Historically there has emerged a serious and fatal flaw in human nature. It is the authoritarian personality. There are authoritarian leaders and authoritarian followers. We’ve seen them in neighborhood bullies and their toadies, in petty street gangsters, in Hitler and his loyal Nazis, in assorted tinpot dictators, and in Trump, with his cult of deluded, deranged, and enraged insurrectionist dupes and thugs. They form organized crime cartels, even within governments as Trump’s Russian patron and ally Putin has done to become perhaps the richest person in the world.
We’ve seen authoritarians deny and attempt to overturn elections, demonize minorities, start wars, torture prisoners, and kill innocents. We’ve seen authoritarian racists burn crosses, shoot Jews in their synagogue, kill Unitarians in their church, slaughter gays in a nightclub, and massacre Mexicans at shopping centers. We’ve seen authoritarian cops murder non-violent crime suspects.
They are more emboldened by Trumpism and don’t even bother to hide their true nature anymore. As Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time”.
They are showing us who they are again in their plan for purging the government of anyone not loyal to Trump. Project 2025 is their roadmap to autocracy.
Former
Nixon White House counsel John Dean has written two books on authoritarians;
“Conservatives Without Conscience”, a study of the Bush/Cheney Administration
and “Authoritarian Nightmare: The Ongoing Threat of Trump’s Followers”,
co-written by Bob Altemeyer.
They warn us that a quarter to a third of any population, including Americans, would reject the values of equality and democracy, and welcome autocracy and a dictator. (Supporting an authoritarian criminal who claims to be above the law with immunity from prosecution, and who admitted he will be a dictator on day one makes this clear.)
These authoritarian leaders and followers stand athwart democracy and freedom, of the evolution of human intelligence, conscience and compassion, and ultimately the survival of our species.
Now
we have a lone American Democratic Party facing the combined forces of a
powerful and evil Axis of Authoritarians. Trump's base of greedy Republican
billionaires, white Christian nationalists, and the usual nitwits, racists and
bigots are politically allied with the corporate greed and corrupting influence
of Wall Street, and now ominously Putin's Russia. Trump is Putin’s main man in
America. Russia eagerly interfered in the 2016 election, even before Trump
welcomed them with, “Russia, if you’re listening…”
Both Mueller’s report and a Republican-chaired bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed Russian interference on behalf of Trump. And they still are interfering for Putin’s Puppet and Party. This is their key to destabilizing, dividing, and weakening America. Trump and his party are virtual Kremlin agents, spreading disinformation and hate.
Newsweek reports, “Russian state media called out former President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying that he is looked at as "the destroyer of America" amid discussions of the 2024 presidential election... In the footage shared by Julia Davis, founder of the Russian Media Monitor group, Sidorov declared: "I am for Trump, I always was for Trump." The GOP frontrunner is "the destroyer," he added, and the U.S. would "fall apart" if Trump is re-elected in 2024. If he gets elected, everything we said about civil war will be on their agenda, in reality. If one of the Democrats gets elected, this beat will go on," Sidorov said. "Trump can really get it to the point that our geopolitical adversary will fall apart—without any missiles."
Mike Turner, the Republican chairperson of the US House intelligence committee, told CNN’s State of the Union show some of his fellow Republicans, “It is absolutely true we see, directly coming from Russia, attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor”.
Republican Michael McCaul, chairman of the House foreign affairs committee said, “Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base”.
According to sworn testimony by insurrectionist Rudy Giuliani's former friend Lev Parnas, the Republican authoritarians behind the Biden impeachment travesty are regurgitating Russian propaganda, "From shortly after my arrest on October 9, 2019, to now, I have been trying to share the irrefutable truth with you: The American people have been lied to by Trump, Giuliani, & various cohorts of individuals in government and media positions. They created falsehoods to serve their own interests… . The only information ever pushed on the Bidens in Ukraine has come from one source and one source only: Russia and Russian agents. The impeachment proceedings that bring us here now are predicated on false information spread by the Kremlin. Congressman Pete Sessions, then Congressman Devin Nunes, Senator Ron Johnson and many others understood they were pushing a false narrative. The same goes for John Solomon, Sean Hannity and media personnel, particularly at Fox News. My original indictment linked me to an individual referred to as unindicted coconspirator . We know now this individual to be Congressman Pete Sessions who sits on this very committee.”
Putin is winning his psychological propaganda war on America. He is now totally allied with the Party of Trump.
And all we have to defend what remains of a democratic republic are the Democratic Party and a flawed anti-democratic Constitution that is rigged for minority rule.
The authoritarian minority can defeat the majority's will in an undemocratic Senate, an undemocratic gerrymandered House, an undemocratic Electoral College, and the Supreme Court stacked by a minority empowered president and Senate. Both Trump and Bush Jr. lost the popular vote and won the White House, and thanks to a Senate installed and controlled by a minority they built a six to three majority in the Supreme Court. This is not in any way the will of the people or by consent of the governed. The idealistic latter phrase is in the Declaration of Independence but is absent in our foundation of law in the Constitution.
