“The end of democracy? To many Americans, the future looks dark if the other side wins.”

Michael Barkun, Professor Emeritus of political science in the Maxwell School, was quoted in The Washington Post story “The end of democracy? To many Americans, the future looks dark if the other side wins.” Barkun, who studies political extremism, says the current apocalyptic political language in society is alarming. “This idea that the other side winning the election will produce a precipitous decline and the disintegration of institutions is completely at variance with American history,” says Barkun.