America’s Stockholm Syndrome: Why We Are No Longer a Serious Country

“The survival instinct is at the heart of the Stockholm syndrome. Victims live in enforced dependence and interpret rare or small acts of kindness in the midst of horrible conditions as good treatment. They often become hypervigilant to the needs and demands of their captors, making psychological links between the captors’ happiness and their own. Indeed, the syndrome is marked not only by a positive bond between captive and captor but also by a negative attitude on behalf of the captive toward authorities who threaten the captor-captive relationship.”  (Encyclopedia Britannica)

The US Congress has just rejected a bipartisan compromise that would have strengthened border security, and sent vital funding to Ukraine.  This is foolishness of such magnitude that I cannot find adequate words.  Frank Fukuyama says it straight:  “The United States has for some time ceased to be a serious country. Our extreme polarization combined with institutional rules that privilege minorities [my emphasis] makes it impossible for us to meet our international obligations.”

Of course the first sentence above is not quite right.  It is not the US Congress as such that is rejecting this deal, it is a partisan MAGA minority in thrall to Donald Trump.  

America has for a long time now been a victim of Stockholm Syndrome.  The majority is held hostage at every turn by a relentless, mobilized minority uninterested in policy, only in the power and notoriety that comes from saying ‘no’ and showing up the enemy.  

But there is method in the madness: these political terrorists calculate that not allowing government to function will anger people to the point that they welcome a strongman who promises to ‘get things done.’  Making the trains run on time is a classic authoritarian move.   Meanwhile the victims hang on the terrorists every word, imagining that the occasional sane remark shows they are coming around, and cowering when threatened with blows and abuse.

When Stockholm Syndrome strikes, we are torn between who to blame.  Of course the terrorists are at fault.  They make no secret of their evil intentions, in fact they revel in them and publicize them.  MAGA supporters say openly that they will not address the border or help Ukraine, only because they calculate it might help Joe Biden.  They count on Americans demanding action and turning to Trump to deliver.

But at some point the captives cannot escape responsibility.  They whisper to one another that, well, the terrorists have some good points, maybe we should see their side.  They argue about whether fighting back might make their captors even angrier.  They consider carefully what might happen if the roles were someday reversed; maybe their enemies would try to do the same to them.  And of course the crazy threats the terrorists make are just for show, they would never actually carry them out.  So Senator Marco Rubio can say “I have zero concern” when Trump says he would allow Russia to attack members of NATO. 

In short, they find reasons why being held prisoner is not so bad.  So even when they actually have the power, the filibuster rules in the Senate stay the same.  The Supreme Court goes unreformed, and Clarence Thomas is not forced to recuse himself despite his wife’s immersion in the MAGA agenda.  Like clockwork a few extremists weaponize the debt ceiling and shut down the government to gain headlines and concessions.  Every four years the ridiculous Electoral College is dusted off to embarrass us one more time.  The country subjects itself to another round of dangerous, polarizing single-party primaries.  Oceans of unconstrained billionaire money surge over the electorate. Then Americans go to the polls under rules that make most votes meaningless unless you happen to live in one of the handful of ‘swing states.’  

Stockholm syndrome is widespread among Democrats, but is even stronger among traditional Republicans.  These shell-shocked troglodytes paved the way for today’s hostile takeover by regularly blocking compromise, painting apocalyptic pictures of the enemy, and strengthening every rule that allows the minority to have its way. Now, surprised that these efforts have had their predictable effect, they are surrendering in droves.  With their electoral survival, and often their physical survival, threatened by the MAGA wave, they have fallen over themselves to invent reasons to give in. 

What needs to be understood is that when it comes to exercising power, the MAGA movement has nothing in common with conservatism.  Trump is not in favor of limited government, constrained by tradition and Constitutional checks and balances.  He and his followers make no secret of their plans, once in control, to ignore all those fuddy-duddy obstacles and aggressively use the state to trample on their enemies and consolidate power.  These plans include remaking the civil service, politicizing the Justice Department, and likely invoking the Insurrection Act to in effect declare martial law.  And we already know that election results mean nothing to Trump.  

No wonder Americans feel sour.  Once we took stock of our problems and did something about them.  We amended the Constitution to give women the vote and create an income tax.  We cut the robber barons down to size.  We gave rights to African-Americans.  We out-spent and out-maneuvered the USSR.  Now we can’t pass a budget and are on the brink of unilaterally surrendering to Putin.  Not because we lack money or military power or smart and capable citizens, but because responsible leaders have lost their way and are allowing the loudest and most unreasonable voices to prevail.

Americans need to shake off Stockholm Syndrome.  Continuing to let the minority block action plays into Trump’s hands.  Most Americans don’t buy what MAGA is selling, but the rules of the game have been rigged to hamstring the majority.  This has to change.