We can stop the erosion of our democracy

It’s still going but the war faces a critical battle this November

I spent the week in the Caribbean this week on a short vacation with my fiancé. I’m flying home today and getting right back to work as soon as I get home. I’m writing you tonight on my phone as flight delays and bad internet have scuttled my best laid plans.

But…it was a hell of a trip.

It didn’t stop me from watching the debate Tuesday night and hosting the VoteVets Post Debate Spin Room with Rachel Vindman, Mike Lavigne, political strategist Chuck Rocha, and former Congressmen Max Rose and Patrick Murphy. An incredible 53,000 folks tuned in live!

The debate on Tuesday was such a critical moment for this race. The most recent New York Times poll that caused angst said that many undecideds simply didn’t know VP Harris well enough yet. She gave them a lot to get to know and we have six and half more weeks to learn more.

We face a crucial moment in what has been a near continuous slow and steady erosion of our democracy. It didn’t end with Trump losing the election as his Supreme Court has delivered all the extreme right fever dreams the Federalist ever had.

The show and this community is called ‘On Democracy’ so I wanted to take the time to speak with a man who has been studying this slide and written about it for years. Syracuse College of Law professor Professor Driesen wrote ‘The Specter of Dictatorship: Judicial Enabling of Presidential Power’ three years ago so it seemed like a good time to catch up on how things are going

It’s not great but it’s a fascinating conversation.

Watch it here: We can stop the erosion in November

David Driesen

Professor David M. Driesen, University Professor at the Syracuse College of Law, focuses on constitutional law, law and economics, and environmental law. Professor Driesen has written four books including The Specter of Dictatorship: Judicial Enabling of Presidential Power (Stanford University Press). Driesen engages in public service defending democracy, environmental law’s constitutionality and efforts to combat the climate crisis. He has written numerous amicus briefs in Supreme Court cases and has represented Senators Hillary Clinton and others in Clean Air Act litigation in the DC Circuit. Driesen joined the Syracuse College of Law faculty in 1995. Driesen holds a J.D. from the Yale Law School, a Master of Music from the Yale School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory.