Authoritarianism is the real grift. Fighting back is our duty.

It led to a rise in economic inequality, discriminatory legislation and an all-time low in trust in government.

It is why so many of us are fighting back against the rising tide of Trump’s authoritarianism and self-enrichment while recognizing that “Never Trump”-ism is not enough.

We fight the unsustainable economic inequality that threatens the fabric of our society and work every day to make Georgia a place we can afford and where we belong. We do not ask who you voted for before we do our jobs to help when you need us — though I cannot say the same for this administration.

Georgians show they can transcend partisanship

Credit: Hand

Credit: Hand

So, imagine my surprise when I saw a column in the AJC from a one-time member of Congress suggesting that opposing Donald Trump’s authoritarianism and cruelty is partisan grift to feed an “outrage button.”

There is no grift here, nor is there partisanship. There is only a meeting of the moment by people across the political spectrum who, when given the choice between autocracy and democracy, choose “We the People” over any one president and choose the many over the few.

It is no surprise that former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, who built the infrastructure for a winning coalition before anyone even realized the coalition was there, is once again leading this charge.

And, she is building it not from a place of partisanship, but from a place of purpose and possibility — one that says all are welcome if you believe in the fundamental and founding principle of this country — that the people hold the power to govern themselves, and that our power is inalienable.

That is why my campaign set out on the “Georgia We Deserve Tour” — not the “Georgia Democrats Deserve Tour.” For too long, we have been asked to define our state by only what has been — often in partisan terms — not what it can be.

Our state elected a Jewish U.S. senator and a Black U.S. senator. In both cases Republicans, Democrats and independents voted for them. Why? Because they felt they were the candidates who would best represent the interests of their families — not their own, any one president or their corporate friends.

If you view that clearly and accurately describing the administration’s lawlessness as partisanship, then of course you will not see efforts to hold elected leaders accountable particularly redeeming.

But there is nothing partisan about efforts bringing people together to remind ourselves and our leaders that our future is self-determinative and that we all deserve to live full lives with dignity, health, personal freedom and economic freedom for ourselves and our families — no matter who we voted for.

Choose action over milquetoast politics

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

True bipartisanship is not acquiescence to a party in power or which special interests have the most control. True bipartisanship must be rooted in strong values and centered around building the world we want to live in. It is work we must all do to make our own place and part, where dissent is brokered and open debates are had.

That perpetual discussion and work is our politics. Our elections are when we make choices to change the spectrum of what is feasible.

It is why we must demand the right to make such choices. We must demand our nation remains one predicated on the consent of the governed, on the rule of law, on equal rights and dignity for all. That is our birthright, not a grift.

The politics of those that call fighting back on authoritarianism a grift are the same ones insisting we can only win with policies of appeasement that suit the man in charge, regardless of party. They demand we must spend more time lowering the standards of voters than elevating what is expected of our government.

But there is a coalition choosing to put the needs of our communities first, whether this administration, this Congress or this General Assembly agree with us or not.

The urgency of this moment demands that we use every talent, leverage every skill and take every chance to fight for a better future. Those arguing that our acquiescence will somehow make our state stronger would do well to remember that it rarely, if ever, has become stronger.

In fact, history shows us that acquiescence leads to ruin. But there is another path, one full of possibility. Those of us taking that path are not grifting. We are practicing hope as a discipline and refusing to preemptively be defeated.

This year in particular is a once-in-a-generation election cycle for our state with endless possibility. We have one of the youngest populations in the country. Last year, we flipped two statewide seats by 25 percentage points by virtue of running against exploitative systems and being honest about why we are facing the problems we do today.

Instead of writing columns calling us grifters and insisting on the same political maneuvering, milquetoast politics and lower standards that led us to this moment, what if instead we recognized that the way our state and country are right now is a choice, and that we have an opportunity and obligation to make different ones?

State Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth, represents House of Representatives District 97 in the Georgia General Assembly. She is a 2026 Democratic primary candidate for Georgia governor.