The Steady State
@steadystatevets.bsky.social
360+ Veterans of the U.S. National Security Community. Promoting rule of law, democracy, and a positive role for the U.S. in the world. Check us out at www.thesteadystate.org, and on Substack at https://substack.com/@steadystate1?utm_source=global-search
November 9, 2025 at 9:34 PM
This reflects an authoritarian indicator we identified in our assessment: assault on public knowledge and civil society. It mirrors Cold War propaganda, presenting a whitewashed, idealized past to define a desired future, reinforcing who is valued and who is excluded from economic opportunity.
November 8, 2025 at 7:38 PM
This reflects an authoritarian indicator we identified in our assessment: assault on public knowledge and civil society. It mirrors Cold War propaganda, presenting a whitewashed, idealized past to define a desired future, reinforcing who is valued and who is excluded from economic opportunity.
An authoritarian leader praising the “good work” of the White House Press Secretary, and her public thanks in return, shows their shared values. It should be a warning to us all.
November 8, 2025 at 3:37 PM
An authoritarian leader praising the “good work” of the White House Press Secretary, and her public thanks in return, shows their shared values. It should be a warning to us all.
When a government insists elections are fraudulent without evidence, it’s preparation to reject results they don’t like. Our assessment warned that delegitimizing elections is a primary indicator of authoritarianism.
November 6, 2025 at 10:33 PM
When a government insists elections are fraudulent without evidence, it’s preparation to reject results they don’t like. Our assessment warned that delegitimizing elections is a primary indicator of authoritarianism.
Tune in on November 12 at 5:00 PT to listen to The Steady State's Executive Director, Steven Cash, as he joins Larry Mantle on America at a Crossroads. Steve will discuss The Rise of Authoritarianism in America: A Perspective from Former National Security Officials.
November 6, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Tune in on November 12 at 5:00 PT to listen to The Steady State's Executive Director, Steven Cash, as he joins Larry Mantle on America at a Crossroads. Steve will discuss The Rise of Authoritarianism in America: A Perspective from Former National Security Officials.
Our former Senior Intelligence Officers know what communism is. Read this article by The Steady State's Adam Wasserman, who started a career at the CIA analyzing the Soviet Union.
steadystate1.substack.com/p/what-is-be...
steadystate1.substack.com/p/what-is-be...
November 6, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Our former Senior Intelligence Officers know what communism is. Read this article by The Steady State's Adam Wasserman, who started a career at the CIA analyzing the Soviet Union.
steadystate1.substack.com/p/what-is-be...
steadystate1.substack.com/p/what-is-be...
Killing people at sea based on unproven claims isn’t how a democracy fights crime. See the article by The Steady State's Charles A. Ray, The Administration’s New ‘War’ on Drugs-- Show Me the Evidence! steadystate1.substack.com/p/the-admini...
November 6, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Killing people at sea based on unproven claims isn’t how a democracy fights crime. See the article by The Steady State's Charles A. Ray, The Administration’s New ‘War’ on Drugs-- Show Me the Evidence! steadystate1.substack.com/p/the-admini...
A woman becomes a U.S. citizen, votes for 20 years, and opposes family separation. Stephen Miller’s takeaway? “Understand what our immigration system has done to us.” The message: citizens who don’t vote for Trump are illegitimate.
November 5, 2025 at 9:11 AM
A woman becomes a U.S. citizen, votes for 20 years, and opposes family separation. Stephen Miller’s takeaway? “Understand what our immigration system has done to us.” The message: citizens who don’t vote for Trump are illegitimate.
In the next episode of ‘Anything I Don’t Like is Illegal,’ Trump declares a lawful redistricting vote is criminal. In an authoritarian regime, elections only count if the leader approves.
November 5, 2025 at 7:43 AM
In the next episode of ‘Anything I Don’t Like is Illegal,’ Trump declares a lawful redistricting vote is criminal. In an authoritarian regime, elections only count if the leader approves.
Authoritarians love phrases like “so it begins.” It makes democracy’s erosion sound like a heroic quest instead of a power grab.
November 5, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Authoritarians love phrases like “so it begins.” It makes democracy’s erosion sound like a heroic quest instead of a power grab.
