“When Officials surrender their integrity and behave as fairy tale characters, Washington D.C. becomes Emerald City.” John Johnson II 09/30/26
By John Johnson II
Imagine Washington, D.C., as America’s Emerald City—a magnificent capital of marble, monuments, ceremony, and power. Its grandeur suggests that extraordinary wisdom resides within. Yet what if much of that splendor is illusion, persuading citizens that those behind Washington’s curtain know better than the people they were elected to serve?
At the zenith stands the President—America’s Wizard of Oz. Like L. Frank Baum’s Wizard, he projects enormous power. Executive orders thunder from the White House; certainty, instinct, and strength dominate the performance. Yet behind the curtain stands a mortal man—President Donald Trump, a man always in search of the “Ultimate Deal.”
But the Wizard does not rule this Emerald City alone.
In this satire, the Supreme Court’s six conservative justices become the Wicked Witches of the West—not as a literal judgment of motive, but as a symbol of critics’ fear that major Court decisions have strengthened presidential power and weakened constitutional restraints. The Republican-controlled Congress becomes the Flying Monkeys—lawmakers critics accuse of following partisan commands rather than vigorously checking executive power.
The Scarecrow represents lost citizens searching for sound governance instead of partisan warfare. The Tin Man represents everyday working people seeking a government with a heart—one that understands food, housing, healthcare, fuel, and the struggle to survive. The Cowardly Lion represents citizens who possess enormous collective power but remain fearful, divided, or hesitant to demand change.
Dorothy becomes Lady Justice, searching for genuine justice amid accusations that the Department of Justice has become politicized. Together, these travelers seek more than brains, heart, courage, and justice. They seek solutions to the affordability crisis, the war with Iran, and an out-of-control national debt.
But the journey grows darker.
What happens when despair becomes hopelessness, hopelessness becomes anger, and anger becomes the conviction that government no longer belongs to the governed?
What happens when citizens come to believe that the President, Congress, and Supreme Court are acting less like independent constitutional checks and more like political allies protecting power, privilege, wealth, family interests, and one another?
What happens when people conclude that leaders are enriching themselves while ordinary families struggle? What happens when checks and balances appear replaced by partisan loyalty? And what happens when citizens fear that those in power are reshaping government so they can rule indefinitely?
That is where this fairy tale ceases to be amusing.
No democracy is strengthened when citizens lose faith in elections, courts, Congress, or the rule of law. The danger is not merely anger; it is alienation—the belief that peaceful democratic participation no longer matters. That is precisely why ballots, free speech, peaceful protest, courts, congressional oversight, and civic participation must remain meaningful.
Can democracy survive when its citizens finally stop believing in their government?
The Wizard cannot answer. Neither can the Wicked Witches. Nor the Flying Monkeys.
Perhaps the Scarecrow already possesses a brain. Perhaps the Tin Man already has a heart. Perhaps the Lion already possesses courage. Perhaps Lady Justice never needed permission from the Wizard.
Like Dorothy discovering that the power to return home had been with her all along, Americans may discover that the power to preserve their republic was never hidden inside Washington’s Emerald City.
It was always in their hands.
Question What you Believe!