In less than seven months, we have watched America slip into fascism with zero meaningful resistance. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has become a weapon aimed at anyone who dares dissent. Elected officials who speak out are targeted. Law firms are shaken down into submission. TV networks have been brought to their knees through threats. In Florida, they built what can only be called a concentration camp.
Washington D.C., a city where nearly half the population is Black, has been stripped of its autonomy and placed under federal control. This isn’t dystopian fiction. This is happening right now, while Democratic leadership stands paralyzed. Fascism isn’t coming to America; it is already here, meeting no resistance from those sworn to uphold the Constitution.
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Over the past several weeks, I have had dozens of conversations with sitting members of Congress, donors, organizers, and voters desperate to get involved. The overwhelming sentiment isn’t frustration anymore. It’s anger. Pure, unbridled anger at Democratic leadership’s paralysis.
I understand Democrats don’t control the House or Senate, but they are not powerless. They can use the bully pulpit to force issues into public consciousness and use every tool to delay harmful legislation. They can coordinate with state attorneys general winning court battles. They can mobilize their base and dominate the narrative. Instead, Hakeem Jeffries admitted at a February press briefing, “I’m trying to figure out what leverage we actually have.”
The House minority leader is publicly admitting he doesn’t know how to fight back. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has weaponized federal agencies, frozen billions in federal grants, and launched attacks on academic freedom. He’s using the federal government to crush dissent, while Democrats issue strongly worded letters.
We know from 2024 that some Democrats know how to undermine a sitting president. We watched them coordinate a campaign that forced President Joe Biden to step aside. George Clooney wrote an opinion piece asking Biden to end his campaign. Donors threatened to withhold funds. Where is that energy now? Where is Clooney’s passionate op-ed about fascism taking root? Where are the donors threatening to withhold funds unless Democrats fight?
All the planning and coordination aimed at undermining President Joe Biden has evaporated when facing an actual authoritarian. While Schumer and Jeffries still believe decorum will win the day, the Trump administration has taken a jackhammer to our Constitution. These men, and Democrats overall, have been unable to meet the moment, and millions of Americans looking for leadership feel abandoned.
Back in March, CNN polling found that 73 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said the party’s caucus in Congress was doing too little to oppose Trump. That’s not only a poll result; that’s a scream for help from a base watching their representatives sleepwalk through a self-coup. This is a base screaming for someone to stand up and fight back. Waiting, hoping judges will keep Trump in check, or that the 2026 midterms will save us, is dangerously naive. Courts are being stacked. Election systems are being dismantled. By 2026, the damage may be irreversible.
Since Democrats only have a concept of a plan, let me offer advice.
First, if the Democratic leadership in Congress isn’t equipped or unwilling to lead, they need to get out of the way. Memes and social media posts aren’t enough to fight a convicted criminal wielding presidential power like a weapon.
Second, Ken Martin needs to resign as DNC chair. We don’t need someone who thinks the answer to authoritarianism is better fundraising emails. We don’t need another X post. We don’t need another strongly worded statement. We need leaders who understand that when fascism comes knocking, you don’t politely ask it to leave. You bar the door. You sound the alarm. You fight with everything you have. We need someone who has faced voter suppression and won. We need Stacey Abrams.
Abrams doesn’t just understand voting rights; she knows how to mobilize communities Democrats have taken for granted. She knows how to fight back when the rules are rigged against you. We need someone who has been in the trenches, felt the boot of oppression, and fought back anyway.
The world is watching America fail. Our allies are making contingency plans for a post-democratic United States. Authoritarian regimes are taking notes on how quickly democracy can crumble when its defenders refuse to fight. Every day Democrats delay, every moment they prioritize civility over survival, Trump’s fascist infrastructure becomes more entrenched.
If Democratic leadership cannot find the courage to meet this moment, if they cannot transform their fear into fury, then they are failing millions of Americans who still believe democracy is worth saving. They are failing history itself.
The house is on fire, and Democratic leadership is debating what color to paint the kitchen. Either grab a hose or get out of the way because if we lose this fight, there won’t be a democracy left to save.
Christopher Bouzy is an American tech entrepreneur who founded the non-partisan research firm Bot Sentinel and the social media network Spoutible. His ventures leverage innovative technologies to create safer digital spaces and promote authentic online discourse.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.