It's been one year since a whipped-up mob, reacting to the relentless drumbeat of Trump's Big Lie, broke into the Capitol and threatened US democracy by attempting to prevent a peaceful transfer of power.
And since that time, these blind, rabid followers of Trump have put the United States at "genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy," says former President Jimmy Carter in his New York Times op-ed, "I Fear for Our Democracy."
Carter writes about the politicians who "seek to win by any means, and many Americans are being persuaded to think and act likewise, threatening to collapse the foundations of our security and democracy with breathtaking speed."
These forces exert power and influence through relentless disinformation, which continues to turn Americans against Americans. According to the Survey Center on American Life, 36 percent of Americans — almost 100 million adults across the political spectrum — agree that "the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it."
"Our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss," Carter warns. "Without immediate action, we are at genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy. Americans must set aside differences and work together before it is too late."