A Post For Trump Supporters And Those Thinking of Voting For Him

[VideoGamer]

I think this is an article that every Trump supporter and those thinking of voting for Trump should read. The fantasy of a strongman or the false notion that any strongman will be "your strongman."

The Strongman Fantasy

And Dictatorship in Real Life

snyder.substack.com

Quite a few Americans like the idea of strongman rule. Why not a dictator who will get things done?

I lived in eastern Europe when memories of communism were fresh. I have visited regions in Ukraine where Russia imposed its occupation regime. I have spent decades reading testimonies of people who lived under Nazi or Stalinist rule. I have seen death pits, some old, some freshly dug. And I have friends who have lived under authoritarian regimes, including political prisoners and survivors of torture. Some of the people I trusted most have been assassinated.

So I think that there is an answer to this question.

Strongman rule is a fantasy. Essential to it is the idea that a strongman will be your strongman. He won't. In a democracy, elected representatives listen to constituents. We take this for granted, and imagine that a dictator would owe us something. But the vote you cast for him affirms your irrelevance. The whole point is that the strongman owes us nothing. We get abused and we get used to it.

Another pleasant illusion is that the strongman will unite the nation. But an aspiring dictator will always claim that some belong and others don't. He will define one group after another as the enemy. This might feel good, so long as you feel that you are on the right side of the line. But now fear is the essence of life. The politics of us-and-them, once begun, never ends.

We dream that a strongman will let us focus on America. But dictatorship opens our country to the worst the world has to offer. An American strongman will measure himself by the wealth and power of other dictators. He will befriend them and compete with them. From them he will learn new ways to oppress and to exploit his own people.

At least, the fantasy goes, the strongman will get things done. But dictatorial power today is not about achieving anything positive. It is about preventing anyone else from achieving anything. The strongman is really the weak man: his secret is that he makes everyone else weaker.

Unaccountable to the law and to voters, the dictator has no reason to consider anything beyond his own personal interests. In the twenty-first century, those are simple: dying in bed as a billionaire. To enrich himself and to stay out of prison, the strongman dismantles the justice system and replaces civil servants with loyalists.

The new bureaucrats will have no sense of accountability. Basic government functions will break down. Citizens who want access will learn to pay bribes. Bureaucrats in office thanks to patronage will be corrupt, and citizens will be desperate. Quickly the corruption becomes normal, even unquestioned.

As the fantasy of strongman rule fades into everyday dictatorship, people realize that they need things like water or schools or Social Security checks. Insofar as such goods are available under a dictatorship, they come with a moral as well as a financial price. When you go to a government office, you will be expected to declare your personal loyalty to the strongman.

 

[Queen Margo]

Sometimes it is just best to play video games

 

[BitterPill]

Sometimes it is just best to play video games

It's always better to play video games, but some of us have more pressing work like posting here or, especially, on Truth Social.

Keep the faith!

MAGA.

 

[EdwinWillers]

Sometimes it is just best to play video games

Video games are an excellent vehicle for keeping some people's minds agile and edumacated, open and responsive to proper stimulating input.

 

[EdwinWillers]

I think this is an article that every Trump supporter and those thinking of voting for Trump should read. The fantasy of a strongman or the false notion that any strongman will be "your strongman."

Yeah, because "smart" people prefer reality:

 

[Loulit01]

It's not an article: It's an opinion piece, an essay. They're a dime a dozen.

Article vs Essay: Unraveling Commonly Confused Terms

Welcome to our article vs essay comparison. If you're a student or a writer, you may have come across these two terms and wondered what the difference was. In

thecontentauthority.com

 

[eman623]

Wow. I read all 872,436 "Trump = dictator" threads here on DP, but this one has really opened my eyes. I see it all so clearly now.

Never mind that Trump was not a dictator in his first term, or that he couldn't become a dictator now even if he wanted. Forget all that. Trump equals dictator. Because Strongman. So simple.

I've seen the light and I'm going to change everything about myself now. I'm going to vote the Dem ticket straight up and down. Then I'll demand single payer healthcare. Get an abortion, maybe two. Join a union. I might even start drinking Bud Light. I never drank it before, but y'know. Dictator!

 

[ralfy]

I think this is an article that every Trump supporter and those thinking of voting for Trump should read. The fantasy of a strongman or the false notion that any strongman will be "your strongman."

