For those of us who have been around long enough to remember the various leaders of the world over the last few decades, it can be puzzling to see the support for the authoritarian agenda of Donald Trump. He’s not a beacon of hope, an ideological champion, or a strong leader. He’s an authoritarian that’s used to getting his way and throwing fits when anyone denies him of what he feels he deserves… which is everything.
His style of “leadership” is not the type that was earned. He learned at an early age that he could push people around because of his wealth. He studied the Saul Alinsky style of propaganda and manipulation that has helped him in the real estate world and is helping today in the political world. Most importantly, he became abundantly aware that there are many people who want to be told what to think, how to act, and where to focus their hate.
It’s now been discovered that there is a gene that makes people crave this authoritarian mindset. While scientists have declined calling it the “daddy issues gene” because of the obvious insulting connotation, it isn’t far from the truth. These people, which make up the bulk of his support, believe that they are strong-willed when the unfortunate reality is that they’re the types who have grown accustomed to being told what to do by their alpha male superiors their whole lives. In fact, they crave guidance because they have an inherent inability to think for themselves. I’m not trying to insult people. This is science, folks.
The worst part is that this plays towards Trump’s Presidential campaign perfectly. He has isolated enemies: Muslims and Hispanics. He’s offered solutions that sound wonderful to his fans. These solutions are sales pitches that are not meant to be effective at actually solving the illegal immigration or terrorism issues. In fact, touchback amnesty and religious tests for immigrants are so loaded with holes that if he’s able to enact them, the country will not be in a position better than the one it’s in under President Obama.
Touchback amnesty is disastrous. It’s Gang of Eight, only much more expensive because we have to send them back before bringing the vast majority of them back in. At least with Marco Rubio’s proposal it was fiscally responsible. Trump wants to legalize those who have broken the laws by rewarding them with a free trip to their homeland before bringing them back in as fully legal residents.
As far as his religious test to stop Muslims from entering… it’s a joke. Those who are wanting to enter the country to assimilate and contribute to American culture will be shut out. Those who want to commit jihad simply have to say that they’re not Muslims. The Koran instructs them to lie for the sake of holy war. Trump’s plan allows every single radical Islamic terrorist bent on destruction to enter the country at will. Trump’s supporters won’t see this because, well, they’re Trump’s supporters and are therefore impervious to truth and against looking beyond his slick sales pitch.
To truly understand the depravity of Trump’s authoritarian style, we need only to look at him fawning over Vladimir Putin. Of course he likes Putin as a fellow authoritarian. Sadly, it’s in Putin’s authoritarianism that we can see Russia’s failures and our own future. Russia is completely falling apart. Their economy, which was thriving a decade ago, is being artificially propped up by lies. Why are so many journalists murdered in Russia? It’s not because they’re posting tabloid stories about Putin’s family. It’s because they know what many outside Russia already know – the country is on the verge of crumbling harder than before the fall of the USSR. This crumbling can be directly attributed to the authoritarian policies of Putin, the same policies and authoritarian style that Trump gushes over every time Putin winks at him lovingly.
The closest thing we’ve had to a true authoritarian President in the modern era is Barack Obama. He wields words, pens, and phones. Trump has promised to do the same thing, only more of it. That so many support Trump and Obama is a pitiful testament to the voters’ desire to be told what to think, do, and feel.