Robert Kagan has pointedly captured the current crisis in American Politics in his recent op-ed “Our constitutional crisis is already here.” He argues that our entire constitutional system could break down in the next few years. I recommend his essay wholeheartedly, and any intelligent well-informed thinker will recognize its truth.
Kagan is an American neoconservative[1][2] a co-founder of the neoconservative Project for the New American Century,[4][5][6] a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[7] He has degrees from Yale, Harvard, and a PhD in American history from American University in Washington, D.C.
For another chilling look at our dire situation, I suggest looking at “Trumpists Don’t Need Rallies Anymore,” an interview with Jason Stanley, a professor of philosophy at Yale and author of How Fascism Works, a book that interrogates the strategies deployed by fascist regimes throughout history.
Finally, the New York Times Editorial board outlines similar concerns in “Jan. 6 Was Worse Than It Looked.”
I do hope Kagan, Stanley, and the members of the New York Times Editorial board are wrong but I’m nearly certain they are right. Fascism is likely coming to American as I have been warning about for many years on this blog. Below are a sampling of posts expressing my concerns:
The Washington Post: “…The case against Trump’s dangerous authoritarianism …”
I seldom agree with anything Robert Kagan supports, but in this case, I’m in total agreement with him and the others. I’ve been aware of the percentage of authoritarian elements in the republican party since Wm. Manchester observed this back in the 70’s. Who does not think that Trump would have loved to have been coronated, have his daughter declared a Princess and sons Princes; to have granted titles and pardons to his friends and imprisoned his enemies? Yes, we do stand a good chance of coming civil disturbance in my opinion. The plan is always the same: loose chaos and promise order. And the remedy is likewise familiar, to paraphrase F. Scott Fitsgerald, “They make a mess and leave it up to others to clean up.”
We have three years until the general election, we have to be extra careful in the coming thirty six months.
We were lucky (whatever ‘luck’ is) with Biden-Harris, we might not do as well in 2024—unless we practice due diligence to the very maximum.
Even a cat only has nine lives.
Don’t want to think about next year’s midterms; however the election of ‘24 will be not merely an election dealing with authoritarianism/fascism, it will be an election to attempt to forestall burgeoning existential threats.
For starters we have to admit that America is not actually a civilized nation. Jingoists say the US is civilized, our opponents are not. But in reality we are less barbaric than our opponents. Not the same thing.
Mister Robert Kagan personifies determination, surely everybody doesn’t like him.
I don’t think I like him myself, but I do admire his indefatigable tenacity in the fight for his cause. I wouldn’t bet any money against his getting what he wants whatever that might be!
Hanna Arent’s predictions for the future, published in 1924 has arrived, propaganda is delivered to the Masses from multiple outlets 24/7, and as she mentions “No matter how absurd the message” The mass has no mind, so what ever is told to them there are always some who will believe it!
The tools of Propaganda and the sophistication of Psychological evaluation has led, I believe, to the phenomena of ‘selected’ individuals being kept in their woken trance through messages of reinforcement received through their phones, is this forerunner to Authoritarianism, or has Authoritarianism already arrived? Perhaps it is the segue to trans-humanism!
Mr. Kagan’s essay is certainly alarming; it presents points that had not occurred to me. He does leave out one important point: the likelihood that Mr. Trump will be indicted for a variety of crimes. There are a number of investigations underway, and from what we know, some of them are very likely to bear fruit. Mr. Trump will of course use every delaying tactic he can to avoid a trial before the election, and he is likely to be successful in his efforts. However, the continuing series of losses he will suffer in these efforts will scare away many of the independents. Less than 30% of the voters in this country are registered Republicans; Democrats have a somewhat larger portion, but the big group is the Independents, few of whom are Trump-zombies. They, I think, will be the decisive factor saving this country from totalitarianism.
Just call me Pollyanna.
You can indict a ham sandwich, the old jest goes, convicting it is much harder. However even if Trump is elected again, he can be outmaneuvered again, as he was by Pelosi for years.
Or if such fails, a general strike might keep Trump at bay for awhile. Yet if Kagan is correct in this article, and it appears that he is, Pelosi and general strike might not be enough. Violence is out, civil disturbance is exactly what Trump welcomes, so he can justify his agenda.
What would then be needed is full-scale civil disobedience—if necessary, as a last resort, we could leave America until Trump is gone. And if Trump won’t go? Then I’d guess there’d have to be mini-civil war to get rid of him. A four week civil war would be preferable to four years of Jefferson Davis Trump.