Danger Ahead

I am now growing alarmed on a daily basis. And the alarm bells are perhaps more because of American commentary, as by Donald Trump. Something awful has happened in America. It may not be solely an American phenomenon, but it is surely here in America.

We have a classic authoritarian President.  He seems to admire only autocrats, e.g., Vlad the Impaler, Duterte, Kim Jung Un. I don’t know how he feels about Hitler or Mussolini, but . . .

As I best understand it, true authoritarian governments have:

·         Limited Legislatures, because the leadership does not consult with its legislature, and because the leaders have no use for a consultation model.

·         Limited Press Freedoms, because a “free press” might question the decisions made by the leadership, and questions of that sort are not permitted.

·         Political parties are either limited to the Leader’s party, or are so limited that one is left with essentially one party.

·         Elections typically are not open and free, as the Leaders essentially brook no competition.

So, we are not yet at the classic authoritarian government model.  But we are close to a true authoritarian leader. That is, Trump routinely decries the opposing party and seems to want it outlawed. He labels the press “Fake News”, except for the press he controls, i.e., Fox News.  And he clearly wants voting to be limited to the folks who support him. I now believe that if the election of 2020 is held and Trump loses, he will not yield his office, and he will inflame his followers to a point of potential violence. I can well imagine Trump labeling the election as fraudulent, and insisting that he remain in office.

What is dismaying here is the utter lack of control being exercised by his party. It is mind shattering to see people like Mitch McConnell simply agreeing with everything Trump wishes to do.  And it is practically Headline News when any republican disagrees with him publically.  And, if he continues getting his way with judicial appointments, he will soon control the theoretically independent third branch of government.  Ruth Bader Ginsberg cannot live forever, and President Stupidhead clearly intends to control the Supremes.

Now, we can lay much blame at the feet of the man who is our president. But, he could not act independently, as he has been doing, and he clearly could not ignore all rules regarding the separation between his official position and his private interests, were it not for the full complicity of the Republican Party.  Further, he would have difficulty exercising his chosen governing style were it not for the continued support of a very large number of the voters in America.  And therein lies the danger for our nation.  Because, his supporters seem not like ordinary voters who happen to really like their president.  No, they seem more like members of a cult—ISIS springs to mind. I find it way beyond dismaying that his followers seem not to understand the fundamental character of this man they seem to adore.  Many continue to assert that he is “the best president we have ever had”. And I practically want to throw up at this assertion. How could they seriously state those words? The best?? Really, you’re sure you don’t mean “the worst” and you are just confusing those words?

Because his flaws, his constant lies, his continued imbecilic tweeting and speechifying are so obviously signs of subhuman intellect that it seems impossible to misunderstand. So, something else is going on, something I do not understand at all about the Americans who support him.  I mean, how could women, any women, support him? He is so obviously a misogynist, who is willing routinely to denigrate and abuse women that I do not understand why women do not uniformly despise him.  Similarly with people of color or other cultures. He speaks of “shithole” countries, meaning all of Africa. He refers to Mexicans and other Latins, as “murderers, rapists, and gang figures”.  He seems so clearly a white supremacist/racist that I fail to understand how anyone not similarly white like him could possibly support him.

And then there is his basic lack of intelligence.  He seems to possess the intelligence of an inadequate 4^th grader.  He or, more likely his father, obviously did something to fake a college education, and he seems so inadequate that I now believe that somehow they faked his elementary and secondary school experience. Did they pay someone to sit in for him??  Oddly, rather than simply remaining quiet about his education, he invented and broadcast large lies—like being at the head of his class, something easily checked. And that is characteristic of Trump. He invents and broadcasts lies that can be easily checked. Why would he do that, unless he is both so stupid and so arrogant that he believes nobody will ever question him?  He is clearly a pathological liar, but his limited intellect inhibits his ability to understand how terminally foolish he looks to anyone even remotely paying attention.

And yet, and yet, his supporters continue to support him and even seem to idolize him. And therein lies the danger to our nation. He has energized people and told them that violence in support of him is entirely ok. “Lock her up” was just one small step away from “and then kill her”. He laughed at the thought that he could take a gun, go out on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, shoot someone, and his poll numbers would increase.  And the awful thought here is that he is likely correct. His followers love his violent rhetoric, and, my guess is that most of them are heavily armed.  He clearly has the full support of the NRA, our domestic terrorist organization, and the NRA sees to it that most crazy people in America are heavily armed.

So, the question in my mind about all this is, on whose side is the 101^st Airborne? Will the Marines support him, or us? How about the Air Force and all their hardware? Whose side are they on?  And all you generals out there, whose side are you on . . . this crazy man currently our president, or the American people?

So, if we hold an election, will it trigger an actual Civil War? The last one almost destroyed our nation. This one could be the last thing we all remember before being destroyed.  Are there, finally, any thinking, humane adults left in positions of authority who will protect us from this manic creature now intent on destroying our country?  Anyone out there? Hello . . .???