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One year ago, the situation was completely separate. Ahead of the national election, thoughtful Americans could acknowledge the country's deep flaws – its inequities and disparity – but they continued to see it as the US. A free society. A country where constitutional order carried weight. A nation led by a honorable and upright public servant, despite his elderly years and declining health.

These days, as October 2025 ends, many of us hardly identify the nation we reside in. Individuals suspected of being unauthorized foreigners are detained and forced into vehicles, sometimes denied due process. The East Wing of the White House – is being destroyed for an obscene event space. Donald Trump is targeting his adversaries or alleged foes and requesting federal prosecutors hand over a massive sum of public funds. Uniformed troops are being sent across metropolitan centers with deceptive justifications. The defense headquarters, relabeled the Defense Ministry, has – in effect – liberated itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny as it spends what could amount to close to a trillion USD in public funds. Institutions, legal practices, media outlets are submitting from leader's menaces, and billionaires are regarded as members of the royal family.

“America, shortly prior to its 250-year mark as the world’s leading democracy, has fallen over the limit into authoritarianism and extremism,” Garrett Graff, commented recently. “Ultimately, swifter than I thought feasible, it occurred in this country.”

One awakes with fresh terrors. And it's challenging to understand – and painful to realize – how severely declined we are, and the rapid pace with which it unfolded.

Yet, we know that the president was duly elected. Even after his highly troubling first term and even after the cautions linked to the knowledge of Project 2025 – despite the president personally declared plainly he would act as an autocrat only on the first day – enough Americans selected him instead of the other candidate.

Frightening as today's circumstances may be, it's more frightening to understand that we’re only several months into this presidential term. How will three more years of this deterioration leave us? And if that timeframe transforms into something even longer, because there is no one to restrain this leader from deciding that a third term is required, maybe for national security reasons?

Admittedly, there is still hope. There will be congressional elections in 2026 that could create a new political equilibrium, if Democrats recapture the Senate or House of the legislature. There exist elected officials who are trying to exert certain responsibility, like lawmakers who are launching an investigation regarding the effort to fund seizure from the justice department.

And a leadership election in 2028 could start the path to recovery exactly as the previous vote placed us on this unfortunate course.

We see numerous residents marching in public spaces across municipalities, like they performed recently in the No Kings rallies.

A former official, wrote recently that “the great sleeping giant of America is awakening”, similar to past after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or during the sixties activism or in the Nixon controversy.

On those occasions, the unstable nation ultimately corrected itself.

Reich says he understands the signs of that awakening and notices it unfolding now. As support, he references the widespread marches, the widespread, multi-faction opposition regarding a personality's dismissal and the almost universal defiance by media to sign government requirements they only publish what is sanctioned.

“The sleeping giant consistently stays asleep until some venality turns extremely harmful, a particular deed so contemptuous toward public welfare, some brutality so loud, that the giant is compelled except to rise.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I appreciate Reich’s experienced view. Perhaps he will turn out correct.

In the meantime, the big questions persist: will the nation return to normalcy? Can it retrieve its status internationally and its adherence to the rule of law?

Or must we acknowledge that the 250-year-old experiment worked for a while, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My pessimistic brain indicates that the latter is true; that everything could be finished. My hopeful heart, nevertheless, convinces me that we have to attempt, in whatever ways possible.

In my case, working in journalism analysis, that means urging journalists to adhere, more thoroughly, to their duty of holding power to account. For different individuals, it could mean working on political races, or planning demonstrations, or developing approaches to defend ballot privileges.

Less than a year ago, we existed in a separate situation. Twelve months later? Or after another term? The reality is, we are uncertain. The only option is try to not give up.

What Offers Me Optimism Currently

The interaction I encounter with students with aspiring reporters, who are both idealistic and realistic, {always