Michael Gerson, who was speechwriter for former President George W. Bush, compared the “contending nightmares” being put forward by both political parties in his latest column for The Washington Post.
And for Gerson, there is no contest.
Gerson said “the dreams of conservatives are currently troubled by ‘wokeness’ and critical race theory,” while “the nightmares of progressives are currently dominated by the growth of right-wing authoritarianism and fascism.”
“Both ideologies are ultimately at war with liberal democracy — the pursuit of a common good, the practice of incremental reform, the cultivation of social trust and the acceptance of democratic outcomes,” he wrote.
But there’s “no question” about “which nightmare is currently most likely to be implemented.”
Gerson continued:
“Only one of these nightmares has taken over a major political party, which is in the process of purging all dissent. Only one of these delusions is the governing vision of a former president who just might be president again. Only one of these developments has turned the backbones of the minority leader of the House, the minority leader of the Senate and almost every other Republican leader into gelatinous goo. Only one of these ideologies produced a crowd that sacked the U.S. Capitol and threatened violence against political leaders. Only one of these movements is working in state legislatures across the country to make electoral systems more vulnerable to manipulation and mob rule.”
All challenges to democracy “are not equal,” Gerson concluded.
“Right-wing authoritarianism is the force that could undo the American system. In a contest of nightmares, it is not even a contest.”