As Ben Franklin said, we have a republic, “if we can keep it”. Maybe he saw the inherent flaws that could undermine a democratic republic, that the Constitution was originally set up to give an advantage to wealthy, land-owning white men over minorities, women, the poor and working class.
It was designed to be amended, but we likely won't see any more pro-democracy amendments. The authoritarian Right minority has it essentially locked up. And why not? The antiquated Constitution is truly rigged in their favor. If our democracy falls into a white nationalist autocracy, this will be the reason.
And
they will have it, if the rest of us don't vote in every election as a
clear and overwhelming majority to stop them. This is where we must unite and
take our stand against the darkness of authoritarian minority rule.
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11 comments:
I am not sure there actually exists that "thing" called human nature. Why you might ask. Well, it's because nothing is concrete or permanent, everything in in a state of continual change, and each individual possess an individual personality. So, how to define "human nature?"
Perhaps human nature, if there is such a thing, is compassion, love, empathy etc. Because these are traits that everyone has, and at some point everybody expresses these traits freely. We would probably see a lot more on a regular basis were it not for the human ego. As well as the extreme materialism and consumerism that is so pervasive in our western culture.That, and unbridled (purely selfish) self interest and disdain for the other.
Authoritarianism exists because insecure people, who are fearful of change and resist it, need to continually feel that somebody they trust is in firm control and standing in the way of the change they fear.
Desire for, and attachment to the known and things desired, as well as aversion to things not wanted causes much, if not most of our suffering.
Aceepting all natural phenomena as they are, and letting go of the rest, is the first step to calmness, serenity, and peace. Perhaps one day all will realize this. But i won't suggest holding your breath. It may take ignorant humans many more eons before "we finally get it."
Nature, as i understand it as related to "human", is meant to mean our primordial nature.
Much of the examples you cite, while true, i consider primarily our conditioned reponses to our mytiad conditioning. IOW's we work very hard not to recognize our own primordial nature.
Gotta love the irony Commie Russia defeating America by using a greedy capitalist pig. I am wondering who Trump's replacement will be.
JoeBama,
Yeah, once Putin learned how much Republicans hate democracy and love a dictator, he had his useful idiots ready, willing and able to tear our country apart FOR him. If we don't stop them, history will show that Putin having the entire Trump cult in his pocket and spreading his propaganda will be the tipping point in the fall of our Republic.
The Republican instigated chaos and uncertainty will provide the next "populist" tyrant even more fertile ground for growing the coming Great American Dictatorship. Only then will America be "great again" under their autocracy.
Authoritarian minority rule is exactly their idea of making America great again.
Yeah. Trump's last act will be to have his body preserved and displayed where school children are forced to walk by it with their heads bowed in reverence. The winners write the history.
JoeBama,
Or Trump would have his red-hatted head attached to a fit and muscular body of another person, draped in a flag.
Precisely as old Nikita K. of the old USSR prophesied back in the 60's. It has taken only 60+ years for republicans to answer the call. So i guess it is true then. trump should and will be considered the savior who brought authoritarianism to America while reinforcing bigotry and xenophobia.
When i see McConnell ot Johnson.on TV these days i watch there faces slowly morph into Putin's.
America may very well be blindly and willingly sliding into the oppression of an ignorant self serving minority with all the power.
Les.
Republicans have aligned themselves with Putin. They regurgitate his propaganda. And they HATE America's weakened pseudo democracy that's already rigged for minority rule. They HATE compromise and want a dictatorship.
The tragedy is enough Americans are duped and ignorant enough to allow this.
This brings up two more questions they don't want to answer.
Do you know Putin wants Trump to win?
Do you think Putin wants what's best for America?
China is loving it also.
JoeBama,
Yes, indeed. Every authoritarian regime desires the collapse of American democracy and influence.
So there we have it. Democrats and democracy are actively opposed by a new Axis of Evil, including MAGA/Putin Republicans, Russia, North Korea and China. All of whom Trump praised.
I wouldn't bet much on our Republic staying intact. It's already near demolished by domestic enemies.
This doesn't mean we give up. That's exactly what they want.
And Iran, had we handled b>the Ayatollah correctly when he first approached the USA for help, the situation in the Middle East surely would be much different today. And most likely much better. But no, we had to support a despotic Shah who enriched himself at the expense of his people simply to INSURE cheap oil for Americans and guarantee large profits for greedy oil companies.
But as a result Iran is in Putin's and China's orbit. Again, ignorance on the part of the USA. Call it cause and effect. Or karma. But the path of the USA post WW II is why we are where we're at today in SO many ways. And yet... the beat goes on.
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