Shelli asked G. Russell Overton:

Of your latest book, Running by Night, you (cheekily?) wrote, "This book, first published in 2011, suggests what could happen if a Fascist dictator ever took control of the United States." Do you think we're there?

G. Russell Overton First, I want to be very clear, I am a pacifist at heart and a firm believer in the rule of law. I consider the U.S. Constitution to be the bedrock of our republic. What happened last November was a breakdown of the constitutional process.

The whole point of the Electoral College is to act as a safety valve against democracy run amok. This was the first time in 228 years that the system was tested and it failed. That said, the system is not completely broken.

For the time being, I believe that the rule of law prevails. I also believe that the potential exists for a complete systemic breakdown. If the courts, congress, the press, and the military hold firm against the threat of tyranny, a bad president is nothing more than an ugly chapter in the history books. If those systems fail, a fascist dictatorship is the likely result.

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