It can happen here by Shawn Lewis
Published in the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark on March 11, 2025
This past November, 49% of American voters engaged in cognitive dissonance and voted for Donald J. Trump as POTUS. These voters believed a man who illegally hired hundreds of undocumented Polish immigrants would fix our immigration system. They believed a man who admitted to misusing charitable funds intended for veterans and who filed for bankruptcy six times would “fix” the economy. They believed a man who is a convicted felon, was found guilty of sexual abuse, and would not be allowed to coach a Brookfield Little League team because he would fail the background check would be “tough on crime.” Astonishingly, a significant number of these voters also seem to believe that the number of Trump flags displayed correlates to one’s love of country — thus confusing cultish jingoism with patriotism.
Since Trump’s inauguration, his “law and order” agenda has included the following: attempting to illegally repeal the 14th Amendment, illegally firing multiple inspectors general, pardoning nearly 1,600 terrorists, including those who were found guilty of attacking law enforcement with chairs, chemical spray, metal poles, and stun guns, illegally ordering the Justice Department not to enforce a TikTok ban, illegally freezing foreign aid, firing multiple prosecutors involved in the various cases against him, attempting to engage in an apparent quid-pro-quo with the mayor of New York City, and allowing Elon Musk to illegally access the Treasury payment system and Americans’ Social Security information.
Ninety years ago, a dystopian novel by Sinclair Lewis warned U.S. citizens of the potential for a U.S.-style fascist president. The title of that book was, It Can’t Happen Here. Unless vast swaths of Americans recognize the clear and present danger to our liberal democracy, it can happen here.
Shawn Lewis
Brookfield