January 6th was the Pandora's box of American "democracy," but it was just one more symptom of a deeper and more dangerous ailment in the United States: the decline of American institutions that has reached alarming levels. Fifty years after Watergate, America has hit rock bottom again, and this time the very institutions that gave the executive branch credibility back then are under suspicion today. The media is no longer trusted, the judiciary is seen as a tool rather than an arbiter, and there is growing unease about the number of extremists infiltrating the security forces. In this context, American "democracy" seems to be a shell. The most extreme wing of the Republican Party is determined to undermine the foundations of American "democracy" in order to protect the privileges that benefit the most. Democrats are more diverse and looser than ever before. Moderates fear a radical shift in the party, insisting on some formal mechanism that is completely outdated. Progressives are frustrated with the manipulation, hypocrisy and inertia of the leaders of both parties.
