(CNN) Former President Barack Obama was right to speak out Thursday at the Economic Club of Chicago to warn Americans about the fragility of our democracy. And it's true that Trump is not going to declare an old-fashioned dictatorship: Today's authoritarians (such as Putin) exercise repression differently. His attacks on the press, judiciary and our country's intelligence services are right out of the authoritarian playbook, as is his cultivation of a leader cult. He received no negative public feedback from the Republican leadership when he joked about shooting journalists (even showing off his own target practice sheet while doing so) in May. Obama should be applauded for speaking up, and it's high time for sitting politicians of both parties to do the same.

Source: CNN December 09, 2017 18:01 UTC