Chapter 16 – Democracy on the Brink: Exposing the Unholy Alliance of Money, Power, and Algorithms

The growing influence of billionaire entrepreneurs, exemplified by Elon Musk, poses an increasing threat to the stability of our Democratic Republic. By John R Brakey Rev. 5.8.25

Let’s not portray Musk as a pure champion of free speech. He champions free speech primarily for the Rich right wing’s oligarchs. When countries with governments that lean towards the right and authoritarianism have asked X to limit undesirable accounts/posts, Musk has happily done so. In the US, right wing accounts have rarely fallen afoul of X's almost non-existent moderation, even in the face of obvious violations of X's rules. But leftwing accounts have not gotten the same free pass.

Many people attribute the root of our current political crisis to polarization and tribalism, driven in part by social media algorithms.

This "Mirror Effect" intensifies the divide:

Republicans view Democrats as an existential threat, and vice versa. However, polarization may be a symptom rather than the cause. The real cause could be a well-funded, strategic takeover of key institutions—the GOP, the Supreme Court, state legislatures, redistricting processes, and Congress—with the ultimate goal of establishing rule by the wealthy.

This theory, supported by Occam’s Razor, suggests that the decline of democracy is not accidental, but intentionally engineered by powerful elites. Occam’s Razor is a principle that favors the simplest explanation, with the fewest assumptions, when presented with competing hypotheses. In this case, instead of attributing the erosion of democratic systems to a complex web of unrelated factors like polarization, tribalism, or chance, the simplest explanation is that it is a coordinated effort by those with wealth and influence to concentrate power. Whether through dark money or carefully crafted political strategies, these forces are systematically dismantling democratic structures to serve their interests.

Without democracy, progress on critical issues like climate change, public health, racial justice, and economic inequality will be nearly impossible—especially in an autocracy.

The rise of election denialism, aligned with climate and racism denialism, reflects this troubling trend. These denialist movements form a triad of attacks eroding the foundation of democracy

With over two decades of experience in election transparency and integrity, I, John Brakey, have witnessed firsthand that while the scale of each presidential election has grown since 2000, the quality has not. This gradual decline threatens the core of our democratic process.

In a world that feels increasingly unstable, the work for transparency, justice, and democracy can be a lonely one. But it is a fight we must continue if we are to preserve our Democratic Republic. After all, if you don’t like this system, I can guarantee you’re not going to like the one being proposed with Project 2025.

Please check out my Op-ed on Substack, HOPE ON THE HORIZON - Election Transparency Made Simple: ABE Makes Election Verification Easy:

https://johnrbrakey.substack.com/p/election-transparency-made-simple

John R. Brakey

Director, AUDIT (Elections) USA

johnbrakey@gmail.com Cell 520 339 2696