The Strongman Fantasy

And Dictatorship in Real Life

snyder.substack.com

It's not likely to happen because, as one Chinese expert puts it, the U.S. is ruled by Wall Street.

 

[Uriah]

Wow. I read all 872,436 "Trump = dictator" threads here on DP, but this one has really opened my eyes. I see it all so clearly now.

Never mind that Trump was not a dictator in his first term, or that he couldn't become a dictator now even if he wanted. Forget all that. Trump equals dictator. Because Strongman. So simple.

I've seen the light and I'm going to change everything about myself now. I'm going to vote the Dem ticket straight up and down. Then I'll demand single payer healthcare. Get an abortion, maybe two. Join a union. I might even start drinking Bud Light. I never drank it before, but y'know. Dictator!

Well done.

 

[Captain Adverse]

I think this is an article that every Trump supporter and those thinking of voting for Trump should read. The fantasy of a strongman or the false notion that any strongman will be "your strongman."

The Strongman Fantasy

And Dictatorship in Real Life

snyder.substack.com

LOL!

No Trump supporter "needs to read this" kind of ad hominin trash.

We don't look at Trump as a "strong man" in the image of a Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, or Mao. Nor any other false comparisons your side of the argument keeps trying to make.

That's because he isn't any of those things. He is simply a very successful businessman having his ups and downs but usually coming out on top who decided to enter politics.

But he isn't a "politician" either. That means he doesn't offer mealy mouthed platitudes or promises of pie-in-the sky actions. He says what he means and means what he says.

Your side of the argument is so caught up in the socialist dogmas that have polluted our educational systems for the last 40 years after Nixon "opened the door" to China you can't see truth from the lies.

In exchange for cheap goods produced by near slave-labor in Chinese prisons, sweat shops, enforced by a closely monitored social credit system using an extensive all-intrusive electronic monitoring they call "Skynet" we've given over access to our technology, markets. Even more importantly our dollars which have bolstered their own rotten economy while being used to pay for our subversion in the USA.

They've used that money to spread Socialist ideological subversion ever since.

 

[EdwinWillers]

LOL!

No Trump supporter "needs to read this" kind of ad hominin trash.

We don't look at Trump as a "strong man" in the image of a Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, or Mao. Nor any other false comparisons your side of the argument keeps trying to make.

That's because he isn't any of those things. He is simply a very successful businessman having his ups and downs but usually coming out on top who decided to enter politics.

But he isn't a "politician" either. That means he doesn't offer mealy mouthed platitudes or promises of pie-in-the sky actions. He says what he means and means what he says.

Your side of the argument is so caught up in the socialist dogmas that have polluted our educational systems for the last 40 years after Nixon "opened the door" to China you can't see truth from the lies.

In exchange for cheap goods produced by near slave-labor in Chinese prisons, sweat shops, enforced by a closely monitored social credit system using an extensive all-intrusive electronic monitoring they call "Skynet" we've given over access to our technology, markets. Even more importantly our dollars which have bolstered their own rotten economy while being used to pay for our subversion in the USA.

They've used that money to spread Socialist ideological subversion ever since.

Criticize --> Marginalize --> Demonize --> Criminalize

They're well into phase 3 and have waded knee deep already into phase 4 with a number of key individuals. It's only a matter of time before they go all-in on the last phase - they're just waiting for the right crisis to occur to give them the final excuse.

 

[EdwinWillers]

Criticize --> Marginalize --> Demonize --> Criminalize

They're well into phase 3 and have waded knee deep already into phase 4 with a number of key individuals. It's only a matter of time before they go all-in on the last phase - they're just waiting for the right crisis to occur to give them the final excuse.

...and the tragic part of it is, they've plainly broadcast their strategy and tactics now for decades. We're seeing them play out right before our very eyes - even right here on DP. It's really glaringly obvious if one takes the time to look and discern.

 

[Uncensored2008]

I think this is an article that every Trump supporter and those thinking of voting for Trump should read. The fantasy of a strongman or the false notion that any strongman will be "your strongman."

The Strongman Fantasy

And Dictatorship in Real Life

snyder.substack.com

If Trump is Hitler as the National Socialist democrats claim, then how do we explain this?

 

[eman623]

Well done.

Thanks.

