The Political End-Times Genre Will Always Be With Us

 

The Political End-Times Genre Will Always Be With Us

 

          Garrett Graff has added a new submission to the political end-times genre. Graff’s ‘America Tips Fascism,’ was posted on August 25, 2025 on his website: ‘Doomsday Scenario’. Graff castigates all: Trump, the Republicans for supporting him, and the Democrats for insufficiently opposing him. He also criticizes the media. For example, Graff wrote: “Saying that our country has tipped over an invisible edge into an authoritarian state plainly is important—and easier than most in the media and pundit class will pretend it is.” This is a puzzling critique. If it is relative “eas[y]” to state that the U.S. is now an authoritarian state, then maybe—just maybe—it is premature to characterize the U.S. as authoritarian? Similarly, why is the media’s stating that the U.S. is now an authoritarian state “important”? One and all know that Trump sent troops into DC. Some think Trump’s policy is wise and beneficent, and some think otherwise. Will the media’s marching in lockstep, in order to characterize Trump’s policies as authoritarian change any minds? If not, how is the media’s doing what Graff urges “important”?

          Graff’s claim that the U.S. is now authoritarian is based on factual claims. But Graff hedges his factual claims. He consistently leads with “It looks like”. Indeed, rather than plainly stating uncontroverted facts to support his conclusion, he uses the phrase “It looks like” seven times. That’s odd.

          If the U.S. has just tipped into authoritarianism, one might think Graff should put forward some practical solutions or even advice. Of course, one might suggest that he puts forward no solutions to oppose the alleged authoritarian status quo, because the U.S. has not descended into authoritarianism. Rather, Graff is just a disappointed party-man whose party has lost the last election. His party’s loss of power is what has unnerved him, not the new status quo. You will know the U.S. is authoritarian—when the President closes the courts absent congressional consent—when the President cancels the regularly scheduled elections absent congressional consent—when the President prevents the opposition caucus from entering the legislature—and when the President orders you to stay in your house against your will and orders you to take drugs that you do not want to take. Trump-47 has not done these things—so, Graff’s talk of authoritarianism is, again, somewhat premature.

          To use Graff’s phrase: “it looks like” Graff favors hyperbole over facts and analysis. If Graff really believed his bold claim, then he would change his lifestyle and advise others to do the same. If Graff believed what he wrote, then these are some of the things he would begin to do and to advise others to do:

 

He would buy a condominium, bungalow, or timeshare abroad;

He would move a significant part of his assets into non-U.S.-based financial instruments;

He would move some significant part of his assets abroad;

He would purchase some significant amount of foreign currency (e.g., Swiss Francs, Euros, Canadian Dollars) or other easy to move stores of value (gold, diamonds);

He would prepare an easy to hide, store, and carry cache of travel and other important personal and family documents (e.g., passports, birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, evidence of professional memberships, a current vita, and vaccination and other medical records);

He would move abroad, permanently or temporarily, until the U.S. situation is favorably resolved;

He would maintain and seek to develop personal and family, religious, charitable, and professional contacts abroad that could be helpful if starting a new life outside the United States;

He would explore where abroad he (and other family members) have a right to work or could obtain a work permit in short order;

He would take on, or, at least, explore the possibility of dual citizenship;

If he already holds citizenship in a foreign country, he would explore to whom by marriage, birth, or otherwise he can legally share or transmit that foreign citizenship to—or otherwise share the benefits and protections of such foreign citizenship;

He would make plans, or, at least, explore where he can visit and/or settle abroad, with what identification and travel documents, and, most importantly, prepare contingency plans for quickly and quietly exiting the U.S. (i.e., by air, sea, train, bus, or automobile);

He would make efforts to learn a widely-spoken foreign language; and,

He would buy a gun and start taking shooting lessons.

 

Graff tells us that he “fear[s] that America’s trajectory feels ... like Berlin circa 1933.” But if the U.S. is now akin to “Berlin circa 1933,” then he would be doing, at least, some of the things suggested above, and urging his family, friends, and professional colleagues to do the same. And he would advise his readers to do the same. This he has not done. And from that, I conclude that his “Berlin circa 1933” statement was simply hyperbole, virtue signaling, and TDS.

 

Seth

 

Seth Barrett Tillman, ‘The Political End-Times Genre Will Always Be With Us,’ New Reform Club (Aug. 26, 2025, 3:00 PM), <https://reformclub.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-political-end-times-genre-will.html>;