I've been very hesitant to label Trump like Hitler. Hitler was Hitler and I've repeatedly said to label any current politician as Hitler is misguided. You not only grossly overreach at condemning a politician you don't like, but every time you label someone you disagree with politically as Hitler, it diminishes the true horrific record of Hitler and the Nazis.
I have said guys like Trump and Iowa white supremacist loving Representative Steve King are not Nazis, but they sure like to cosplay Hitler and the Nazis at times, and the continued repetition of extremism of Trump lately is undeniable. His term has morphed, from the beginning where witless and foolish Republicans thought they could corral Trump, to where we are now, a purging of all moderate voices from the Administration to be replaced by yes men who don't care about the legality of what Trump wants. They'll beg for forgiveness after the fact as opposed to ask for permission beforehand.
I guess what I'm saying is if Trump and others are only cosplaying an evil dictator, shouldn't they take off the evil dictator costume occasionally?
This country has NEVER gone this far to the extreme right, where we're only a handful of Republican Congressmen away from changing American Democracy forever. We've had Presidents who have taken us to extremes (Adams, Jackson, Harding, and a Cheney led W. Bush) but we've always had Congress and the Supreme Court there to prevent the country from breaking. Now, a stacked Trump lap dog Republican government and a compromised Judiciary are working in turn with Trump. We're bending America Democracy, and cracks and splinters are starting to expose themselves.
So, for the sake of argument, let me break down how extreme we've gotten, why everyone should be scared of the potential of American Democracy falling, and why at the end of the day, even though things could get ugly, American Democracy should still win out in the Age of Trump.
When I've said Trump isn't Hitler, that was because Trump hadn't taken steps down the Hitler path, but that's no longer true. Has Trump vilified a religion? Absolutely, much like Hitler vilified the Jews. His intolerance of Muslims even steals direct lines from the Nazis who persecuted the Jewish people. Has Trump started locking people up for ethnic reasons? Absolutely, as not only has Trump rounded up brown skinned immigrants who might be here illegally, or might have come to the border seeking sanctuary, but he has also undeniably locked up numerous American citizens just because of the color of their skin and the ethnicity of their names. Has Trump labeled his political enemies as traitors and villains? Absolutely, leading red meat crazed fans into chants of violence against them. Has Trump validated racist extremism by insisting they are just misunderstood? Absolutely, as he has stated there are good Nazis and KKK members.
When you start to take inventory, you're seeing the tell tale signs of an evil despot personality. The unfortunate part is you have Republicans in Congress enabling him. If a four year old wanted to drive the car, sane people would say no. The current Trump Republicans would scream the four year old is the best driver ever, hand the kid the keys, and get him a book to sit on so he could see over the steering wheel.
There are definitive reasons we all should be scared of where Trump is going today.
First, his followers are blinded to anything this guy does. They look at Trump and see a Jesus Christ/Chris Hemsworth/Lincoln hybrid. At first I thought I was just misreading them, but I've come to realize I'm not. These people are brainwashed, willing to sacrifice their own well being, their religion and their futures on continuing to follow a mirage in the desert. Trump's emboldened because 30% of this country is intentionally ignoring all the bad things he does, mainly because they're terrified of being proven wrong by the Democrats. Intentional blind faith in political leaders NEVER leads to a good outcome.
Which brings me to another scary reality, the number of his followers who would gladly start shooting at Democrats tomorrow if Trump requested it. I'd say at least 2 million people in America would gladly grab their NRA inspired manhoods and head out the door looking for enemies to take out for Trump. I say this with trepidation as I know I'd be public enemy number one for more than a few of these kooks. By validating the extremist (and usually racist) militia types, allowing them to move off their compounds and into small town and suburban America, Trump has cultivated a loyal following of absolute crazies ready to fight.
But the scariest element of Trump today is Stephen Miller. Trump henchman Stephen Miller has all the characteristics of a classic dictator lackey. He knows he could never attain power and success on his own, so he plays Igor to Trump, praising him constantly while installing his agenda at the same time. The reason most of the Republicans who came on board with Trump at the beginning of his term are now long gone is Miller. He can't push this country into a more bigoted regime with voices of reason around. Now that he's purged the Department of Homeland Security, in the process of putting a Nazi-esque anti-brown skinned agenda in place, one which will make baby prisons seem quaint, we're getting a good view of how a stable democracy can shockingly morph into a fascist state. It's not just the dictator; it's also the inner circle around them, each megalomaniac with their own visions of hate. The similarities between Miller and people like Göring, Goebbels, and Himmler are undeniable at this point. Trump has surrounded himself with a cadre of really sick people with agendas (Bannon, Pirro, Dobbs and others), all eager to rule from Trump's shadow.
