Like a lot of things theses days, there are times when I really, really wonder why I still subscribe to the New York Times. I guess I still figure that if I read one article out of the entire Sunday print edition that touches or informs me then it’s worth the $20 a month. (That by the way was a negotiated rate after I threatened to cancel.)
I’m scanning the Book Review this morning when reach the back page, know as “The Shortlist.” What do you know—our fair state makes an appearance in this review of HOW DEMOCRACIES DIE:
For “a possible glimpse into America’s future,” Levitsky and Ziblatt point to North Carolina, where the Republican legislature has passed laws to curtail the voting power of African-Americans, ruthlessly gerrymandered the state and undermined the independence of the judiciary. What the authors call “democracy without solid guardrails” could also be called Authoritarianism 2.0.
I probably should mention that the reviewer is a senior reporter for Mother Jones.
