Can We Undo This? What ‘The People’ Can Actually Do When Institutions Fail

[Moderator]

There’s a question underneath a lot of the conversations we’ve been having that deserves its own thread: not just what went wrong, but what recourse we actually have.

When an administration uses its power to protect itself from accountability — when inspectors general are fired, when the DOJ is redirected toward loyalty rather than law, when Congress’s oversight tools are ignored — the theoretical answer is always “the people can vote them out.” But what happens when the damage compounds between elections? What happens when the structural protections that were supposed to prevent the abuse are the things being dismantled?

We have more tools than many people realize — and fewer than we’d like. Courts can move slowly and be packed. Congress requires majorities that may not exist. State attorneys general have pursued federal actors in some cases. Civil society organizations have used FOIA, litigation, and public pressure as real levers. Investigative journalism has documented abuses that eventually had legal consequences.

And some damage, frankly, is hard to reverse. Precedents set. Norms broken. Institutions staffed with people who will remain long after any one administration ends.

The questions worth sitting with:

• What levers do ordinary citizens — not lawyers, not politicians — actually have when institutions are being corrupted from within?
• What has worked historically when democratic systems faced this kind of stress from the inside?
• What do we need to build now — legally, structurally, in civil society — so that the next time this is tried, the guardrails hold?

This is not a conversation about despair. It’s a conversation about realistic tools, honest limits, and what a serious democratic response actually looks like.

[Sarah]

This is a very timely discussion considering the news this week with the DOJ creating “documents” and “agreements” that are designed to protect a very corrupt presidency… and give our tax dollars to insurrectionists. I am not a lawyer but I can’t imagine that any of these documents will hold water in a court of law.. but just the fact that they continue to ignore the constitution and rule of law is so incredibly frustrating! Clearly the founding fathers thought that Congress would stop this kind of behavior. That is what impeachment is for, after all. So, what do we do besides call it out?

[Greg Reed]

I don’t know what the answer is and I’m suspicious of anyone who’s too confident they do.

What I do think is that “vote them out” is necessary, we have to do it, but not sufficient. Like yes, obviously, elections matter enormously. But some of what’s being damaged right now is going to need more than a new administration to fix. Its going to require organizing and pressure and accountability from citizens even after the election.

I’ve taken a new approach lately. I want my senators to hear from me specifically, not just get a form letter. I’ve started calling — actual phone calls to the office — when something specific happens. It feels weird but staffers track those calls and tally them. That’s a real thing.

[Author]

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