of people rather than to corporations or religious zealots.
As Buchanan said, “The best answer to the loss of democracy is more democracy.”
Nathan Crabbe is The Sun's opinion and engagement editor. Follow him at twitter.com/nathancrabbe and www.facebook.com/nathancrabbe.
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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Nathan Crabbe: A call to action to save democracy in the United States