Seriously, what do the Trump Haterz think is going to happen when they post this kind of claptrap and the say, "Trump supporters really need to read this!" .

It's like they cannot conceive of a world where other people might have deeply held beliefs and opinions that differ from their own. If they can just muster the right arguments, then all will be dazzled by their brilliance and swoon into their arms, or something.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Video games are an excellent vehicle for keeping some people's minds agile and edumacated, open and responsive to proper stimulating input.

I agree, I'm a proud Arkaholic...

 

[Uncensored2008]

Wow. I read all 872,436 "Trump = dictator" threads here on DP, but this one has really opened my eyes. I see it all so clearly now.

Never mind that Trump was not a dictator in his first term, or that he couldn't become a dictator now even if he wanted. Forget all that. Trump equals dictator. Because Strongman. So simple.

I've seen the light and I'm going to change everything about myself now. I'm going to vote the Dem ticket straight up and down. Then I'll demand single payer healthcare. Get an abortion, maybe two. Join a union. I might even start drinking Bud Light. I never drank it before, but y'know. Dictator!

Bravo - masterful!

 

[Uriah]

Thanks.

Seriously, what do the Trump Haterz think is going to happen when they post this kind of claptrap and the say, "Trump supporters really need to read this!" .

It's like they cannot conceive of a world where other people might have deeply held beliefs and opinions that differ from their own. If they can just muster the right arguments, then all will be dazzled by their brilliance and swoon into their arms, or something.

They're immature. They're in such dreadful need to be validated that they'll do most anything to achieve it.

 

[Fearandloathing]

LOL!

No Trump supporter "needs to read this" kind of ad hominin trash.

We don't look at Trump as a "strong man" in the image of a Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, or Mao. Nor any other false comparisons your side of the argument keeps trying to make.

That's because he isn't any of those things. He is simply a very successful businessman having his ups and downs but usually coming out on top who decided to enter politics.

But he isn't a "politician" either. That means he doesn't offer mealy mouthed platitudes or promises of pie-in-the sky actions. He says what he means and means what he says.

Your side of the argument is so caught up in the socialist dogmas that have polluted our educational systems for the last 40 years after Nixon "opened the door" to China you can't see truth from the lies.

In exchange for cheap goods produced by near slave-labor in Chinese prisons, sweat shops, enforced by a closely monitored social credit system using an extensive all-intrusive electronic monitoring they call "Skynet" we've given over access to our technology, markets. Even more importantly our dollars which have bolstered their own rotten economy while being used to pay for our subversion in the USA.

They've used that money to spread Socialist ideological subversion ever since.

To the bold:


NOPE!

Everything he says is a lie!

 

[Winston]

Talking to Trump supporters is like talking to brick walls. They don’t care Trump exhibits authoritarian impulses. They would rather vote for him because he makes them feel good

 

[Uncensored2008]

Talking to Trump supporters is like talking to brick walls. They don’t care Trump exhibits authoritarian impulses. They would rather vote for him because he makes them feel good

Talking to Marxists is a waste of time. They don't care that Biden has ENGAGED in authoritarian acts, defied the Supreme Court, defied congress, violated his oath of office, and destroyed the Bill of Rights - they hate Emmanuel Goldstein - because CNN told them to in the 24/7 hate.

 

[Winston]

Talking to Marxists is a waste of time. They don't care that Biden has ENGAGED in authoritarian acts, defied the Supreme Court, defied congress, violated his oath of office, and destroyed the Bill of Rights - they hate Emmanuel Goldstein - because CNN told them to in the 24/7 hate.

Trump is factually a worse choice than Biden if you care about American values and democracy. If you don’t care, however…

 

[VideoGamer]

Trump is factually a worse choice than Biden if you care about American values and democracy. If you don’t care, however…

That's the problem, Trump supporters simply do not care about the notions of freedom and democracy. For Trump supporters its ONLY about POWER. Pure, naked, unadulterated POWER. They are not in favor of checks and balances. They are in favor of unchecked power for what they think somebody will be THEIR strongman. But here is thing. Trump WILL eventually turn on his supporters and those who vote for him because for Trump its ONLY about POWER and ONLY himself. And he uses power, given that he is a narcissist, to fill a void he has in his soul.

