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PS. I found your comparison with India very compelling and instructive.

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This longer format suits you well to give a broader sweep to your important and powerful ideas. This is a punchy, lucid analysis of a deeply troubling situation. I admire your commitment to the ideals of your adopted country. We are lucky to have you!!!! Brava!!

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I agree 100% that the Modi/Trump comparison is apt, but (for once) I think your assessment is too optimistic. Republican sentiment about the election has deteriorated since the four month-old Reuters poll you cited. A recent poll from CNN has 78% of Reps doubting that Biden won the election.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/16/politics/trump-big-lie-gop-election/index.html

And has Modi ever attacked a democratic election as brazenly as Trump? Beyond all the dirty tricks we already know about, we can add today’s news detailing how Trump’s lawyers directed Pence to throw the election.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/20/politics/trump-pence-election-memo/index.html

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Thanks for bringing that new poll to my attention...I agree with you completely that Trump was far more brazen than Modi (or Orban). The latter two are sophisticated, well read men that always maintain an outward show of decorum and reasonableness. That so many Americans required not even that minimum amount of character from their president might mean that American democracy in even more trouble than we can fully fathom at this time. OTOH, Trump's loutishness made it easier to resist him. I often wonder how many conservatives who are now in the vocal anti-Trump camp might have been more quiet or in his camp if he could rattle off, say, Thomas Jefferson to defend his agenda (eg Jefferson worried about too many immigrants from European monarchies not raised with republican habits. And Trump could have used that to say, "see, even the Founders wanted limits on immigration. So I'm the reasonable one.")

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Enjoyed the post and looking forward to reading more!

One thing that baffles me is that while populism (on the nationalist right at least) is always partiular to the country it emerges in. Yet at the same time there seems to be a strong international trend and similarities across borders. And it seems like, from a distance, there is also cross pollination.

Looking forward to hearing from folks around the world weigh in on their local circumstances and help me to untangle this puzzle! (And particularly interested in learning more about about Indian experience)

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Excellent question and funny you should ask! Because just this morning I taped a podcast with Rob Tracinski in which we discussed how just as liberal democracies have demonstration effects, so do effective authoritarians. They learn from each other too and share "best practices." Trump sharpened his America First messaging by learning from Orban via Bannon, who had for many years been paying close attention to Hungary.

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