Here Are Six Reasons Why Your Worst Fears about American Democracy Won’t Come True in 2026
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One of the less visible things I do as part of my work for Bowers Kerbel Media is reply to emails from readers who have personal requests, comments, or queries, or who are simply looking for someone with whom they can commiserate. Over the course of our first 18 months in operation, I have replied to thousands of such emails.
There are many reasons why I take time to reply to the emails people send me, but one of the most important is that I want to know what rank and file Democrats, and other concerned citizens who are upset with the Trump administration, are thinking at any given time.
When it comes to how people are feeling now, oh boy, how times have changed since the start of the year. Back in January and February, I was regularly fielding a huge volume of emails from panicked readers. Regular concerns I heard back then included: future elections would be cancelled; martial law would be declared; freedom of speech, the press and assembly would be ended; a civil war was imminent; and writers personally would be thrown in jail for signing petitions.
Of course, none of those fears came to pass this year. Personally, at the start of last year I did not think that any of those worst case scenarios had much of a chance of happening, and heading into 2026 I see an even lower chance of them happening. Below the button for paid subscribers (please be sure to take advantage of our year end sale), I present six reasons why your worst fears about American democracy will not come true in 2026.