Everybody scared? Okay, there are some things going on in America which should be cause for great alarm, but Democracy isn't dead yet. Here are a few reasons Trump's imperialist rise might not be such a slam dunk.
First, the Judicial Branch of government, although extremely compromised, isn't completely lost. Namely, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is not the rubber stamp the right wants him to be. Even though Roberts usually takes the corporation side when it comes to cases in front of the Supreme Court, he usually is not on board with rulings which potentially can change the foundation of America. When the Mueller Report and Trump's taxes eventually get to the Supreme Court, don't be surprised if Roberts votes for governmental transparency over party affiliation.
Let's get to brass tacks. If Trump tried to overthrown the current Democracy, likely with most Republicans on board, there are a few HUGE hurdles which would make this extremely tough. Corporate America would not be on board. Most Fortune 500 companies wouldn't tolerate a third of their staff being rounded up and shipped off overnight. They also wouldn't take too kindly to a third of their customer base disappearing overnight. While some smaller corporations might be on board (I imagine My Pillow would be all for a fascist overthrow of Democracy), the bankrollers for the Republicans for the most part would be against changing the current system too drastically.
You'd need the armed forces on your side, and I can not see that happening. Most military leaders wouldn't be for rounding up, imprisoning, and executing American citizens. Regardless of a few white supremacists in the ranks, most soldiers (regardless of branch of the military) wouldn't turn their guns on their fellow countrymen. My guess would be, if Trump ordered the US Military to start rounding up Democrats, the military would look at Trump and give him the ultimatum of stepping down or being forced out.
Not only would you need the military on board, you'd need a massive amount of law enforcement on board too. The state patrols, the county sheriffs and the local police departments would all have to be in check with Trump and his commands. I have no doubt more law enforcement officials would follow Trump's orders than military people would, but there's still a big difference in expecting the police to (in unison) become a dark police force overnight.
And here's where it get's even more complicated. At least 20 states and the vast majority of major metropolitan communities would not be on board. I know the right loves to look at a map and see Idaho, Wyoming and Montana all red, but they're a tiny fraction of the population of California combined. The majority of people would live in states and cities which would openly defy Trump orders of a crackdown. For every Boise quick to get in line with Trump's commands, there would be three or four Minneapolis', Houston's and Atlanta's pushing back hard.
Is there a scenario where I could see Trump successfully disrupting or usurping government? He might try to assassinate the Democratic nominee right before the election (Very Russian!). If it looks like he's about to lose by a huge margin, he might consider doing it just to avoid being humiliated. And it should be noted that part of Trump and Miller's purging of the Department of Homeland Security is a leadership change at the Secret Service, the organization which would be providing security for any Democratic candidate right before the election. If it were to happen after the election, the US House would (via the Constitution) select the next President, so it would have to happen just prior to the election, leaving the Democrats little time to get a write in campaign in place.
The other scenario is far darker. Realizing Trump and his minions can't trust the armed forces to follow their commands, they hatch a plan where a combination of private for profit militia types (remember, Erik Prince from Blackwater is one of Trump's advisors), and foreign covert military operatives from Russia, Israel and/or Saudi Arabia would take out a targeted list of Democrats and political leaders in a coordinated strike. In the aftermath, Trump's regime goats the military and law enforcement to follow his lead to "help get the country out of this chaotic time." The biggest problem for Trump is all it would take would be one assassin to get caught or killed. The firestorm of a foreign agent being involved, or a soldier for hire being exposed as the shooter, would be too much for Trump to contain.
The scariest part of me writing this is how we're getting to a point to where these discussions don't sound like a political version of the Twilight Zone, or a Marvel Comics 'What If.' The current fall of America is due to one massive character flaw in Trump. He's so desperate for people to love him, he would gladly embrace a forced adoration policy if he needs to.
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