Understanding how democratic norms are being challenged
Left vs. Right economic policy debates; partisan competition within shared democratic framework
Authentic Americans vs. corrupt elites (media, bureaucrats, experts, academics, coastal liberals). Political office and expertise become markers of suspicion rather than legitimacy.
Enables cross-partisan coalition building; delegitimizes institutional authority; makes education and expertise politically suspect; creates permission structure for attacking democratic norms as 'elite' impositions.
This section will be updated regularly with current news examples demonstrating this reframing in action. Check back for the latest instances.
Internationalist vs. isolationist foreign policy; debates over trade agreements and alliance commitments
America First patriots vs. globalist traitors who prioritize foreigners over Americans. Immigration as 'invasion,' trade as 'theft,' alliances as 'exploitation.'
Transforms policy disagreements into loyalty tests; enables xenophobia and protectionism as patriotic acts; justifies withdrawal from international cooperation; frames diversity as threat.
This section will be updated regularly with current news examples demonstrating this reframing in action. Check back for the latest instances.
Courts as neutral arbiters; investigations as legitimate oversight regardless of target's party
Legal outcomes determined by political loyalty: favorable rulings = justice; unfavorable = 'witch hunt,' 'weaponization.' Law enforcement investigating Trump = deep state; investigating opponents = righteous.
Preemptively delegitimizes legal accountability for the leader; creates permission structure for retaliatory prosecutions; makes rule of law conditional on political allegiance.
This section will be updated regularly with current news examples demonstrating this reframing in action. Check back for the latest instances.
Free press as democratic watchdog ('Fourth Estate'); journalism as check on power
Mainstream media = 'enemy of the people,' 'fake news.' Critical coverage = partisan attacks. Alternative media = truth. Creates parallel information ecosystems.
Immunizes leader from factual accountability; enables conspiracy theories; makes shared reality impossible; justifies attacks on press freedom as self-defense.
This section will be updated regularly with current news examples demonstrating this reframing in action. Check back for the latest instances.
Elections as legitimate mechanism for transferring power; losers accept results
Wins = legitimate popular will; losses = fraud/rigging/system corruption. Election administration = partisan manipulation. Voter access = cheating infrastructure.
Destroys peaceful power transfer; justifies anti-democratic actions as defending democracy; enables permanent delegitimization of opposition victories; weaponizes election administration.
This section will be updated regularly with current news examples demonstrating this reframing in action. Check back for the latest instances.
Civil service as nonpartisan professional bureaucracy; expertise as qualification
Career officials = unelected saboteurs undermining the president. Expertise = obstacle to popular will. Unitary executive = president's absolute authority over all executive functions.
Justifies purging professional civil service; enables replacing merit with loyalty; delegitimizes expertise; centralizes authoritarian control while claiming democratic mandate.
This section will be updated regularly with current news examples demonstrating this reframing in action. Check back for the latest instances.
This demonstration includes 6 of 20 documented reframings. The full site includes: Selective Law and Order, Cultural Warfare, Status and Grievance Politics, Leader as Movement Incarnate, Corruption as Virtue, Economic Populism Without Redistribution, and more.