Creeping authoritarianism

[Frank Cross]

Before we go too far in attacking right wing authoritarianism, one should
note that our views may merely reflect the rights that we personally
consider to be the "important" ones.  For example, the Bush Administration
has surely been more protective of property rights or gun ownership rights
than other recent Administrations.  Yet somehow I sense that people have
defined away those rights as unimportant ones.

I do think that democratic decisionmaking generally, if not universally,
tends to avoid extensive authoritarianism (though it does not preclude
spasmodic episodes or marginal authoritarianism, as Lynne's post notes).
Consequently, I am not too concerned about creeping authoritarianism from
the Bush Administration, save for some marginal impact.  To return to the
original point, I think that checks and balances also are effective in
frustrating authoritarianism.  The proposal that the President evade
Senatorial approval on judicial appointments is on this score a very bad
one, regardless of the presidential ideology.



Frank Cross
Herbert D. Kelleher Centennial Professor of Business Law
CBA 5.202
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712