A wealthy American said recently, in an interview, “if the Dems ever have a president again or if we ever have a free election again.” The remark was casual, incidental to the larger conversation.
That casualness matters. The speaker treats democratic collapse as established fact—not a threat to prevent but an existing condition. Three implications follow.
Epistemically: The speaker has absorbed one of two beliefs: institutional capture is complete and irreversible, or opposition victory is impossible by definition. Both are closed loops, resistant to contradictory evidence.
Socially: Broadcasting this as obvious truth normalizes it. The claim shifts public discourse by treating authoritarian consolidation as settled rather than contested.
Practically: When elites treat democratic failure as foregone, it becomes self-fulfilling. Capital flight, institutional abandonment, strategic withdrawal by those with resources to leave—all accelerate the collapse they predict.
The speaker’s wealth compounds the problem. Those with means can shield themselves from institutional failure. The prediction costs them nothing to voice. It harms everyone without exit options.