Which version of America would you choose?

Option 1: A democratic one in which the issues that matter to you consistently lose in elections?

—or—

Option 2) An autocracy in which such issues always prevail?

To help answer this question, one can consider a few of the divisive issues that the increasingly bitter culture wars have exacerbated: gun rights, abortion access, climate change, and immigration, among others. If you are a gun rights advocate for example, would you choose an autocracy that protected the Constitution’s Second Amendment, or would you choose a democracy in which voters repealed it? If you feel strongly about addressing climate change, would you choose an autocracy that aggressively moved to do away with fossil fuels, or a democracy in which voters supported massively increasing their production?

The above question is not merely hypothetical. According to a recent poll, a growing percentage of Americans would support replacing our democracy with an authoritarian or autocratic government. Although this may seem surprising, perhaps it should not be. Just as in some countries Islamic law or communist ideology completely supplants democracy, for some in our country democracy takes a back seat to their positions on certain hot-button issues. To such individuals having an autocracy is acceptable, on the surface at least, if it means prevailing politically on the matters they feel most passionately about.

Historically, most Americans have taken pride in our democratic traditions. In fact one could say a source of our strength as a country has been our belief in democracy, and our willingness to fight for it. Examples include our War of Independence from the British monarchy, and our multiple conflicts with fascism and tyranny. However, there has always been a minority in our country that has never really bought into democracy. They are those who have believed themselves to be more entitled than others to decide the country’s direction. They are those whose animosity of political opponents (or perceptions thereof) exceeds whatever fondness they may have for democracy. They are those who are okay with voter suppression or gerrymandering in order to tilt elections in their favor. They are those who deny the legitimacy of elections when the outcome is not what they want. In short, they are those who cannot accept unfavorable election results, and thus for whom an autocracy that dictates their preferred policies is an attractive proposition. And if the above poll is accurate, the number of Americans who think that way is increasing.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Authoritarian governments are ones in which one political party, often with an autocrat as its leader, uses the tools of government to maintain a monopoly on power. This can include the use of the armed forces and law enforcement, or any other manner deemed necessary. As such they typically govern with little or no opposition, and in many cases are associated with iron-fisted rule. Often that is their very appeal, especially when disgust with “politics as usual” is rife. People get tired of watching out-of-touch politicians scrapping over power like brainless drunkards tussling over a bottle of liquor. They get fed up with crooks who care only about staying in office and enriching themselves. They want change—even if it means relinquishing the right to free and fair elections. They are attracted to the idea of a tough guy cleaning house, ridding the government of corrupt do-nothing bureaucrats and officeholders, and permanently sidelining (or even literally eliminating) those that they blame for their country’s woes.

Successful aspiring autocrats know how to tap into such widespread discontentment; they are adept at manipulating the emotions of disgruntled people and exacerbating divisions within a society for self-serving and treacherous political purposes. Once in office, the leaders of authoritarian governments justify their stranglehold on power by contending that only they have the correct ideology, morality, policies, or even the innate right to run the country. Any problems are blamed on internal or external foes. This is exactly what the communists have done in countries like China and Cuba. It is exactly what the theocrats have done in Iran and Afghanistan. It is exactly what strongmen in Russia, Venezuela, and many other countries are doing. Since their policies are supposedly the only correct ones, they act as if they have the right—even the obligation—to impose them on the entire country, to effectively get rid of any opposing ideas or political parties, and to quell freedom of the press. But let us be clear: the supposed justifications are just window dressing to cover up what amounts to a vicious addiction to power. The only difference is under which banner these power-addicted tyrants chose to operate: communism, religion, or other. Same sickness, different label—nothing more.

The appeal of authoritarian governments and autocracies is in fact based on dangerously wishful, out-of-touch-with-reality thinking. Let’s address a few of the myths.

Myth 1: Autocrats are the tough, strong leaders

Fact: The truth is exactly the opposite: autocrats are inherently weak, insecure, and cowardly bullies who fear a true competition of ideas. They rely on abusing power to stay in office. They view democracy as a mortal threat, both from within and without. Example number one is Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine because he cannot tolerate the notion of a former Soviet satellite becoming a prosperous democracy. The resulting contrast would expose to the world, and most importantly to the Russian people, the wretchedness of his own government. A strong and confident leader does not need to attack neighboring countries, kill political opponents, and rig elections.

