Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams Stacey Abrams’ On The Ten Steps to Save Democracy
Sep 18, 2025
Stacey Abrams chats with Ari Berman, a national voting rights correspondent at Mother Jones and author of Project 2026. They delve into the alarming Ten Steps to Autocracy, revealing how current political maneuvers echo this framework for authoritarianism. Ari discusses the threats to voting rights posed by a conservative judiciary and the rollbacks affecting mail voting, particularly for vulnerable populations. The conversation highlights the urgent need for action as they explore strategies to protect election integrity and resist state-level suppression.
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Systematic Path To Authoritarianism
- The Ten Steps to Autocracy map observable actions into a coherent authoritarian playbook.
- Recognizing those steps lets citizens target specific threats before elections are stolen.
Turn Warnings Into Action Verbs
- Use action verbs to turn warnings into work: Commit, Share, Organize, Mobilize, Litigate, Disrupt, Deny, Engage, Elect, Demand.
- Choose one verb this week and make it your mission to protect democracy.
Rigging Starts Long Before Voting
- Ari Berman warns that Project 2026 is already active and expansive, not a future threat.
- The administration uses federal power, gerrymandering, and DOJ tactics to pre-shape outcomes.
