www.montereycountynow.com OCTOBER 23-29, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 17 agree with that definition, and if so, do you believe we are at that threshold or even passed through it, where democracy is on the line? The peaceful transition of power is something that we value and uphold as one of the cornerstones of this democracy and that’s why it was such a shock, and continues to resonate amongst the American public, despite what our president is saying, when it came to Jan. 6. I was in the Capitol that day; it was so shocking, not just what happened that day, but what the president continues to do, to make up, to forgive, to basically say that it was almost alright to attack the Capitol. It was definitely not a peaceful transition of power. It makes us realize that’s something we have to continue to fight for, especially now in dealing with the president, who wants to give honors to someone who invaded the Capitol that day and who basically wipes out all of the criminal convictions and pardons those people who are convicted of crimes that day. It just shows you that our democracy is something that we can never sit back on, and something as we’re seeing now more than ever. We’re in the middle of that fight right now. Project Democracy is a national nonprofit that has extensively written about the “Authoritarian Playbook,” which identifies seven core tactics used by the leaders around the world to dismantle democracies from within. In that playbook, the tactics include politicizing independent institutions, capturing the courts, dismantling oversight bodies… DOJ is an example of this… Spreading disinformation, saturating the public sphere with falsehoods and conspiracy theories. Aggrandizing executive power, bypassing checks and balances—as an example, there have been 209 executive orders issued year-to-date—dismissing congressional oversight, quashing dissent. Scapegoating vulnerable communities using fear and division to consolidate control. Corrupting elections, through voter suppression or gerrymandering or refusal to certify results, even replacing election officials when able. And number seven: stoking political violence. Many policy wonks believe that we’ve passed through all seven of those portals. What is your take? Yeah, clearly, based on what this president and the sycophants around him in his cabinet are doing, the problem is, is that he’s allowed to bypass the checks and balances. That’s what I think we’re in the middle of this fight because we have a [Republicancontrolled] Congress that absolutely placated the president, abdicated its rule and been complicit in these steps that this president has done toward its authoritarian rule. This is something that I’m continuing to fight back on every day, being in the unfortunate position of being in the minority in Congress, watching Speaker Mike Johnson completely bend the knee to this president, as we’ve seen each and every month, each and every week, every day. You talk about corrupting elections. [We’re] right in the middle of the fight, the perfect example being Texas— going in, asking for five seats, giving them five Republican districts based on gerrymandering in the middle of a 10-year redistricting period. That’s why [California’s] Proposition 50 is so important, why we’re in the middle of a fight right now. It’s why we’re standing up to Speaker Johnson and the administration when it comes to this shutdown that we’re going through. It’s why we’re in the middle of the fight of protecting our democracy. The Cabinet is basically giving in to this president to centralize power, to get past our checks and balances so that he can do this, make the decisions and do what he needs to do in the way he’s doing. One of the frustrations and one of the scary things that your readers are feeling is that from the very beginning of the creation of our country, one-person rule is a mistake. This is why we needed to create our own country. That is what is so disturbing, but also so motivating for me to continue to fight back, to make sure that Congress is that check. That’s why I feel obligated to lean into Prop. 50. That’s why I feel obligated to push back when it comes to the government shutdown. We’re in the middle of this fight and it’s not easy, but it is our job and it’s our obligation to make sure that we live up to these constitutional standards. If those seven tactics are being deployed successfully, then the rule by one is very much a possibility. Is that a red line for you? Yes, these are extraordinary times, therefore they call for extraordinary measures. You are seeing that right now with this government shutdown. I believe our government is there to help people, not to hurt people. People value the federal government. There’s a growing number of election wonks that believe that the midterm elections scheduled for November 2026 are at grave risk. There are 535 elected representatives, 100 in the U.S. Senate and 435 in the House. In midterms, the power often swings to the party not in control. There could be significant pressure on state legislatures to not certify the election next year if the outcome is unfavorable to the party in power, thereby putting the country into a constitutional crisis, clearly uncharted territory. What do you do other than saying we’re going to fight the fight? I haven’t been saying we’re just going to fight the fight. I’m actually fighting the fight. Let’s make that clear. We’re seeing that where I’ve leaned into Proposition 50 and basically made sure that people understand, it’s up to them to get involved. This proposition is very unique. This is something that we wouldn’t normally do in this indeLocally, federal workers impacted by the shutdown include Federal Aviation Administration employees operating the air traffic control tower at Monterey Regional Airport (right) and those at Naval Support Activity Monterey (below), the installation that is home to the Naval Postgraduate School. DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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