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Dictator Trump?
I’ve been genuinely puzzled by the assertion on the part of Trump opponents that Trump is a dictator, wants to be a dictator, is like Hitler, is a threat to democracy, and so on. It makes no sense. You’d think that a President who is trying to shrink the size of government would be regarded as exactly the opposite of a wannabe dictator.
But I think I’ve figured out what the confusion is. Liberals think that a President who enacts policies they don’t like, regardless of how legal and above board and constitutional the process is, must be a tyrant. Just because they don’t like the policy.
So, if Trump signs a lawful executive order limiting immigration, liberals think he’s acting like a dictator even though that is one of the powers granted to the President by the Constitution.
Once you realize this is the way liberals think, it becomes clear that there is not and never has been any basis for saying that there is any threat to the Constitution or to Democracy and that Trump is far from being anything like a dictator.
To the Liberal/Left I say: If Trump lawfully enacts a policy you guys don’t like, he’s not just doing his job, he’s doing what he promised to do when he got elected. That doesn’t make him a dictator.
As for pardoning himself, maybe he can. But it’s a moot point because he can’t duck impeachment that way, and impeachment and conviction by Congress is the lawful way to remove a President. Congress would simply ignore a pardon as being irrelevant.
Published in General
I like Trump personally. I get that he’s not everyone’s flavor of ice cream. But he’s not a dictator, and he never will be. He kowtows to activist judges, and he is much less of an “imperial president” than Obama was.
It’s almost too bad that the use of the word fascist as an indiscriminate pejorative has rendered it meaningless because the most Fascist law passed in my lifetime, in the literal sense that it was taking a page out of Mussolini’s playbook, was Obamacare. The targeted industry remained nominally private but the entities were so heavily regulated that their ability to act was limited to, “Do what the government tells you to.”
But, of course, if you say that Obamacare is Fascist, the immediate response is, “He’s calling Obama Hitler!!!!!1!”
And we might make it less likely that we’ll recognize the next one when s/he comes along.
Obama—obviously—-was not Hitler. But I wish I could tell people (without getting a snootful of bile) that a genuine dictator would be much more likely to resemble Obama in broad outline. Not so much because of his ideology (tho’ there’s that) but because he was very nearly immune from media criticism, had followers for whom he could do no wrong, was able to whitewash his background, was able to charm elites (“crease of his pants” and so on) and had a nice family to whom he was devoted, which is the modern equivalent of a monkish dedication to the public weal.
Also—Obama’s life, prior to politics, was essentially lived within the orbit of academia.
Hitler himself was not especially well-educated, but he was surrounded by men with advanced degrees, generally in what are ironically known as the humanities — Goebbels, for example, had a Ph.D in 19th c. literature.
It’s logically impossible for a person to think that and be a liberal.
Now, if you argue that most people who express political views have ATD, then I would have to agree. But that is a lower bar.
*ATD: I invented this disorder. I have no objection to that, since I’m not an accepted authority on abnormal psychology. If I were a real authority, then obviously I would strenuously object, defending my profession against fake science. But no, I guess I couldn’t, because then it would be a real disorder. So, I guess either way, it’s ok.
This poster is specifically from Lyndon Larouche’s people. The branding is clearly visible at the bottom.
The Larouche folks printed up an enormous number of these, and variations, and sent teams to Tea Party and conservative events. Larouche is a Democrat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaRouche_movement
Why would they compare Trump to the greatest leader of the 20th Century?
So what? The thesis being defended is that every president since WWII has been compared to Hitler and/or Nazis. The thesis was not that every president since WWII has been compared to Hitler and/or Nazis by reasonable people.
‘Wasn’t arguing a thesis; ‘just pointing out the source of a series of posters that have been very widely distributed.
Hilarious. Earth doesn’t groan. Maybe the author does, trying to get out of bed in the morning, while images of Donald dance in her head.
The same worship of people you like leads you to places where you shouldn’t be, when someone you don’t like is in power. Solution: Stop giving power to the gov’t over your very lives.
And start living yours, and stop living vicariously through the political actions of self-interested idiots.
This is truly how progressives feel, which is why I suspect in a saner world progressivism would be a recognized mental disorder.
They’ve clearly got poets writing their talking points.
Is she accusing you of supporting the things she’s delineating?
But they need to separate the Yeats from the chaff.
My first thought was something like, “But not very good poets.” Your take is so much better. Bravo.
Hitler barely survived politically the scandal of his relationship with his niece Geli Raubal and her suicide (or murder).
A green soul with purple prose.
Apropos of nothing in particular, have any of you watched “Look Who’s Back” on Netflix? Reactions?!?
When a film’s description includes a “comedian” “interacting with” (read “making fun of”) “ordinary people” that’s an instant turn off for me.
Have just now added it to my List on Netflix. I’ll let you know what I think of it and look forward to your thoughts.