America in Crisis

Hello everyone,

Sorry to have been so quiet the last couple of years. My excuse is two back surgeries and some complications. I don't recommend it.

That said, as of today I've nearly finished a roughly 70,000 word essay on how American democracy reached this precipice - and how to save it from incipient authoritarian rule.

Why so long? As I know you appreciate, it's big subject - far bigger than Donald Trump. Some of the tributaries to the confluence of ills which gave us Trump go back almost 50 years; some of the  roots, like the scourge of racism, go back to the beginnings of colonial America.

Why did I take this on? Maybe I've missed something, but I haven't seen a comprehensive account of how we got here. Reckoning with that, I believe, is essential to reversing our democratic decline - the subject I will try to address at the end of the essay.

 Beginning next Monday June 16, I will post the first of nine sections [I-IX]. The succeeding sections will be posted each Monday; the last seven sections will be divided into successive segments of under 3000 words, posted throughout the week. That way I won't be asking you to invest a lot of time on any given day.

Tomorrow, I will post the outline of my essay. I promise – the segments will be pretty easy to follow from week to week. So I hope it is food for reflection and, ultimately, individual and collective action.

This is a time of crisis in America - and an historic turning point. For me, the question is what kind of country we want to be, and what we want our legacy to become. I truly believe the outcome remains within our power to decide.

With best wishes to all,

Ric

(Richard North Patterson)