Crash Course: Scholar who saw all this coming: Americans "do not really understand liberal democracy"

Shawn Rosenberg predicted the "inexorable decline" of democracy in 2019. But he still thinks it's not too late. [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0Q2aHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL2xldHRlci80OTYzVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). [MAGA-hat] Getty/David McNew Scholar who saw all this coming: Americans "do not really understand liberal democracy" The rise of the global right and its assault on democracy in America, Europe and around the world should not have been a surprise. Public voices and other experts who sounded the alarm about these existential dangers were largely ignored or marginalized by the mainstream news media, political and cultural elites, and other gatekeepers of approved public discourse. [Shawn Rosenberg](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0Q3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjdWx0eS51Y2kuZWR1L3Byb2ZpbGUuY2ZtP2ZhY3VsdHlfaWQ9MjQ2OVcDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~), a professor of political science and psychology at UC Irvine, is one such voice. In 2019, he presented a paper where he warned that the liberal democratic order was imperiled by right-wing populism and other illiberal forces, and that overcoming this challenge would require drastic interventions across society. Rosenberg spoke with Salon's Chauncey DeVega about how the American and global crisis of democracy has accelerated in ways even worse than he predicted three years ago. The factors that have empowered right-wing populism in the U.S. and across the West, he says, include a deep public yearning for authoritarian and "strongman" leaders and the simple solutions they offer for complex problems. Illiberal movements are also compelling for those who are attracted to violence and destruction, especially against groups they perceive as the Other. [Read Chauncey DeVega's full interview with Shawn Rosenberg.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvc2Nob2xhci1zYXctYWxsLXRoaXMtY29taW5nLWFtZXJpY2Fucy1kby1ub3QtcmVhbGx5LXVuZGVyc3RhbmQtbGliZXJhbC1kZW1vY3JhY3kvVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) [Stephen-Miller-and-Donald-Trump] Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images Promotion from Slow Moon [Find out more] Sustainable wellbeing with a passion for pattern Slow Moon eye pillows help rest tired eyes, stimulating the oculocardiac reflex and resetting your body. Handmade from organic cotton they are the perfect tool for deeper concentration. [Find out more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbG42N25zYzRqM1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) Stephen Miller now a target of DOJ investigation — will he be the one to flip on Trump? It now appears that the Department of Justice could be working its way circuitously toward a criminal indictment of Stephen Miller for a variety of felonies, including seditious conspiracy. The former speechwriter and policy wonk is more likely to be the one who ultimately flips and fingers the former president for multiple crimes. This has to do with procedural differences between the select committee's investigation of Jan. 6 and the DOJ's grand jury investigation of Trump's Save America PAC. Unlike in the former investigation, where Miller invoked "executive privilege," in the latter investigation he would have to invoke the Fifth Amendment in order to avoid testifying.     As [The Hill](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0SSaHR0cHM6Ly90aGVoaWxsLmNvbS9yZWd1bGF0aW9uL2NvdXJ0LWJhdHRsZXMvMzYzNzE5My1kZXBhcnRtZW50LW9mLWp1c3RpY2Utc3VicG9lbmFzLXN0ZXBoZW4tbWlsbGVyLWluLWNvbm5lY3Rpb24tdG8tdHJ1bXAtcGFjLWZ1bmRyYWlzaW5nLXJlcG9ydC9XA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) reported last week, Miller was "one of more than a dozen people connected to the former president who received subpoenas … from a federal grand jury seeking information related to Trump's Save America PAC" and the fake-elector scheme. Save America is a multimillion-dollar grift revolving around Trump's Big Lies that has reportedly taken in $1 million a day since Trump announced to the world that the FBI had searched his home and office at Mar-a-Lago for classified documents he had taken there from the White House. This federal [investigation into the Save America PAC](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RaaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGF0aW1lcy5jb20vb3Bpbmlvbi9zdG9yeS8yMDIyLTA4LTI2L3JlcHVibGljYW4tcGFydHktZG9uYWxkLXRydW1wLWZ1bmRyYWlzaW5nVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) and its connections to many other Trump illicit endeavors — especially the failed insurrection of Jan. 6 and his likely 2024 presidential campaign — could make Bannon's donor scam about building an imaginary wall look like much ado about nothing. If Stephen Miller goes down, it will be for Trump's greatest grift of all. [Read more from Gregg Barak.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0R3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvc3RlcGhlbi1taWxsZXItbm93LWEtdGFyZ2V0LW9mLWRvai1pbnZlc3RpZ2F0aW9uLS13aWxsLWhlLWJlLXRoZS1vbmUtdG8tZmxpcC1vbi10cnVtcC9XA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Donald Trump: Queen Elizabeth's Yank stepson? [He seems to think so](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvZG9uYWxkLXRydW1wLXF1ZWVuLWVsaXphYmV0aHMteWFuay1zdGVwc29uLWhlLXNlZW1zLXRvLXNlZS1pdC10aGF0LXdheS9XA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - “Better check Bedminster”: [Video shows Trump boarding plane](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvYmV0dGVyLWJlZG1pbnN0ZXItdmlkZW8tc2hvd3MtYm9hcmRpbmctcGxhbmUtd2l0aC1ib3hlcy1hZnRlci1mZWRzLWFza2VkLWZvci1kb2NzL1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) with boxes after feds asked for docs - So, is it [OK to marry your cousin](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RJaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTEvc28taXMtaXQtb2stdG8tbWFycnkteW91ci1jb3VzaW4tb3Itbm90L1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) or not? - From corgis to currency, [7 things to know now that the queen is dead](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvcXVlZW4tZWxpemFiZXRoLW1vbmV5LWNvcmdpcy1waGlsaXAvVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - Queen Elizabeth’s final act, in Scotland: [What will her death mean for the union?](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvcXVlZW4tZWxpemFiZXRocy1maW5hbC1hY3QtaW4tc2NvdGxhbmQtd2hhdC13aWxsLWhlci1tZWFuLWZvci10aGUtdW5pb24vVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - A [newly-discovered pair of antibodies](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0SDaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvYS1uZXdseS1kaXNjb3ZlcmVkLXBhaXItb2YtYW50aWJvZGllcy1hcHBlYXJzLXRvLWNvbXBsZXRlbHktbmV1dHJhbGl6ZS1kZWx0YS1hbmQtb21pY3Jvbi12YXJpYW50cy9XA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) appears to "neutralize" delta and omicron COVID variants - ["House of the Dragon"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RAaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvb2YtdGhlLWRyYWdvbi1pbmNlc3QtdGFyZ2FyeWVuL1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~): How to groom your dragon, Targaryen style - Releasing [UFO footage](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvcmVsZWFzaW5nLXVmby1mb290YWdlLXdvdWxkLWRhbWFnZS1uYXRpb25hbC1zZWN1cml0eS1uYXZ5LWNsYWltcy9XA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) would damage national security, Navy claims - Make [spicy-sweet Indonesian noodles](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTEvbWFrZS1zcGljeS1zd2VldC1pbmRvbmVzaWFuLW5vb2RsZXMtYW5kLWRpbm5lcnMtcmVhZHktaW4tMTAtbWludXRlcy9XA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), and dinner's ready in 10 minutes - Banchan, vegan fried chicken and caviar: A travel writer's dispatch from [New York City's kitchens](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0R_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTEvYmFuY2hhbi12ZWdhbi1mcmllZC1jaGlja2VuLWFuZC1jYXZpYXItYS10cmF2ZWwtd3JpdGVycy1kaXNwYXRjaC1mcm9tLW5ldy15b3JrLWNpdHlzLWtpdGNoZW5zL1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - Skip the ground beef in this new spin on a [retro pasta dish](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RdaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvc2tpcC10aGUtZ3JvdW5kLWJlZWYtaW4tdGhpcy1uZXctc3Bpbi1vbi1hLXJldHJvLXBhc3RhLWRpc2gvVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. [Moms-for-Liberty] Octavio Jones/Getty Images Upset by New York Times exposé on Hasidic schools? That's what GOP wants for all American kids Over the weekend, New York Times reporters Eliza Shapiro and Brian Rosenthal published a carefully reported [exposé about the private school system](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wOS8xMS9ueXJlZ2lvbi9oYXNpZGljLXllc2hpdmFzLXNjaG9vbHMtbmV3LXlvcmsuaHRtbD9zbWlkPXR3LW55dGltZXMmc210eXA9Y3VyVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) run by the Hasidic Jewish community in New York. For decades, this insular community — which largely separates itself from the wider world, including a large majority of Jewish people — has operated its own piecemeal system of religious schools or yeshivas whose goal is "to educate children in Jewish law, prayer and tradition — and to wall them off from the secular world." Students at these gender-segregated schools spend most of their classroom time on religious instruction, leaving them with very little basic education in science, math, history or other skills necessary in the modern world. The inevitable outcome, Shapiro and Rosenthal report, is that many are trapped "in a cycle of joblessness and dependency." At one school mentioned in the article, more than 1,000 students took New York State's standardized reading and math test, and not a single one passed. Despite these failures, however, Shapiro and Rosenthal write that the schools "have found ways of tapping into enormous sums of government money, collecting more than $1 billion in the past four years alone." On its surface, this feels like a local not a national problem. Nonetheless, Americans across the country should pay close attention to this story, and should consider its national implications. The same political pressures and flaws in the educational system that allowed this problem to fester in New York are being exploited across the country by conservative activists, nearly all of whom are Christian rather than Jewish. Worse yet, these Christian activists aren't just interested in keeping their own kids away from secular education. They have grander ambitions, and would like to gut the education system as we know it, to make sure that no one's kids can enjoy the right to a free, robust public education. [Read more from Amanda Marcotte.