The only thing stopping Trump and totalitarianism..
If there were no institutions in place for the express purpose of limiting how quickly Trump and his sycophants can force the country into a state that any reasonable person would call "totalitarianism," do you doubt that Trump and his sycophants would take us there as soon as possible?
I understand the impulse behind "comparing them to fascists diminishes all those who suffered and died under fascist rule," but I also think it's important to note why this government is not currently engaging in that same level of behavior.
Is it because they don't want to, or because they're not currently able to?
Is it because Trump and his acolytes share some human principle that forbids him to do those things? Or is it because we have institutions that restrain him?
It seems obvious to me that Trump will be exactly and immediately as totalitarian as our institutions allow him to be at any given moment. It's why he refers to people he hates as subhuman, it's why he constantly and openly admires dictators in other countries, and it's why he flies into public rages every time he doesn't get exactly what he wants exactly when he wants it.
So I'm sorry, but "he'd love to be a fascist but he can't figure out how" is hardly a persuasive argument against using that terminology to refer to him and his regime.
I think Trump probably wants to be outright totalitarian but it is somewhat like you said, he is not allowed to fully go down that path. Outright totalitarianism meets with too much resistance; the chances they will topple is very high.
A more covert totalitarianism has shown better results. Someone with Trump's ego obviously struggles to play by those rules. Unfortunately for him, he will have to.
There is something called the totalitarian tiptoe. This is the gradual removal of freedoms until we reach totalitarianism. It is done slowly so we do not notice it and therefore will be less resistant. Trump most likely does not have that kind of patience. This should be very obvious but so many people believe he has the public's' best interests at heart. Would a totalitarian sprint actual work with someone like Trump?
More people need to wake up and wake up fast. @honeybee your posts make for good alarm clocks. I just wish more people would heed your wisdom and hear that ringing.
It's funny anyone would fear Trump and authoritarianism, is Trump calling for an end to free speech or is it progressives?
Can you be a progressive and believe in free speech?
It seems like anyone who gets into office is trying to limit free speech. Some just do it more covertly.
The NYT article I linked below the other reply is terrifying in its overtness.
"Foggy metaphors, sloppy images, unfocused poetry, and equivocations — such as “A hungry man is not free” — do not alter the fact that only political power is the power of physical coercion."
Ayn Rand
Whenever I hear a few people complain about Trump, I always wonder where such complaints are coming from; Because it seems majority of Americans are happy with him. Most Americans believe that among the presidents that had ruled the US in the last 20years, Trump is the best. So I always get surprised whenever I hear people accuse Trump of behavior that is generally offensive. Or is it that the majority of Americans no longer find such behavior offensive anymore because it's coming from Trump? I'm not in US and I've never been there but I do follow their news alot. I
Based on what?
Based on performance. Majority of them think that the Obama eight years was a waste. I know nobody would want to talk about the bush's eight years either. Most whites believe Trump is truly fighting for them and making America great.
Can you cite any specific policy/action that may contribute to the performance claim.
It's possible to believe the wrong thing in absence of any hope , a lot of people are hurting all over america.
Really? His recent meeting with the president of North Korea and renegotiating the Iran deal initiated by the Obama administration were praised by most Americans. If things are that bad, most Americans would really be voicing their displeasure at his government. Or is the US no longer operating a democratic system of government?
To the specific points you raised.
Obama administration had a really good deal with Iran with loads of checks built in for USA and international community to keep checking Iran on their promises. USA may have left but rest of the world is still abiding by that deal. It was a good deal with a bad actor to slow down their nuclear progress.There was no good reason for reneging an established deal except the fascination to undo what Obama had done.
There is no renegotiation going on with Iran - prove me wrong show me evidence.
Credit should be given to DJT for taking a positive step towards NK. But it is after all , a positive step , if something/anything concrete comes out of it DJT should be given all due credit for such a deal.
The cynic in me tells me that the whole NK showdown was more for PR purposes but I would be glad to be proven wrong on this one.
Critiquing a leader's performance would be the hallmark of a democratic system of government.
The day Trump reneged on the Iran deal, so many Americans were congratulating him and calling Obama an anti US president. I'm not a US citizen, neither am I in the US. Just speaking from what I heard in the news or read online. Trump may have goofed in some areas but he's still most Americans' hero. You'll know how much Trump is loved by even those that seem to be complaining now, after he has won his second tenure election
yup, Trump has like a 90% approval rating among Republicans
Who is hurting? Black, Hispanic and youth unemployment rates are at record lows.
Americans are hurting , all races included.
And no , DJT didn't just create this problem , it's been around for a while, Obama certainly did not do enough with his wall street bailout and main streets cash outs.
Fifty-seven percent of Americans don’t have enough cash to cover a $500 unexpected expense
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-americans-cant-afford-a-500-emergency-expense/
Uh huh, read the rest of that survey, the part where they are not really worried about it. They are not really worried about it because the economy is doing great and jobs are plentiful. Paul Krugman and the NYT said that the economy was going to instantly implode if Trump was elected. Obama said we would never again see 3% GDP. But instead the economy is doing awesome, we are on the verge of ending our longest running war (and the media said the rocket man thing would cause ww3 remember?) and peace in the middle east is on the horizon. The supreme court is correcting its historic errors on free speech protections and with Trump's next appointment our gun and speech rights will be safe for another generation. Trump has even pledged to sign a bipartisan bill to end cannabis prohibition on the federal level. Its a fantastic time to be an American, what is there to hurt about?
We have to be able decouple the the sentiment of "not really worried" from the reality of "not having 500$ in account".
Amen to ending the wars and growing economy , wish everyone the best but reserve the right to verify with evidence.
A lot of black people feel the same way.
The complaints are coming from an angry minority, an angry minority that controls our media, who thought they should have won the election but didn't and now they are losing their minds.
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Let me ask you, are you in favor of or opposed to the first amendment right of free speech?