If You’re Afraid Democracy Won’t Survive, Start Here.

Why power is more fragile than it looks—and why your participation matters more than ever.

President Barack Obama hugs Congressman John Lewis at the 50th anniversary of the Selma march, honoring the struggle for voting rights.

If You’re Afraid Democracy Won’t Survive, Start Here.

Why power is more fragile than it looks—and why your participation matters more than ever.

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #772: Thursday, February 12th, 2026.

There’s a quiet panic running through this country right now.

It doesn’t always show up as screaming.
It doesn’t always show up as rage.

It shows up as a tightness in the chest.

A whisper at 2:13 a.m.

What if we don’t even have real midterms?
What if he cheats?
What if he refuses to leave?
What if they come after people like me?
What if democracy just…ends?

If you’ve felt that, you’re not weak.

You’re paying attention.

But here’s the line I want to draw for you…clearly…firmly…without drama:

Fear is information.
Paralysis…is a choice.

And…right now, too many good people are confusing vigilance…with inevitability.

They are rehearsing defeat in their imagination.

They are living through catastrophes that have not happened.

They are surrendering energy to scenarios that still require millions of moving parts to succeed.

Let’s get something straight.

The United States is not one man.
It is not one office.
It is not one election.

It is a sprawling, messy…loud…decentralized machine with governors…state legislators…judges…secretaries of state…local election boards…civil servants, mayors, police chiefs, federal courts…and 330 million citizens…many of whom are armed not with weapons, but with stubbornness.

The fantasy that one person can snap his fingers and cancel democracy…assumes compliance.

And compliance…is not automatic.

Midterm elections are not conducted by a single switch in Washington. They are run state by state. County by county. Precinct by precinct. Thousands of independent systems. Thousands of individuals. Paper trails. Courts. Lawsuits. Observers.

To nullify a nationwide wave of democratic wins would require coordination across jurisdictions…that often disagree with each other…and many that would openly resist.

Power in America leaks.

It fractures.

It fights with itself.

That’s not weakness.

That’s structural resistance.

Now, let’s address the darker fear.

“What if he jails opponents? What if he targets critics? What if he uses the machinery of the state to intimidate?”

History gives us something important here.

Authoritarian impulses always overreach.

Always.

They mistake volume for control.
They mistake bluster for obedience.
They mistake loyalty from a base for loyalty from institutions.

But courts push back.
States push back.
Media, however imperfect…pushes back.
Whistleblowers exist.
Career officials leak.
Elections happen in cycles…not just once.

And most importantly…citizens organize.

Here is what fear hides from you:

The energy you feel right now…is the same energy that fuels movements.

It is the same energy that registers voters.
That funds candidates.
That packs school board meetings.
That calls representatives daily.
That writes letters.
That donates $12 at a time to underdog races in overlooked districts.
That shows up in midterms when turnout models say it won’t.

Authoritarianism feeds on one thing more than anything else:

Hopelessness.

If people believe the outcome is predetermined…they disengage.
If they disengage…power consolidates quietly.

So ask yourself something important:

Who benefits from you believing it’s already over?

Not you.

Not your children.

Not your community.

The greatest strategic gift you could give someone who wants unchecked power…is your withdrawal.

Now…let’s talk about democracy itself.

Democracy is not a fragile antique vase that shatters if someone yells at it.

It is a muscle.

And…muscles strengthen under resistance.

This country has been through civil war.
Through world wars.
Through assassinations.
Through presidents who abused power.
Through corruption at the highest levels.
Through riots and depressions and scandals that made people swear it was finished.

And yet.

Here we are.

Not perfect. Not serene. But…still arguing…still voting…still fighting and still correcting.

Democracy survives not because it avoids stress…but because enough people refuse to quit.

That’s the variable.

Not the president.

Not the party.

You.

You are the stabilizing force when you act.

You are the firewall when you participate.

You are the counterweight when you organize.

And…here’s the shift I want you to make.

Stop asking, “Will democracy survive?”

Start asking, “What is my role in its survival?”

That question changes everything.

It moves you from spectator….to participant.

From anxious consumer of headlines…to active architect of outcomes.

Daily action is not dramatic.

It is not cinematic.

It is often boring.

But…it compounds.

Ten minutes a day.

Calling an office.
Donating small amounts consistently.
Volunteering locally once a month.
Talking calmly to neighbors instead of doom-posting.
Supporting local journalism.
Staying informed without marinating in panic.

The people who preserve democratic systems are rarely the loudest.

They are the most consistent.

Fear screams.

Resolve schedules.

There’s another truth you need to hear.

Power is far more fragile than it looks.

It requires constant reinforcement.

It depends on public perception.

It relies on narrative dominance.

When citizens show up in overwhelming numbers…when turnout surges beyond expectations…when local races flip because people refused to assume defeat…the illusion of inevitability cracks.

And…once inevitability cracks…power shifts fast.

If you need a reason to believe, here it is:

Authoritarian attempts fail when enough ordinary people behave as if their participation matters.

Because…it does.

The people who tell you it’s hopeless are either exhausted…or…strategically trying to exhaust you.

Don’t volunteer for exhaustion.

Channel it.

Convert anxiety into structure.

Make a list of five actions you can take this week.

Not in theory.

This week.

Then…take them.

Momentum kills despair.

And once you move, something interesting happens.

The tightness in your chest eases.

Because action restores agency.

Agency restores clarity.

Clarity restores courage.

You don’t need blind optimism.

You need disciplined hope.

Hope that is backed by effort.

Hope that shows up.

Hope that refuses to grant monopoly power to fear.

Democracy does not die in darkness.

It dies in apathy.

And apathy…is not who you are.

You are reading this because you care.

Because you feel the stakes.

Because something in you refuses to shrug.

That instinct?

That’s the backbone of this country.

So…if you need a reason to believe, believe this:

The future is not decided by the loudest voice.

It is decided by the most persistent participation.

Stay alert.

Stay engaged.

Stay organized.

But do not surrender your belief in your own impact.

History has a habit of surprising the pessimists.

Be one of the people who surprises them.

And tomorrow morning…take one concrete action.

Then another the next day.

Then another.

That’s how democracies endure.

Not by accident.

By citizens…who decide they will.

#HoldFast

Back soon.

-Jack

Jack Hopkins

P.S. If you want more structure around where to focus your energy each week, that’s what the paid tier is built for.