Good morning,
TRUMP’S AUTHORITARIANISM
I mentioned last week that Trump is an authoritarian. A conservative friend called me to task, replying with:
“What’s your definition of Authoritarianism? Seems to me someone who lower taxes and reduces the size of government is a liberator from tyranny. If you are truly concerned about Authoritarianism, maybe should take a hard look at the polices of the Democratic Party. Upon doing so you might be enlightened to best understand why so many people continue to support Trump not withstanding all of his shortcomings.”
DEFINITION
Let’s dissect my friend’s comments, beginning with the definition that he asked for. Here’s one from Oxford Languages:
“1. the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom. "he warned against the intrusion of authoritarianism in various countries.”
2. lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others. "in his authoritarianism he has displayed disrespect for the culture he works in"
That’s a fair definition. I can’t see how one cannot put Mr. Trump and his cronies in this bucket. Especially with the “unitary executive” theory, where essentially all executive branch employees are deemed political appointments (no civil servants for us!), Mr. Trump’s attempts to bring the Justice Department to heel, his insistence on personal loyalty, and his determination that the executive has extraordinarily broad powers, not to be questioned seem pretty clearly to fall within this definition.
Here are the four qualities political scientist Juan Linz notes in An Authoritarian Regime: Spain:
“1. Limited political pluralism, which is achieved with constraints on the legislature, political parties, and interest groups. .
2. Political legitimacy is based on appeals to emotion and identification of the regime as a necessary evil to combat "easily recognizable societal problems, such as underdevelopment or insurgency.”
3. Minimal political mobilization, and suppression of anti-regime activities.
4. Ill-defined executive powers, often vague and shifting, used to extend the power of the executive.”
Again, Mr. Trump’s predisposition pretty clearly is in the authoritarian camp, including
His desire to minimize the authority of the legislature and government experts (“the deep state”?)
The obsession with identification politics, polarizing “us and them” with the MAGA regime targeting immigrants who are taking away jobs
The suppression of anti-regime activities (remember when he cleared out protestors, holding a bible in his hand or when he encouraged his people to “be wild” at the Capitol?)
His desire to restrict and/or manipulate election access and legitimacy
His view that the Justice Department should do the president’s bidding, including going after his political adversaries
His coddling of other authoritarians around the world (e.g., Orban, Putin), several of whom he characterizes as “geniuses”
His attempt to force an ally to do his political bidding as a quid pro quo for funding already authorized by Congress
His favoring a gross expansion of executive authority (including his last-minute effort to make more civil service positions into political appointments).
And let’s not even get to his broad view of what the president can do, including “thinking away” the classification of secret documents.
WHAT IT’S NOT
My friend thinks that he who lowers taxes and reduces the size of government is a liberator from tyranny. While I’m not going to defend the restrictions on free speech, book banning, and the cancelation regime of the far left (although note much of the same from the right), I hardly think raising taxes means, by definition one is tyrannical. By that definition, most Western democracies would fall under my friend’s definition of tyranny. I think this definition would be a surprise to them.
But while we’re on the subject of shrinking government and one’s concerns with tyranny, I suppose we should really be concerned with the continuing increase in size of our military. As to non-military matters, it takes a lot of people to run the IRS, EPA, diplomatic services, air traffic, highways, social benefits programs, social security and medicare, while keeping us safe from enemies, foreign and domestic, etc., etc., etc. It is not tyrannical to keep our air and water clean, our poor housed and fed, and our country safe. It is good government.
As to the “shortcomings” of Mr. Trump that our correspondent cites as worth being overlooked to avoid the impending “tyranny,” I think his dangers to America fall well beyond mere “shortcomings.”
IN THE WORDS OF THE GREAT INIGO MONTOYA
I think this matter best can be viewed from the perspective of Inigo Montoya, hero in the book and movie The Princess Bride: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Sadly, my friend has no idea what the word means or what authoritarianism is. Let’s hope we don’t find out.
We are from different planets,
Glenn
It's almost inconceivable!
Thank you!