Playbooks come in many forms—from business operations and cybersecurity to emergency response and professional sports. Each one of these structured guides offers a thought-out path forward, helping teams stay aligned, prepared, and consistent when it matters most.
Recently, in a speech delivered at the Brookings Institution’s 2025 Knight Forum on Geopolitics, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin declared, “I’m popping a flare. President Trump is following the same playbook as almost every authoritarian in history” Slotkin is not the first to make this observation about Trump’s program of institutional erosion and executive overreach, but she is ahead of the curve among sitting officials willing to speak out publicly. Her remarks signal a shift in the willingness of government insiders to acknowledge the use of a certain playbook.
The playbook guiding President Trump’s second term, and possibly a third, was originated by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Through its initiative Project 2025, Heritage proposes sweeping changes: expanding presidential control, replacing career officials with loyalists, and reinterpreting the Constitution through a strict originalist lens. Backed by over 100 aligned organizations, the plan is already being funded, staffed and strategized. Supporters call it a restoration of constitutional order. Critics say it’s a legal blueprint for authoritarian rule.
The Brookings Institution is one of Washington’s most established think tanks, known for gathering together seasoned policymakers, national security experts, and institutional scholars. These sponsored events attract a mix of former ambassadors, defense analysts, and senior staffers from Congress plus serious journalists of every sort. When someone like Senator Slotkin “pops a flare” in that setting, it’s not just political theater—it’s a signal to those who know the playbook by heart that the early moves are already in play—and silence is no longer an option.
Back in 2022, Ian Bassin coauthored a report entitled The Authoritarian Playbook, outlining seven tactics commonly used by authoritarian leaders to erode democratic norms. A lawyer by training, Bassin served as Associate White House Counsel under President Obama and now leads Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan group focused on resisting authoritarian threats. So it’s not that no one saw this playbook being assembled. These takeovers rarely happen overnight—they unfold silently, step by step. The problem is that too many of us simply couldn’t believe what was happening—or were too stunned to respond. Let that not be the case now.
 #76 SAT CAN 7/10/1976 Elissa Slotkin |  #83 SAT AQU 1/24/1976 Ian Bassin |
Elissa Slotkin was born on a Saturday in the zodiac sign of Cancer. Saturn is the ruler of her INNER SELF and her OUTER SELF is governed by the Moon. Her #76 SAT CAN Dayology Signature reflects a blend of Saturn’s disciplined, duty-bound energy (INNER SELF) with the Moon’s emotional, protective instincts (OUTER SELF). Slotkin has publicly stated that the September 11 terrorist attacks were the pivotal event that inspired her to enter government service. She joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where she served as a Middle East analyst and completed three tours in Iraq alongside the U.S. military. These experiences marked the beginning of her career in national security and public service, eventually leading her to roles at the Pentagon and the White House under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Slotkin is currently serving as a United States Senator from Michigan and has taken a strongly critical stance against the MAGA movement, describing Donald Trump as an “existential threat to democracy” and actively urging Democrats to confront his influence head-on.
Ian Bassin was also born on a Saturday but in the zodiac sign of Aquarius. His #83 SAT AQU Dayology Signature means that his INNER and OUTER SELVES are both ruled by Saturn, although modern interpretations give Uranus some influence in ruling Aquarius. He could be described as a principled reformer — someone who channels Saturn’s structured, rule-bound nature through Aquarius’s visionary, future-oriented lens. Bassin served as Associate White House Counsel under President Obama, where he focused on ensuring that executive branch officials upheld the laws and norms that safeguard democracy. In 2016, he co-founded Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to countering authoritarian threats and preserving democratic institutions. Today, he champions the formation of broad, cross-partisan coalitions, warning that authoritarianism thrives when citizens are divided and disengaged.
There is no public evidence that Elissa Slotkin and Ian Bassin have directly collaborated, but their work in defending democratic institutions places them in closely aligned spheres — making it likely that they are aware of each other’s efforts. While both express strong Saturnian qualities, their expressions diverge in tone and emphasis. Each is animated by Saturn’s core principles: vigilance, responsibility, and a commitment to preserving order in the face of chaos.
Slotkin, with her background in intelligence and defense, is trained to detect geopolitical and institutional threats before they escalate. Her Saturn-in-Cancer signature gives her the instinct to protect and the discipline to act strategically, making her a sentinel for national security. She embodies Saturn’s role as guardian of boundaries — both physical and moral — with a deep emotional attunement to the stakes involved.
Bassin, as a constitutional lawyer and democracy advocate, monitors legal and systemic shifts that can signal authoritarian drift. His Saturn-in-Aquarius nature equips him to spot structural weaknesses and mobilize reform before erosion has a chance to become collapse. He channels Saturn’s architect energy, building frameworks of accountability and resilience to withstand future shocks.
Saturn is a paradoxical force in astrology — both the guardian of order and the enforcer of control. Its influence is especially strong in personalities who either defend democracy or seek to dominate it, because Saturn governs the very structures that define collective life: law, authority, boundaries, discipline, and time. For defenders of democracy, Saturn inspires a sense of duty to uphold institutions and protect civic integrity. For dictators, however, Saturn’s drive for control can become obsessive and seek to impose rigid hierarchies, suppress dissent, and bend legal frameworks to serve personal power. This dual potential makes Saturn a central force in political life — capable of producing principled reformers and authoritarian rulers alike.
Dictators, Despots and Tyrants
Not all despots are born on Saturday
but those who are Saturn ruled
are thoroughly bad!
