Hello Reddit! It’s Stacey Abrams. I'm a tax lawyer by commerce, a serial entrepreneur, best-selling creator, and the previous Democratic Leader within the Georgia House. I’ll reply questions on any of that work. But proper now, I’m laser-focused on calling out authoritarianism and autocracy in America, and serving to folks discover the instruments to combat again.

Autocratic regimes hardly ever seize energy in a single dramatic second. Instead, they erode democracy in simultaneous steps that overwhelm opposition. This thought comes from Professor Kim Lane Scheppele of Princeton, whose work on authoritarianism has helped me—and so many others—make sense of what we’re seeing. Here are the ten Steps to Autocracy and Authoritarianism:

1. Win the Last Fair Election → Autocrats usually rise by way of elections, then guarantee it’s the final really free one.
2. Expand Executive Power → Push presidential authority past authorized boundaries.
3. Capture the Other Branches → Co-opt Congress and neutralize the courts.
4. Gut the Civil Service → Remove competent authorities staff and break authorities so it doesn’t work.
5. Install Loyalists → Fill key posts with folks keen to disregard the legal guidelines and the wants of the folks.
6. Attack the Media → Discredit impartial journalists and voices and substitute them with propaganda.
7. Scapegoat Communities → Target immigrants, minorities, and marginalized teams and assault DEI.
8. Destroy Support Systems → Undermine establishments that defend rights and educate communities.
9. Normalize Violence → Militarize regulation enforcement and incentivize political violence.
10. End Democracy Itself → Manipulate elections and techniques to ensure everlasting energy.

By understanding the authoritarian playbook, we will higher make sense of the information, and reply. And to reclaim our democracy right now, we have to meet the ten Steps to Autocracy and Authoritarianism with the 10 Steps to Freedom and Power.

I stay up for your questions, I'll be round for about an hour beginning at 10:30am ET. You can be taught extra concerning the 10 Steps Campaign at 10stepscampaign.org

Proof: https://bsky.app/profile/staceyabrams.com/post/3m2m6nrsq5527