Democracy in Danger, Con't

A new Axios/Two Americas Index poll finds that roughly a third of Americans are very, very much into fascism these days in both parties, or at least strongly into anti-democratic authoritarianism.

About one in three Americans prefers strong unelected leaders to weak elected leaders and says presidents should be able to remove judges over their decisions, according to the latest findings from our Axios-Ipsos Two Americas Index.

Why it matters: The findings from this poll shatter the myth that Americans overwhelmingly agree on a common set of democratic values around checks and balances on elected leaders, protection of minority rights and freedom of speech. 

They're also a reality check against President Biden's speech that portrayed threats to democracy as solely driven by Republican supporters of former President Trump who refuse to accept that he lost the 2020 election.

What we're watching: In this poll, significant minorities of Republicans and Democrats supported non-democratic norms in about equal percentages — and Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say presidents should be able to remove judges when their decisions go against the national interest.Many Americans also believe the government should follow the will of the majority even at the expense of ethnic and religious minority groups' civil rights. 

And roughly a third said the federal government should be able to prosecute members of the news media who make offensive or unpatriotic statements. 

Respondents younger than 35 or with household incomes below $75,000 a year were more likely to favor strong unelected leaders and to support prosecuting the media or empowering presidents to remove judges.

The big picture: If you're looking for good news in this poll, it is primarily that the people who embrace the anti-democratic views are still in the minority.But the findings are a reminder that for all of the attention and congressional hearings around the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, anti-democratic views take many forms.

What they're saying: "There's a lot of anti-democratic sentiment, a lot more than we might have expected," said Justin Gest, an associate professor at George Mason University who studies the politics of demographic change and advises the project.

 

No doubt Republicans will seize on this poll to say that Democrats are just as bad as MAGA folks when it comes to trampling all over democracy, as long as it serves as a means to an end for "our side". If there is any good news, it's that Independent voters are starting to shy away from the extremist MAGA positions.

 

Still, there a lot of disturbing stuff in that Two Americas index, and it's getting worse.