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Harley "Griff" Lofton's avatar

Thanks for this. I know it is fashionable to compare Trump to Hitler--- although I think he is really more like Mussolini. But such comparisons fail to take into account the historical differences between their time and ours, different background cultures, different economic dynamics, and certainly the greatest factor is the absence of the antisocial media.

Perhaps the only weakness in the Erdogan comparison, which is basically on target, is that the Trukish leader ACTUALLY believes in his mission. He has a clear vision of what he wants Turkey, as a nation, to become. Trump is a hard core nihilist whose beliefs only extend in so far as the either enhance his self image or make him money.

Consider his confused and inconsistent attitude toward abortion. Bottom line he doesn't care one way or the other about the issue. He has latched onto the anti-abortion movement (mostly Evangelical Christians) to get into office. Brags about overturning Roe, but also supports IVF which is completely unacceptable to the antiabortion side.

His whole foreign policy is largely based on whether the foreign leaders like him or not. When asked about which foreign leaders support him the only name he could proffer was Orban. Even while out of office he has been carrying on foreign policy initiatives, with his authoritarian friends, from the shadow White House Mar-a-Lago.

So Erdogan is a "true believer" whereas Trump is merely a "believer of convenience" depending on how those beliefs benefit him. Erdogan is an actual formidable force--- capable of efficiently and effectively carrying out his "reform" of Turkey. Whereas Trump is mostly a wannabe who is less dangerous than the special interests and invisible hands manipulating his ego and filling his bank accounts.

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Anders's avatar

The American constitution was set up exactly to keep demagogues like Trump and FDR in check. FDR, an admirer of Mussolini and fervent opponent of liberalism, certainly tried to undermine and control the judiciary, including scotus. But scotus also stopped some of his most authoritarian measures.

Trump, after facing a whopping near hundred felony counts blatantly conveniently timed, will certainly try with a vengeance. But even his own highly partisan judicial nominees often go against him. Somehow at the end of the day, scotus seems to take its job seriously. And the precedent set by overturning roe seems sensible and will hit both ways (i am a pro choice zealot, but of course trade off rich issues belong in the legislature, and most Americans support a compromise erring on the liberal side).

Deporting twelve million would be impossible in a tortobsessed country like the US, and in a long interview Trump himself said of course we should start with serious criminals and that most deserved a chance to stay.

And few dispute the need for peace in Ukraine and cutting government waste.

I think in the end the system works. Hopefully where he needs to be stopped and less so where his rabble rousing game changing deal making obsession might be needed the most.

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