July 27, 2023 1:12 pm

‘Saving Democracy’ Is a Confidence Trick

What it really means: stopping elected conservative governments from using their normal powers to disrupt unelected liberal bases of power.

Share this story

President Joe Biden speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Morrisville, N.C., March 28, 2023.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

One of the necessary skills in life is making yourself immune to common and base confidence tricks. Most of us recognize the Nigerian lette r scam as just that, a false promise of money to get you to give up your banking details to someone who then defrauds you.

But journalists and governments play confidence games with us all the time — if only we are able to spot them.