Authoritarianism For Me But Not For Thee?

Again we read in PAW about someone’s concern with “the rise of authoritarianism” in America (“Tomorrow Will Be Worse,” October issue). Of course we should be concerned about the tendency of the executive branch to aggrandize its power and to use it selectively against political opponents. But I don’t recall seeing anything — anything at all — in PAW about the Obama administration slow walking and denying the 501(c)(3) tax exemptions for politically disfavored groups; or the Biden administration deploying the Department of Justice and the FBI against politically disfavored targets (like pro-lifers, parents objecting at school board meetings, January 6 protesters, and “traditional” Catholics) while largely disregarding political allies, even when violent; or the Biden administration coordinating with Big Tech to suppress online messages that crossed the official narrative.

Of course, PAW could (and maybe should) steer clear of all these subjects as having little to do with Princeton, even though there are doubtless Tiger players involved or commenting. But to platform jitters about Trump, while ignoring overreach by Democrat administrations, could lead a reader to wonder if what is at issue here is not so much genuine concern about the power of a president as, rather, partisan objection to how that power is being used.