Myth 2: Authoritarian regimes can quickly set things right with decrees

Fact: It is true that there are instances where ruling by decree can be efficient and lead to rapid progress on multiple fronts, prewar Nazi Germany and post-Mao Communist China serving as examples. However, this apparent advantage of authoritarian rule is more than cancelled out by its inherit disadvantages. For one, with no real political opposition and no free press, corruption spreads like an out-of-control virus. Such rampant corruption over time severely shackles the economy to the detriment of all except the ruling elites. Second, the leaders of such regimes tend to surround themselves with yes-men who tell them what they want to hear rather than what they need to know, since doing the latter can be a ticket to banishment, prison, or even the firing squad. This gives rise to a despotic leadership that exists in its own alternate-reality universe, which of course is not a great formula for running a country.

Myth 3:The autocrat will fight for our benefit

Fact: Autocracies do not exist to benefit their citizens, and autocrats are not your friends, no matter how many times they say they love you. Sooner or later it becomes clear—after it’s too late—that the autocrat and his political party exist solely for the autocrat’s own benefit, and for that of his fawning toadies. Russia, Belarus, and Nicaragua are just a few cases in point. But even the most obsequious loyalty is no guarantee that one will always enjoy the good graces of those in power. With greater power comes greater paranoia, and thus in an autocracy no one is immune from one day being targeted by the secret police, jailed, tortured, or even executed.

Democracy Is The Only Hope For The Future

Abandoning democracy in favor of an autocracy or an authoritarian government would be a catastrophic mistake for America, for the world, and even for the future of humankind itself. It would very possibly be a mistake from which we would never recover, and could condemn the entire world to a new, and permanent, dark age.

Democracy, for all of its flaws, is far better than a government controlled by an autocrat, a small group of elites, or one overwhelmingly dominant political party. We must come together as a country to achieve a more perfect democracy by fixing its flaws. The Solutions Party believes that realizing this will entail the following:

1. Making it so that politicians concentrate exclusively on doing their jobs instead of playing political games to stay in office or advance partisan interests. “Politicians are the problem,” so let’s do something about it. Let’s eliminate reelection to make it next-to-impossible for our politicians to get addicted to power
2. Putting in place a mechanism for imposing real consequences when politicians are dishonest or spread misinformation, either as candidates or in elected office. Such behavior must be treated as an unforgivable disservice to our country and punished accordingly
3. Implementing incentives for citizens to vote, and to do so based on an accurate and robust knowledge of the issues and candidates; let’s make elections about ideas and vision, not emotions and tribalism

In addition to these first three steps, the following measures should also be taken:

4. Sunsetting political parties after a certain number of election cycles
5. Reversing our judiciary’s terrible loss of credibility
6. Making our journalism and news organizations widely trusted again
7. Coming up with ways to make government ever more efficient and effective
8. Creating a prosperity-creating economy based on limitless energy and a creative, adaptive workforce
9. Aggressively taking on corruption, both here and abroad
10. Addressing crippling social issues such as epidemic drug use

The Solutions Party believes if these steps are implemented, we can create a robust democracy and an economy rich with opportunities for all. Through the powerful combination of freedom and prosperity, we can start working toward a future that all people should want: a world free once and for all of despicable forms of government, be they autocracies, theocracies, or any other type in which power is overly concentrated in the hands of a few. This would be a huge historical step forward for all of the world’s people, and would usher in an era in which humankind could begin to achieve its limitless potential. It is particularly crucial that we start now, since autocrats and authoritarian governments are increasingly using technology to ensure their lock on power is unassailable, and they are uniting to form an Axis of Autocrats in order to permanently destroy democracy worldwide.

No matter your political persuasion, if you believe that your ideas are the best ones then you have nothing to fear from a healthy democracy. You can be confident that if those ideas are presented in a clear and honest way, a well-informed and engaged electorate will agree with you. There is no need to join an authoritarian movement with the hope that a friendly autocrat will impose your ideas and preferred candidates on the rest of society.

Let’s keep power in the hands of the people, and forever rid the world of authoritarian governments and autocrats.