Politically Pomp

By Politically POMP

It’s tempting to believe the chaos began with one man, that if we could just remove him, everything would go back to normal. It’s a comforting story, one that gives us a clear villain to blame and a simple ending to hope for. But the truth is harder to face: the cracks in our democracy were forming long before Trump arrived on the scene. He didn’t build the system that enables corruption, division, and authoritarian tendencies; he simply learned how to use it.

The Long Erosion

If we step back far enough, we can trace a slow and steady dismantling of the democratic guardrails that once held our leaders accountable.

• The 1970s–1990s: Deregulation and privatization shifted power from public institutions to private interests. Corporate lobbying grew from a side industry to a central engine of policymaking. Politicians on both sides of the aisle became increasingly dependent on large donors to stay competitive.
• The 2000s: Fear after 9/11 expanded executive power in ways we still haven’t rolled back. The Patriot Act normalized surveillance of American citizens, eroding privacy in the name of safety. Wars were launched without congressional declarations, setting a precedent for unchecked military authority.
• The 2010s: The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision opened the floodgates to dark money in politics, allowing corporations and billionaires to quietly shape the political landscape. Gerrymandering hardened districts so effectively that many elections became performative, predetermined by party lines rather than voters’ will.

These weren’t the actions of one administration or one ideology. They were the product of decades of bipartisan complacency, each generation inheriting a weaker version of democracy than the last.

The Perfect Storm

By the time 2016 rolled around, trust in government was at historic lows. Congress was gridlocked, elections felt like popularity contests, and the average citizen had little faith that their voice mattered. The soil was fertile for a strongman, someone who could exploit anger, frustration, and disillusionment.

Trump didn’t cause this environment. He capitalized on it. He didn’t invent the loopholes; he exposed how many there were. The checks and balances that once constrained executive power had already been hollowed out by decades of neglect. The parties had become more interested in winning than governing, and the media had evolved into a business model built on outrage. All he had to do was step into the chaos and declare himself the answer.

When we say “Trumpism,” we’re really describing a symptom, the fever of a body that’s been sick for a long time. The corruption of the system, the normalization of party-over-country loyalty, the erosion of truth itself, those are the deeper ailments. Until we address them, any new leader with the same opportunistic instincts could take advantage of the same cracks.

The Cost of Apathy

Somewhere along the line, many of us began to tune out. We became spectators rather than participants in our own government. Misinformation replaced civic education, and social media turned politics into a game of teams —red versus blue —instead of a shared responsibility.

Every time we say, “That’s just the way it is,” or “All politicians lie,” we give a little more ground to the system that thrives on our resignation. Outrage became easier than engagement; cynicism became a badge of wisdom. But democracy cannot survive without participation, and participation requires hope.

Rebuilding the System

The good news is that what’s been eroded can be rebuilt. The same people who allowed power to consolidate in the hands of the few can choose to disperse it again. We can:

• Demand transparency in campaign finance and end the legal bribery of big donors.
• Push for independent redistricting to eliminate gerrymandering.
• Invest in civic education so citizens understand their role beyond Election Day.
• Support e-democracy initiatives that allow citizens to vote directly on policies and budgets, restoring the concept of one voice, one vote as more than just a slogan.

Reform won’t come from the top; it rarely does. It begins with citizens refusing to accept that “this is just how it works.” Because the system isn’t some abstract machine operating on its own. It’s us, the people who tolerate it, question it, or demand better from it.

Reflection

“When you think about our democracy, what’s one small reform, local or national, you’d vote for tomorrow if you could?”

This isn’t the end of the conversation; it’s the beginning of a deeper one.
Because if we really want to heal what’s broken, we have to stop pretending the wound is new.

— Politically POMP
“One citizen’s lens on power, policy, and people.”