Demagogues vs dictators
Feb 09,2021 - Last updated at Feb 09,2021
AUSTIN Throughout Donald Trump’s single term as president of the United States, his opponents in both the Democratic and Republican parties frequently portrayed him as a would-be fascist dictator. But with Trump ousted from the White House, this analogy has become untenable. The Italian leader Trump resembles most is not the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini but rather Silvio Berlusconi, the scandal-prone former prime minister.
Figures like Trump and Berlusconi, tycoons or media celebrities who ran for office as anti-establishment populist demagogues, are not uncommon in contemporary Western democracies. In Europe, the list includes elected leaders like Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, one of the country’s wealthiest men; former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, previously his country’s “Chocolate King”; and his successor, Volodymyr Zelensky, a comic actor who had previously played a Ukrainian
In Mr. Shaw’s recent column about a multi-party system (at least hypothetically) we need go back only a few years to see how a third party affected the presidential election.
Taylor MillardPosted at 6:31 pm on January 24, 2021
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Donald Trump’s desire for post-presidency relevance, assuming he’s not thrown into prison for tax fraud, may involve creating a political party.
The Washington Postreported hearing the ideas from “people familiar with the plans” due to Trump’s ire towards those he believes failed loyalty tests following his loss to now-President Joe Biden. Trump’s primary targets are no secret: Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. One would think Utah Senator Mitt Romney’s name is scrawled somewhere on Trump’s (Political) Kill List.