If your government thinks the Pope “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” when he defends migrants’ dignity, the world should see the warning sign. The US is no longer leading on human rights. It’s suppressing them.
November 5, 2025 at 7:12 AM
If your government thinks the Pope “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” when he defends migrants’ dignity, the world should see the warning sign. The US is no longer leading on human rights. It’s suppressing them.
Trump is calling for elimination any checks and balances that stand in his way by asking for fewer voters, no new representation, protection of a partisan Court, and elimination of the legislature’s ability to say “no.” #SteadyStateAssessment
November 5, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Trump is calling for elimination any checks and balances that stand in his way by asking for fewer voters, no new representation, protection of a partisan Court, and elimination of the legislature’s ability to say “no.” #SteadyStateAssessment
In other words: “They’re not obeying me — tear down the rules so I can force outcomes.” Trump’s call to eliminate the filibuster is about dismantling guardrails to consolidate executive power — exactly what our assessment identifies as a core indicator of democratic decline.
November 5, 2025 at 5:12 AM
In other words: “They’re not obeying me — tear down the rules so I can force outcomes.” Trump’s call to eliminate the filibuster is about dismantling guardrails to consolidate executive power — exactly what our assessment identifies as a core indicator of democratic decline.
Leaders who demand credit for everything that goes right and distance themselves from everything that goes wrong are not leaders. They are called dictators.
November 5, 2025 at 4:54 AM
Leaders who demand credit for everything that goes right and distance themselves from everything that goes wrong are not leaders. They are called dictators.
Stephen Miller names the “internal enemy. Trump threatens to starve their cities. And if they resist? Invoke the Insurrection Act. This is their blueprint for domestic authoritarian control, and it’s all in the open.
November 5, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Stephen Miller names the “internal enemy. Trump threatens to starve their cities. And if they resist? Invoke the Insurrection Act. This is their blueprint for domestic authoritarian control, and it’s all in the open.
@larrypfeifferdc.bsky.social
The CIA Director isn’t supposed to be the President’s political hype man. Show the factual assessment with confidence levels. If Trump is “right,” let the facts prove it.
The CIA Director isn’t supposed to be the President’s political hype man. Show the factual assessment with confidence levels. If Trump is “right,” let the facts prove it.
November 5, 2025 at 12:44 AM
@larrypfeifferdc.bsky.social
The CIA Director isn’t supposed to be the President’s political hype man. Show the factual assessment with confidence levels. If Trump is “right,” let the facts prove it.
The CIA Director isn’t supposed to be the President’s political hype man. Show the factual assessment with confidence levels. If Trump is “right,” let the facts prove it.
If your case is so weak the country will “die” unless the Court takes your side, maybe the real threat isn’t the Court. Pressuring SCOTUS with “life or death” rhetoric is a textbook warning indicator in our assessment of accelerating authoritarian dynamics.
November 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM
If your case is so weak the country will “die” unless the Court takes your side, maybe the real threat isn’t the Court. Pressuring SCOTUS with “life or death” rhetoric is a textbook warning indicator in our assessment of accelerating authoritarian dynamics.
“They were never victims of a coup–they are architects of a storyline designed to invert reality. The “Obama coup” is projection in its purest form, accusing the other side of the very anti-democratic impulses they seek to normalize for themselves.”
steadystate1.substack.com/p/weaponized...
steadystate1.substack.com/p/weaponized...
November 4, 2025 at 5:21 PM
“They were never victims of a coup–they are architects of a storyline designed to invert reality. The “Obama coup” is projection in its purest form, accusing the other side of the very anti-democratic impulses they seek to normalize for themselves.”
steadystate1.substack.com/p/weaponized...
steadystate1.substack.com/p/weaponized...
November 4, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Trump’s threat to withhold federal support unless voters choose his preferred candidate is coercive abuse of power. Federal funds aren’t a campaign bargaining chip, and democracy isn’t supposed to work this way.
November 4, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Trump’s threat to withhold federal support unless voters choose his preferred candidate is coercive abuse of power. Federal funds aren’t a campaign bargaining chip, and democracy isn’t supposed to work this way.