To the extent that we live under an oligarchy (and there is good evidence that we do) it is because we let it happen through complacency, greed, or just plain laziness. Our system allows for improvements to be made, and some important ones have been made. For instance, we did away with the institution of slavery. And about a century later, we did away with Jim Crow and in its place put the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. Then we rested on our laurels for a few decades while Leonard Leo and his billionaire backers quietly packed the courts with right-wing ideologues. We are only now waking up to this travesty. The Roberts Court has gone on to allow billionaires to spend unlimited funds on political campaigns, and has rolled back key provisions of the Voting Rights Act. It's outrageous! But all is not lost. We have the means to get back on the right path. Here's what we need to do:

1. Outlaw gerrymandering everywhere.

2. Do away with the electoral college.

3. Expand the Supreme Court and institute term limits and a binding ethics code.

4. Expand the House of Representatives.

5. Recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court. Let any American president who violates international law be held accountable.

6. Do away with the two-party system. Hold instant runoff elections (aka rank choice elections).

To do this we will need to first elect a Democratic president and Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, then immediately end the Senate filibuster rule (only a simple majority is required for that).

We are not very far from this now. We're two seats shy of a majority in the House, and we have a narrow majority in the Senate.

#2 above will require a Constitutional amendment. It will be more difficult to achieve, but still not impossible.

There is no good reason to believe that if we slide into fascism we will be able to emerge from it quickly or without tremendous suffering. It's much easier to get out the vote.

Or we could hope that Trump and Friends are discovered by a flesh eating virus.