WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday spoke on the U.S. Senate floor to sound the alarm about Trump’s coordinated effort to dismantle the pillars of American democracy. Murphy warned attacks on journalists, universities, lawyers, and the business community are eroding the institutions that hold leaders accountable—paving the way for a fake democracy where elections still happen, but only one side ever wins.
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I'm from Serbia, and I know we are smaller country in eastern europe but what's striking is that our current dictator uses the sooo similar strategy of undermining institutions —something this great and very insightful speech describes in detail - dismantling the press, legal system, universities, and businesses. This tactic has helped him win almost every election, time and time again. We are simply stuck and almost helpless to recover from it.
It's a painful irony that you people in USA, in the modern, democratic parts of the world are now facing similar techniques—slowly eroding institutions and, with them, democracy itself.
Do you realize how critical this moment in your lives could be? What if there's no turning back? What if your future generations will grow up without ever knowing what true democracy looked like?
Sir, I've lived through two dictatorships. I urge you to please do anything and everything in your power to remove this administration. Democracy is breathing its last breath. It needs emergency care.
FELONS go to prison. Why allow this felon to destroy not only your country but the world.
From Asia, I send blessings to you and America.
I am an 87 year old lawyer. 55 years in practice. I also am a veteran. My major at UC BERKELEY was political science. Senator Murphy, OUTSTANDING ANALYSIS !!!!! I see you standing in the Roman Senate opposing the destruction of democracy. I see that your speech shown on YouTube was from C Span. I am very happy to have been able to have had access to your speech. It was measured extremely well thought out. For 3 years in the 1970’s I worked for Continental Insurance Companies in Lis Angeles. I worked for an employer which had tremendous economic power- billions of dollars. I worked there long enough to learn how money can crush opponents. I think the law department at Continental was ethical, we were tough, but we did not cross the redline. During the last 52 years, I have been self-employed. For 5 years during the 1970’ I employed 12 lawyers. I am proud of all of them. I had and have the California Bar Ethics Hotline on speed dial. As you, Senator Murphy pointed out in quoting Shakespeare’s Henry VII “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the 19:21 lawyers”. This quotation is greatly misunderstood as you pointed out. The general public understands this quote to mean the exact opposite of what it means, lawyers maintain the RULE IF LAW. Thus when you said that some monster law firms caved in and agreed to doing pro-bono work, I was quite surprised to hear that other monster law firms were poaching the clients of the law firms that caved. I might be wrong, But I believe the Legal Culture of the young lawyers of today is different from what it is today where lawyers advertise on TV like USED CAR sales people. My opinion is that a lot of lawyers, NOT ALL, have thrown self respect and their ethical obligations out the window for the almighty buck. This is sad, but in the grand scheme of things, this is TERRIBLE! Shakespeare was correct.
I live in literal exile from my home country. I never had a chance to stop Putin. Watching the USA slide into totalitarianism, piece by piece, and hearing the same warnings I once heard back home—it gives me goosebumps from fear.
You still have a choice.
Raise your voice. Stand for your values. Before it’s too late.
