The 2020 Presidential Debate has shown us, once again, Donald Trumps intention of keeping control of the White House, and how he plans to achieve that goal. He has used the same style of governing as some of the most corrupt dictators around the globe. With the help of Russian President Putin, Donald Trump started a chain of events that will reshape our country for years to come. How did we get to this point and can our democracy be saved.

The Changing of the Guard: Trump has already taken control of the Senate, dismissed the Congress as a legal government body, stacked the circuit and appeals courts, changing the Supreme Court to the far right by placing one stolen justice, and one unqualified, with the third one that only has a few years experience as a judge. He compromised the FBI and the CIA to where people didn’t have any confidence, then replaced them with people loyal to him. He has taken control of the Justice Department and turned the Attorney General’s office into his own personal lawyer to attack and prosecute his political opponents. He removed the leaders of the DHS, Pentagon, CDC, and Postal Service and replaced them with people who were his big campaign donors and are loyal to him. 

 The Secret Militia: He formed his own militia from different areas of government that he controls by sending them out to mostly democratic controlled cities, spraying tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters. He has used White Supremacy groups to stage violent attacks during peaceful protest to form a crisis that he believes need a military response. Now he comes right out and tells them to stand down and wait. Those White Supremacy groups are now speaking publicly and are waiting for President Donald Trump to say the words to stand up and take arms. He also has had his dominions patrolling polling places to intimidate and harass voters from exercising their right to vote.

 Out of hiding into the Public: He even began saying “When I took control of the United States” instead of saying “When I became President of the United States.” And stating “When I took control of the military” instead of saying “When I became Commander in Chief”, are all signs that Trump is not planning on leaving the White House even if he loses, and has even began hinting that he should get four more years because of all the attacks against him during the first four..

 The World reacts: The Human Rights Watch warned that President Trump’s insatiable admiration for strongmen has increased the rise of oppressive leaders around the world. His failure to condemn “strongman” like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte has had dangerous implications outside the US.  President Trump broke with Obama administration’s criticism of Philippines leader Duterte’s deadly drug war, praising the deadly initiative as a “great job” and invited Duterte to the White House.

 The HRW also warned that accusations of “fake news” leveled against the media can be used by government to promote censorship.

 An annual report by Washington think tank Freedom House sounded a similar warning, alleging that basic rights and political freedoms in the US are quickly deteriorating under the Trump administration.

 The report continued to state that Trump’s frequent attacks on key institutions like the media and the courts could send a message to dictators abroad that it’s okay to delegitimize those institutions in their own countries.

 In August 2017, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern that “freedom of the press” in the United States was “under attack from the President.”

 Another report has stated that the United States is no longer a democracy, but has been downgraded to a fledgling democracy.

 This has happened in a lot of Third World countries and in Russia right before they became dictatorships.

 This has been happening since Trump came down those escalators in 2015 backed by the Russian government and Putin himself. Actually, it began around 2010 with Paul Manafort and Ukraine during a time when there was a Russian backed Ukrainian president in 2010. It was the beginning of Maskirovka, the Art of Disinformation, that was designed by the Russian government. I wrote about it on my Blog: My Point of View.

On The World''s Stage: There are a number of countries that are following Trump's lead to undermine their own democracy. Venezuela went through this same problem and look at where they are at now. Chavez led an unsuccessfully executed coup in 1992, but in 1998 he was elected as the president of Venezuela winning with a populist campaign and propaganda. His promises included fighting poverty, social disparity, corrupt government, and putting oil and gas resources to the right use. He has able to successfully altered the constitution to extend his time as the president by another term by gaining the majority of the votes.

 Direct access and control of the military by common civilians was curbed along with the complete removal of one of the chambers of Congress.

 After a brief eviction for two years by a military coup, he returned and claimed power and control over the Supreme Court panel of twelve new justices and expanding it in size. He went to an extreme in 2009 when he successfully passed a referendum to end presidential term limits.

 He hand picked his successor, Madura after stepping down. Madura has blamed capitalism for speculation that is driving high rates of inflation and creating widespread shortages of basic necessities. He has said he is fighting an economic offensives against political opponents whom he and loyalist state are being an international economic conspiracy.

 On May 1, 2017 following a month of protests that resulted in at least 29 dead, Madura called for an Assembly that would draft a new constitution that would replace the 1999 Venezuela Constitution. He invoked Article 347, and stated that his call for a new constitution was necessary to counter the actions of the opposition. The members of the Constitutional Assembly will not be elected in open elections, but selected from social organizations loyal to Madura. It also allowed him to stay in power during the interim and skip the 2018 presidential elections, as the process would take at least two years.

 When the government saw the opposition being elected to hold the majority of the National Assembly for the first time, the political crisis was unleashed when at least six lower Venezuelan state criminal courts (chosen by the president) declared void the previous processes of collecting signatures in their states. As a consequence, the National Electoral Council declared the end of the national referendum for the removal of the President, and followed by opinions by the majority of the Supreme Court.

 The opposition announced a peaceful demonstration at a national level called Venezuela Takeover, to be held throughout the country for an undefined period of time.

 Likewise, the Venezuelan National Assembly, which had been declared, “in contempt” by the Venezuelan Supreme Court, declared the “rupture of the constitutional order” in Venezuela in an extraordinary session. On October 25, the National Assembly debated the possibility of bringing Madura to trial for his responsibility in adopting the decision of the lower court, and its application as a national decision to suspend the recall referendum, though the Constitution does not grant this power to the legislature.

 To this date, Venezuela is still in a constitutional crisis with no end in sight.

American's United: The 2020 election will decide what kind of America we want to live in, and what strategy we need to take to save democracy in America. This election will be on full display to the rest of the world to see if the United States can still defend democracy. If we fail to preserve our form of government, then it will be just a matter of time, before other democracy’s around the world begins to fall.

 We can either stand by and let this happen or we can take control of the situation. The American spirit, when faced with a crisis, has always turned into a choir echoing our strength and solidarity that could be heard around the world.

 We must stand strong to defend our freedom, because only freedom can work such miracles. And it’s freedom in every sense of the word that we hold together this great nation that no one can ever take away. That is the one thing that unites us all together under a constitution that is unbreakable and where everyone is equal. No one is above the law and everyone should be treated with respect and dignity. We have the freedom to speak, the right to peacefully assemble, petition our government against all grievances, to travel without restrictions, the right to marry whom ever you love, and the right to control your own destiny and fate. These are fundamental rights that no one can take away, and we will not allow that to happen.

We need to bring back a renewed spirit of togetherness amid all of the divisiveness we are experiencing. We need to stand up in solidarity with a louder chorus of determination, and pledge to stand together (no matter what our differences are) in moments of uncertainty.

America has always risen to the challenge when faced against all odds, and when provoked, we will do what we must do to see America great again. So lets stand with our brothers and sister, united in our cause, and stand up against tyranny like our forefathers before us and show the World that we are America, braver and still free. It won’t be easy, fast, or simple, but that is not our American heritage. For I am and we are Americans.