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In late October 2024, the environment was utterly distinct. Ahead of the national election, thoughtful Americans could acknowledge the nation's serious imperfections – its unfairness and inequality – but they continued to identify it as the United States. A democracy. A land where constitutional order carried weight. A nation guided by a dignified and upright official, notwithstanding his elderly years and increasing frailty.

These days, in late October 2025, numerous citizens scarcely know the country we inhabit. Individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants are collected and shoved into vehicles, at times blocked from fair treatment. The eastern section of the “people’s house” – is being destroyed for an obscene event space. The president is harassing his political rivals or perceived antagonists and requesting federal prosecutors transfer an enormous amount of public funds. Soldiers with weapons are dispatched across metropolitan centers with deceptive justifications. The military command, rebranded the Defense Ministry, has – in effect – rid itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny during its expenditure of what could amount to almost one trillion dollars of taxpayer money. Colleges, law firms, journalism organizations are buckling from leader's menaces, and rich magnates are regarded as nobility.

“The United States, only a few months ahead of its quarter-millennium anniversary as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the edge toward dictatorship and totalitarianism,” Garrett Graff, stated recently. “In the end, swifter than I imagined possible, it occurred in this country.”

One awakes with fresh terrors. And it's difficult to grasp – and distressing to accept – how severely declined we have become, and the speed at which it occurred.

Nevertheless, it is known that the president was properly voted in. Even after his deeply disturbing previous administration and even after the alerts that came with the understanding of the rightwing blueprint – following Trump himself stated openly he would rule as a tyrant only on the first day – sufficient voters selected him instead of the other candidate.

As terrifying as the present situation may be, it's more daunting to recognize that we’re only nine months into this administration. What will an additional three years of this decline find us? And what if that timeframe transforms into an prolonged era, since there is nobody to restrain this leader from determining that a third term is required, perhaps for security concerns?

Certainly, not everything is hopeless. There will be midterm elections next year that could establish an alternate governmental control, should Democrats regain either chamber of parliament. We have public servants who are attempting to apply a degree of oversight, like Democratic congressmen currently starting a probe regarding the effort to fund seizure by federal prosecutors.

And a presidential election in the next cycle could initiate us down the road to healing precisely as the prior selection set us on this unfortunate course.

We see millions of Americans marching in the streets of their cities, as they did in the past days during anti-authority protests.

An ex-cabinet member, commented this week that “the slumbering force of the nation is rising”, similar to past post-McCarthyism in the 1950s or amid the Vietnam war protests or during the seventies crisis.

During those times, the listing ship finally returned to balance.

Reich says he understands the signals of that revival and sees it happening currently. As evidence, he cites the large-scale demonstrations, the broad, cross-party resistance against a personality's dismissal and the largely united defiance by media to accept the defense department’s demands they only publish what is sanctioned.

“The sleeping giant perpetually exists dormant till specific greed turns extremely harmful, a particular deed so disrespectful of societal benefit, some brutality so noisy, that he has no choice but to awaken.”

It's a hopeful perspective, and I respect Reich’s experienced view. Perhaps he will turn out correct.

In the meantime, the big questions persist: can America return to normalcy? Can it reclaim its position in the world and its devotion to constitutional order?

Or should we recognize that the historical project succeeded temporarily, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?

My pessimistic brain tells me that the latter is accurate; that all may indeed be lost. My positive feelings, though, convinces me that we must try, by any means possible.

Personally, working in journalism analysis, that involves pushing media professionals to live up, more completely, to their purpose of overseeing leadership. For different individuals, it could mean engaging with congressional campaigns, or organizing rallies, or discovering methods to defend ballot privileges.

Less than a year ago, we existed in a very different place. A year from now? Or in several years? The truth is, we don’t know. The only option is try to continue fighting.

What’s Giving Me Hope Now

The engagement I have in the classroom with young journalists, who are both visionary and grounded, {always