News

Securing Democracy Resource Guide

Posted April 21st, 2022  |  Action Resources  |  News

Securing Our Democracy

Books

Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit:  Parker Palmer, Jossey-Bass, [2011]

Merge Left: Fusing Race and Class, Winning Elections, and Saving America, Ian Haney Lopez, The New Press, 2019.

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, Chris Hedges: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/American-Fascists/Chris-Hedges/9780743284462 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1uOH8qJNRk

Cheap Speech, How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics―and How to Cure It., Rick Hasen, Yale University Press, 2022 https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300259377/cheap-speech/

Uncounted: The Crisis of Voter Suppression in America, Gilda Daniels, New York University Press, January 2020

Articles:

Global / Ukraine

Freedom In the World 2021 report pdf, Freedom House, democracy’s decline through the world: https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/FIW2021_World_02252021_FINAL-web-upload.pdf

From Moscow to Washington, the Barbarism and Hypocrisy Don’t Justify Each Other, Common Dreams, Norman Solomon, 3-22-22: https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/03/23/moscow-washington-barbarism-and-hypocrisy-dont-justify-each-other?fbclid=IwAR3oUFgSPE1dAg3bV6pl5PU5lWvVBjbYAJy7QPyhpas–nIv28TWpVdnvI4#:~:text=From%20Moscow%20to%20Washington%2C%20the%20Barbarism%20and%20Hypocrisy%20Don%27t%20Justify%20Each%20Other

What’s the Likelihood of Nuclear War? The Atlantic, Uri Friedman, 3-23-22: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/ukraine-russia-nuclear-weapons-cold-war/627587/#:~:text=What%E2%80%99s%20the%20Likelihood%20of%20Nuclear%20War%3F

Vladimir Putin’s war has dealt a blow to the ‘populist’ right, Nation of Change, 3-11-22: https://www.nationofchange.org/2022/03/11/vladimir-putins-war-has-dealt-a-blow-to-the-populist-right/

The missing piece about Putin and Ukraine (Russian Orthodox church), U of C Riverside News, 3-9-22: https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2022/03/09/missing-piece-about-putin-and-ukraine

War is Evil, Dianne Butler Bass, The Cottage: https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/war-is-evil?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cta&s=r

Why white evangelical Christians are Putin’s biggest American fan base, MSNBC,  3-1-22: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/russia-ukraine-crisis-complicates-american-white-evangelicals-love-putin-n1290442

Democracy?/ Facism?

“PLOT TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION”,  Frontline, PBS, March 29, 2022:  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/plot-to-overturn-the-election/

Are We Doomed?: Atlantic Monthly, George Packer, 12-6 21: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/imagine-death-american-democracy-trump-insurrection/620841/

The Fight for Democracy Will Be a Long, Long Haul, The Atlantic, Feb 8 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/fight-democracy-will-be-long-long-haul/621622/

What’s Next: Fascist Takeover or New Era of Progressive Renewal? Thom Hartman, Guardian: https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/12/13/whats-next-fascist-takeover-or-new-era-progressive-renewal?fbclid=IwAR0qXw9-SS6wC5JylNn3k0SDvPVZhRpMiD5AimnliE0SN3I3OfUWmfYFxs4

The 1887 Law Putting American Democracy at Risk, New York Times, Feb 7 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/us/politics/electoral-count-act-reform.html

Why are US rightwingers so angry? Because they know social change is coming, Rebecca Solnit, Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/20/rightwingers-us-social-change-coming?fbclid=IwAR00HQ9fTTbW_qgXN_u0Ag3tfS37Th_h43YhrKLpdDnZDoEGqs_ka2jJaLU

The far right; America is now in fascism’s legal phase,  Jason Stanley, Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/22/america-fascism-legal-phase?fbclid=IwAR3U7PFmUk_aEEir3eV0vZAgxCShpAXe4EwLueWlgDowVz1ews0AOAvWK48

Can the Democratic Party survive the GOP’s racist fearmongering? Ian Hany Lopez, Berkley Blog: https://blogs.berkeley.edu/2021/12/15/can-the-democratic-party-survive-racism-as-a-strategy/

