Trump has also targeted law firms who have filed lawsuits he opposes, while the Federal Communications Commission, led by a Trump appointee, is investigating every major broadcast network except Fox, which owns the pro-Trump Fox News channel. Trump has personally sued news channels over critical coverage and fired the government’s top labour statistician because she published jobs data that he didn’t like.
He has threatened Democrats with prosecution, and demanded that former president Barack Obama be investigated for treason. Trump has done all this as his family has ostensibly earned millions of dollars from his presidency.
None of these things are typical for a democratic leader. So … is Trump a dictator?
“Yes, of course,” said Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor of sociology at Princeton University who spent years researching autocracies including Hungary and Russia. Scheppele said she had been wavering on using the term “dictatorship” until recently, but said: “If I was hesitating before, it’s this mobilization of the national guard and the indication that he plans to overtake resistance by force that now means we’re in it.”
He’ll keep tippy toeing towards it while everyone just lets him … then he’ll get right up the edge of becoming one and then die an old senile man
Then his replacement, whoever it will be … will be the Dictator
I’m not worried about Cheeto Mussolini … I’m worried about who will come next
Nice job America … we could always count you guys to be idiots.
Yeah he’s the Julius. I fear Augustus.
Can we fast forward to Nero and just put the empire out of its misery? Let the Eastern Empire be founded and grow.
We’re getting the circuses but they’re not giving us any bread
I don’t think Vance (or anyone really) can maintain the cult of personality required.
Once the military control and election suppression are in place, you don’t need the “charisma” anymore.
I just hope, when he dies, it breaks the spell he appears to have on people and they recognize the tyranny that they’ve been championing for what it is.
Not going to hold my breath.
It won’t change anything because immigrants are still here and women still have jobs. The new GOP is all about putting us back in the 30’s. They will continue to be angry and support any leader who hates the people they hate.
Yeah, I think that will be the case for most of them probably. But I’m hoping there’s a number of them that were (for reasons that will forever be beyond my comprehension) drawn in by Trump’s behavior and manner of speaking, that will either snap out of it, or just stop paying attention to politics or voting altogether.
You still need a strongman. Vance isn’t it.
Bashar al-Assad didn’t seem like a dictator to start with.
wtf are you talking about? He’s speed running his destruction of all checks and balances, blatantly expanding presidential powers to do things that were previously unthinkable. There is no tiptoeing to be seen, only large strides with little meaningful pushback.
I’m not worried about whoever takes over next, as the Republican party has been systematically purged of strong leadership by Trump. Maybe some extra slimy Democrat or Republican several years later will be able to capitalize on the damaged system better than Trump has, but immediately after he’s gone the GOP is fucked. Against a demoralized base and an energized opposition, someone like Vance will not be able to maintain power.
I really think many people underestimate Trump because recognizing his competence goes against some inherent beliefs they have about intelligence. They don’t want to believe that such an uncultured buffoon actually had the best political instincts out of anyone in Washington for the past decade. It’s easier to believe he’s a puppet who succeeded because of better men than to recognize what his actual political merits are. He deserves to stand next to Hitler or Mao as a person who, despite being an idiot in many respects, had exceptional political talents that allowed them to be a powerful dictator.
America - Can’t be bothered. We got beer, burgers, sports, oh and Faux news.