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0R9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvdXBzZXQtYnktdGhlLW5ldy15b3JrLXRpbWVzLWV4cG9zLW9uLWhhc2lkaWMtc2Nob29scy10aGF0cy13aGF0LXdhbnRzLWZvci1hbGwtYW1lcmljYW4ta2lkcy9XA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "The Sordid Saga of Hunter Biden’s Laptop," [New York Magazine](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0ROaHR0cHM6Ly9ueW1hZy5jb20vaW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlci9hcnRpY2xlL2h1bnRlci1iaWRlbi1sYXB0b3AtaW52ZXN0aWdhdGlvbi5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "The Baffling World of MAGA Rap," [Gawker](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0Q9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2F3a2VyLmNvbS9jdWx0dXJlL3RoZS1iYWZmbGluZy13b3JsZC1vZi1tYWdhLXJhcFcDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "The longest-running Indigenous radio show in Texas," [Scalawag](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0SSaHR0cHM6Ly9zY2FsYXdhZ21hZ2F6aW5lLm9yZy8yMDIxLzEwL2tub24tbmF0aXZlLXRleGFzLXJhZGlvLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2NhbC1zb2NpYWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT10d2l0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09c29jaWFsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTE2MzQ2NjU5ODFXA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "We're having less sex. What does that mean for public health? " [Mashable](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RWaHR0cHM6Ly9tYXNoYWJsZS5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS9kZWNsaW5lLXNleHVhbC1mcmVxdWVuY3ktcHVibGljLWhlYWx0aD9jdXJhdG9yPU1lZGlhUkVERUZXA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "The Enduring Allure of Choose Your Own Adventure Books," [The New Yorker](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3eW9ya2VyLmNvbS9tYWdhemluZS8yMDIyLzA5LzE5L3RoZS1lbmR1cmluZy1hbGx1cmUtb2YtY2hvb3NlLXlvdXItb3duLWFkdmVudHVyZS1ib29rc1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "Remembering When America Banned Sliced Bread," [Atlas Obscura](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXRsYXNvYnNjdXJhLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlcy9hbWVyaWNhLWJhbm5lZC1zbGljZWQtYnJlYWRXA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [Donald-Trump] Mario Tama/Getty Images “Embarrassed” Trump acknowledged loss before declaring “I’m just not going to leave”: Haberman book Former President Donald Trump appeared "embarrassed" and privately recognized his 2020 election loss before declaring that he would refuse to leave the White House, according to an upcoming book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. "I'm just not going to leave," Trump told an aide, according to an excerpt of Haberman's book "Confidence Man" published by [CNN](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0RjaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25uLmNvbS8yMDIyLzA5LzEyL3BvbGl0aWNzL3RydW1wLXZvd2VkLXRvLXN0YXktaW4td2hpdGUtaG91c2UtaGFiZXJtYW4tYm9vay9pbmRleC5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmMX4WIgY5ZjFuJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). Trump in the immediate aftermath of the election "seemed to recognize" that he lost to Biden, according to the CNN excerpt, and asked advisers "what had gone wrong." "We did our best," a seemingly "almost embarrassed" Trump told junior press aides, according to Haberman. "I thought we had it." Former federal prosecutor Joyce White Vance wrote that the book includes "important evidence" that Trump knew he lost the election ahead of the Capitol riot even as he continued to push the "Big Lie." "Evidence Trump acknowledged his loss would be essential to a prosecution for election-related crimes," [she wrote](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0Q-aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9Kb3ljZVdoaXRlVmFuY2Uvc3RhdHVzLzE1NjkyOTc5MjE4MjgzMjMzMjhXA3NwY0IKYxfhYiBjlmMW4lIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). [Read more from Igor Derysh.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlAufeP0R5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDkvMTIvZW1iYXJyYXNzZWQtYWNrbm93bGVkZ2VkLWxvc3MtYmVmb3JlLWRlY2xhcmluZy1pbS1qdXN0LW5vdC1nb2luZy10by1sZWF2ZS1oYWJlcm1hbi1ib29rL1cDc3BjQgpjF-FiIGOWYxbiUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. 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