Our Democracy Is In Danger, Protect Democracy: https://protectdemocracy.org/

No, America is not on the brink of a civil war, Musa al-Gharbi  Guardian, 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/27/no-america-is-not-on-the-cusp-of-a-civil-war?fbclid=IwAR1-_lYXEG0WK-CTNyOblj5XnhqGF8hYIBKVzLETvlQXPuO4OIIXsp4Rd78

Protecting Our Democracy Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5314/text#:~:text=To%20protect%20our%20democracy%20by,interference%2C%20and%20for%20other%20purposes.&text=This%20Act%20may%20be%20cited,%E2%80%9CProtecting%20Our%20Democracy%20Act%E2%80%9D.

We Deserve a Better Democracy, Common Cause: https://www.commoncause.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAxoiQBhCRARIsAPsvo-xUl65bnWoQl486JL6DwTH9J-zNdfJ9DUx_6b66cU8c_-1-WIWeQugaAquSEALwcB

B Next Coup Has Already Begun” The Atlantic, December 2021 https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/january-6-insurrection-trump-coup-2024-election/620843/

Hold-The-Line_-A-Guide-to-Defending-Democracy: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6049074bcef3ba168dafd38e/t/604a63f100a59a126569d8b6/1615487985756/Hold-The-Line_-A-Guide-to-Defending-Democracy.pdf

The American polity is cracked, and might collapse. Canada must prepare” Globe and Mail, January 2022 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-american-polity-is-cracked-and-might-collapse-canada-must-prepare/

American democracy is tottering. It’s not clear Americans care. Vox, December 2021; https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/12/9/22824509/summit-for-democracy-biden-america

How does this end? Where the crisis in American democracy might be headed. Vox, Zach Beauchamp, 1-3-22, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22814025/democracy-trump-january-6-capitol-riot-election-violence

A Year of Crisis for Our Democracy: Brennan Center, December 2021, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/year-crisis-our-democracy

Commitment to Uphold Democracy: Strategy and Messaging Considerations from November 4 and Onward, Choose Democracy:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Wh7yri7sNsjN2_ziXxa7Ei1hKgfkBRRn_NhMz2m58/edit?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=bf89fd1f-da9c-44c1-a783-8a3d07f98eb6

The Descent of Democracy, Boston Review:  https://bostonreview.net/articles/khalil-gibran-muhammad-amnesia/

DEMOCRACY & PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, ACHIEVING AMERICA, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME. Civic Way, https://www.civicway.org/democracy/our-view-of-democracy-personal-responsibility/

Voting Rights

States of Denial: A Guide to Some of the GOP’s Most Brazen Attacks on Voting Rights and Elections: Ari Berman, 2-16-22; https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/02/guide-republican-attacks-on-voting-rights-and-elections-gerrymandering-suppression-subversion/

The Coming Coup: How Republicans Are Laying the Groundwork to Steal Future Election: Mother Jones, Ari Berman, 1-13-22, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/01/how-republicans-are-taking-over-election-system-big-lie/

Let’s Be Clear: Only the Right Has Become More Extreme Over the Last 50 Years, Common Dreams, Robert Reich, 2-16-22: https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/16/lets-be-clear-only-right-has-become-more-extreme-over-last-50-years

The Battle to Protect Voting Rights Continues, Common Dreams: https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/02/09/battle-protect-voting-rights-continues

Republicans Are Trying to Suppress More Than Votes, The Atlantic, January 28 2022: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/01/critical-race-theory-voting-rights-gop/621383/

Elections/ Candidates

How gerrymandering allows a purple state to promote Trump’s big lie: The Guardian, Sam Levine, 3-22-22: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/24/gerrymandering-wisconsin-purple-state-rightwing-measures#:~:text=How%20gerrymandering%20allows%20a%20purple%20state%20to%20promote%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20big%20lie

The Election Police Are Coming,The Brennan Center, Michael Waldman, 3-22-22: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/election-police-are-coming#:~:text=ANALYSIS-,The%20Election%20Police%20Are%20Coming,-Facebook