As the author of the article stated, you think he will be your strongman but in reality he is nobody's strongman. He eventually turns on everybody. And Trump supporters and those who are thinking about voting for Trump, should read the article and understand that voting for Trump is voting for a life that the author of this article talks about when living under a dictatorship.

It's the facts. Denial and delusion will not enable you to escape such a fate when you vote for somebody like Trump. But here is the kicker, Trump cares NOTHING AT ALL about his supporters and those who support them. NOTHING at all. And people who vote for him are the TRUE fools and suckers.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

I think this is an article that every Trump supporter and those thinking of voting for Trump should read. The fantasy of a strongman or the false notion that any strongman will be "your strongman."

The Strongman Fantasy

And Dictatorship in Real Life

snyder.substack.com

First thing the strongman always does is get rid of all the useful idiots who helped them lock down power but who otherwise have no value.
There isn't a single instance in all of recorded political history where a strongman did NOT do this...NOT ONE...EVER....EVER EVER EVER.
You can set your watch by the timeline of events that surely follow the ascent of the strongman.
Last time it happened in Europe it was the Night of the Long Knives.

DIG THE HOLE

 

[VideoGamer]

Sometimes it is just best to play video games

Or sometimes its better you read Liberal philosophers like John Locke whose ideas of natural rights played a foundation in the American Revolution and what is written in our constitution as well as the Declaration of Independence. People have natural rights like life, liberty, property and health that cannot be taken away by governments or possible dictators like Trump. That is also enshrined in our Constitution that Trump seeks to destroy. People have natural rights Queen Margo, that cannot be taken away by governments or Trump.

 

[eohrnberger]

LOL!

No Trump supporter "needs to read this" kind of ad hominin trash.

We don't look at Trump as a "strong man" in the image of a Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, or Mao. Nor any other false comparisons your side of the argument keeps trying to make.

That's because he isn't any of those things. He is simply a very successful businessman having his ups and downs but usually coming out on top who decided to enter politics.

But he isn't a "politician" either. That means he doesn't offer mealy mouthed platitudes or promises of pie-in-the sky actions. He says what he means and means what he says.

Your side of the argument is so caught up in the socialist dogmas that have polluted our educational systems for the last 40 years after Nixon "opened the door" to China you can't see truth from the lies.

In exchange for cheap goods produced by near slave-labor in Chinese prisons, sweat shops, enforced by a closely monitored social credit system using an extensive all-intrusive electronic monitoring they call "Skynet" we've given over access to our technology, markets. Even more importantly our dollars which have bolstered their own rotten economy while being used to pay for our subversion in the USA.

They've used that money to spread Socialist ideological subversion ever since.

Indeed. This highlighted from another quarter:


The elite 1%—individuals who make over $150,000 a year, live in densely populated areas, and have postgraduate degrees—are overwhelmingly liberal. They give President Joe Biden an 82% approval rating, compared to his 40% average from the rest of Americans.

Rasmussen asked these liberal voters: “Suppose that your favorite candidate loses a close election. However, people on the campaign know that they can win by cheating without being caught. Would you rather have your candidate win by cheating or lose by playing fair?”

Among all Americans, just 7% said they would want their candidate to win by cheating. But that number rose to 35% among the elite 1% and skyrocketed to 69% among those who are part of the politically obsessed 1%, meaning they talk about politics every day.

“I’ve been polling for a very long time and the last finding is the most terrifying poll result I’ve ever seen,” Rasmussen told The Daily Signal.

Politically Obsessed Elites Say It’s OK to Win by Cheating

"I've been polling for a very long time and the last finding is the most terrifying poll result I've ever seen," Scott Rasmussen says.

www.dailysignal.com

Also:

​

Who's destroying Democracy and individual freedoms?

"The elite 1%—individuals who make over $150,000 a year, live in densely populated areas, and have postgraduate degrees"​

Would they cheat in elections to accomplish this?

Rasmussen asked these liberal voters: “Suppose that your favorite candidate loses a close election. However, people on the campaign know that they can win by cheating without being caught. Would you rather have your candidate win by cheating or lose by playing fair?”​

​

Among all Americans, just 7% said they would want their candidate to win by cheating. But that number rose to 35% among the elite 1% and skyrocketed to 69% among those who are part of the politically obsessed 1%, meaning they talk about politics every day.​

Yes.