These data visualizations tell a story of American democracy under unprecedented strain. Institutions designed to check executive power face systematic assault from above and below. A tiny elite has captured the political funding system, while an aging leadership makes decisions for a younger population that will live with the consequences. Courts have become battlegrounds where different levels of the judiciary operate by different rules.

Yet the data also reveals reasons for hope. Millions of Democratic-leaning Americans remain unengaged but could be mobilized. History shows that student movements and citizen resistance have successfully defended democracy before. The prosecution of corrupt leaders is normal in healthy democracies, not unprecedented.

The evidence points to clear strategic choices: mobilization over moderation, accountability over accommodation, and democratic participation over resignation. The patterns are familiar from other times and places where democracy faced similar threats. What happens next depends on whether Americans choose to act on what the data reveals.

Democracy's survival has never been guaranteed. But neither has its failure. The numbers show both the depth of the crisis and the potential paths forward. The choice, as always, remains with the citizens.