Gut punched

[dalton99a]

19. +1. "It's a vast pattern. It's not some event"

“It’s a vast pattern. It’s not some event,” Krugman said.

“You write that it’s very much up in the air whether America as we know it will survive,” Cooper said.

“Institutions depend upon the willingness of people to obey norms, and occasionally to say, okay, ‘this is not how we do things in our country,’” Krugman said. “This didn’t start with Trump. There’s been a steady erosion of those norms. This has been building for a long time, and we’re very close to the edge right now.”

“When you say close to the edge, what does that mean to you?” Cooper asked.

“You know, on paper, we’ll stay a democracy, but I worry very much about a sort of Hungary type situation where you have on paper the institutions of democracy. You even hold votes, but the system is rigged, and in fact, it’s become effectively you have a one-party rule,” he said.

“We’re very close. If Trump is re-elected if the Republicans retake control of the House, what are the odds that we will really have a functioning democracy after that?” Krugman said.

“I mean, that’s a pretty terrifying idea,” Cooper said.

“If you’re not terrified, you’re not paying attention,” Krugman said.