Want to Protect Our Democracy? Here Are Three Key Mental Habits.

"Goldberg quoted Leah Greenberg, a founder of the resistance group Indivisible, who said that while Donald Trump "has been able to do extraordinary damage that will have generational effects, he has not successfully consolidated power. That has been staved off, and it has been staved off not, frankly, due to the efforts of pretty much anyone in elite institutions or political leadership but due to the efforts of regular people declining to go along with fascism.""

"Regardless of whether Goldberg and Greenberg are correct in their assessments, Americans need to recognize that as hard as resisting "fascism" is, rebuilding democracy will be even harder. That means that as progressives mobilize to resist Trump, they must invest in rebuilding the foundation of democracy at the same time. That will require work on many fronts, including addressing the problems of our political institutions, the wealth gap, and our polarized society."

"Democracy's problems were with us before Trump, and they will be with us after he leaves the scene. Addressing them is the work of schools and civic organizations, for sure. But it is also work that citizens can and must do on their own. Each of us needs to resolve to relearn how to think and act democratically. If 2025 taught us anything, it should have been that the architecture of democracy in the United States is in urgent need of repair."

At the close of 2025 some progressive commentators claimed that Trump's power was weakening while popular resistance appeared to strengthen. Some resistance activists credited ordinary citizens with preventing consolidation of authoritarian control. Resisting authoritarianism is difficult, and rebuilding democratic institutions and civic norms will be even harder. Progressives should pair mobilization against authoritarian threats with long-term investment in repairing political institutions, narrowing wealth inequality, and reducing polarization. Democratic repair requires sustained civic education, stronger civic organizations, and everyday citizens relearning democratic habits of thought and action. The constitutional and political architecture of American democracy requires urgent structural repair to reduce the risk of future breakdowns.

Read at Slate Magazine