Michael: Trump is not a politician. He is a dangerous authoritarian.

Donald Trump and his allies have begun mapping out specific plans for using the federal government to punish critics and opponents should he win a second term, with the former president naming individuals he wants to investigate or prosecute.

Trump and allies plot revenge, Justice Department control in a second termwww.washingtonpost.com Advisers have also discussed deploying the military to quell potential unrest on Inauguration Day. Critics have called the ideas under consideration dangerous and unconstitutional.

Trump is not a politician. He is a dangerous authoritarian.

counterpoint: many American politicians are also dangerous authoritarians

Who exactly?

Every Republican politician is a fascist. Every single one. The ones who weren’t have left the party by now.

Sorry, thats not my level of discussion.

This is not a counterpoint.

Sure it is. The original statement implies that Trump cannot be both politician and dangerous authoritarian. I contend that not only is he both, but so is every other Republican officeholder or office-seeker.

Authoritarians rule and tyran, they ain‘t doing politics (but might disgusie themselves as politicians, in the sense used here). And still it‘s not a logical counterpoint, others being bad actors too is not an excuse or counter to the criticism the original post made – this is what I meant.

Also I think it might not be helpful to draw those who are left in the GOP who still show aspects of real politics further towards full-out authoritarianism (by over-simplifying). Just an additional thought.

Thanks for your two cents. As someone who has lived in the United States for my entire 46 years, I can assure you that no one who is currently identifying as a Republican is going to be swayed by a milquetoast appeal to their better angels.

Trump came to power the first time by running for office. If he comes to power again, it will be by the same means. Pretending that the United States’s political processes aren’t susceptible to being used to put authoritarians in power does no one any good.

Of course, and I think his help in the 2016 campaign from Cambridge Analytica and Ru. Fed. state agencies should be pointed out a lot more. It‘s not that such players are gone (or not supporting other campaigns and movements they benefit from), but their hybris has increased.

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