“Campaigning to Oversee Elections, While Denying the Last One,” The New York Times, January 30, 2022 https://act.moveon.org/go/160255?t=8&akid=317461%2E5384237%2E_WYvsA

“Trump-Backed QAnon Candidates Launch Group to ‘Control the Election System,” Vice, October 27, 2021 https://act.moveon.org/go/160920?t=10&akid=317461%2E5384237%2E_WYvsA

“Trump began 2022 with a war chest of $122 million,” The Washington Post, January 31, 2022 https://act.moveon.org/go/160263?t=14&akid=317461%2E5384237%2E_WYvsA

“Multiple people seeking to run state elections are connected to QAnon,” Media Matters, August 16, 2021 https://act.moveon.org/go/160923?t=16&akid=317461%2E5384237%2E_WYvsA

“These locally elected officials posted or openly supported QAnon conspiracy theories. Here’s what happened after they took office,” CNN, June 3, 2021  https://act.moveon.org/go/160926?t=22&akid=317461%2E5384237%2E_WYvsA

“Trump followers zero in on secretary of state campaigns,” Politico, January 24, 2022 https://act.moveon.org/go/160256?t=24&akid=317461%2E5384237%2E_WYvsA

The Crucial Voting Rights Bill That Congress Can Actually Pass, Slate, Jan 20 2022, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/01/electoral-count-act-congress-voter-suppression.html

Public Schools / Education

Salon investigates: The war on public schools is being fought from Hillsdale College:  Salon, Kathryn Joyce, 3-26-22: https://www.salon.com/2022/03/16/salon-investigates-the-on-public-schools-is-being-fought-from-hillsdale-college/?fbclid=IwAR28hi0oUUlZI_T0fzjkZcoI9t6bLbNpMMi_nKoMS4-GIogFoDWwwwkrnpY#:~:text=Salon%20investigates%3A%20The%20war%20on%20public%20schools%20is%20being%20fought%20from%20Hillsdale%20College

Protecting MI Kids, For MI Kids, resources for protecting public schools from threats (Let MI Kids Learn ballot initiative) to defund public schools: https://formikids.com/index.php/resources/?fbclid=IwAR3vLIGDBXSsyON9cKJCslhAonlXh0p6KQ7F4_swgIzPpgQUF5Eu7IjRSkg

‘These Policies Do Attack Michigan Families’: Inside Betsy DeVos and the Michigan GOP’s War on Public Schools, GanderNews, 2-23-22,: https://gandernewsroom.com/2022/02/23/michigan-gop-devos-public-schools/?fbclid=IwAR0-y98iVMOmgoQjqQ495XS1tX-twy0EJ9I3nHA_0Jmad-iTfyjvLWnyXnY

Media

How Steve Bannon Has Exploited Google Ads to Monetize Extremism, Pro Publica, November 29 2021, https://www.propublica.org/article/how-steve-bannon-has-exploited-google-ads-to-monetize-extremism#:~:text=How%20Steve%20Bannon%20Has%20Exploited%20Google%20Ads%20to%20Monetize%20Extremism

Local Articles

Deep Dive: What to know about ‘Secure MI Vote’ petition drive: Click on Detroit, Cassidy Johncox, 10-21 22: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/michigan/2021/11/12/deep-dive-what-to-know-about-secure-mi-vote-petition-drive/#:~:text=Deep%20Dive%3A%20What,Michigan%E2%80%99s%20election%20laws

Proposal seeks to alter, tighten Michigan’s election laws

Michigan House GOP tries election reform again, despite likely veto by Whitmer, Bridge magazine, Yue Stella Yu, 3-10-22: https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-house-gop-tries-election-reform-again-despite-likely-veto-whitmer?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook#:~:text=Michigan%20Government-,Michigan%20House%20GOP%20tries%20election%20reform%20again%2C%20despite%20likely%20veto%20by%20Whitmer,-Stop%20me%20if

Nonprofit, national money pour into voter ID, public health, school initiatives,  Detroit News, 2-2-22: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/02/02/non-profit-national-money-pour-into-voter-id-health-school-initiatives/9298675002/?gnt-cfr=1