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Cyrano

(15,097 posts)
Sat Jan 20, 2024, 03:49 PM Jan 2024

The world has always had its Donald Trumps.

Brutal conquerors, sadistic dictators, malicious tribe leaders, cruel emperors, mad kings, fuhrers, "Dear Leaders," and whatever else they called themselves, all wanted total power, and more often than not, they got it. And they then used it to do anything they wanted to do. And, depending on the historical era, their "leadership" always resulted in thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of deaths.

Virtually all historic dictators had one or more specific skills/talents that let them attain or keep power. Some of them were probably bugshit insane, but they possessed the knack and knowledge of how to maintain their power over the masses. Some of these despots were talented military men. Some had exceptional organizational skills. A few were natural and charismatic leaders that others willingly followed. Others inherited their positions of power, but were schooled in the use of fear and terror to keep the peasants in line. But what they all had in common was their savagery and their willingness to do whatever was necessary to hold onto power.

But, it seems to me that Donald Trump is unique. Yes, he has the required cruelty and brutality. But he is uneducated, incurious, lazy, and incredibly stupid. And as much as he may believe he's in charge, he has always been surrounded by people who knew how to manipulate him and steer his ego and cruelty toward achieving their own ends that usually coincided with his.

During his occupancy of the White House, most of those around him were really shitty human beings, but most seemed to have a line they wouldn't cross. If he wins/steals the election this November, those who can control him for the most part, (The Federalist Society, various billionaires, etc.), will see that he's surrounded by ruthless people who will do what he (or they) tell them to do. And thus, democracy won't die with a bang. It will die with a whimper.

Most despots of the past didn't have nuclear weapons at hand. And if they did, they weren't crazy enough to use them. Trump, however is a different kind of creature. And regardless of his handlers behind the scenes, he would still be the person who could issue the orders to nuke some country that had pissed him off for some minor reason. Hell, he could wake up one morning and decide to nuke San Francisco, believing it to be the LGBTQ "Capital of the World." (After all, if a president has "total immunity," why not?)

Would humanity survive an angrier, more deranged Donald Trump if he comes to power again? And even if he didn't use nuclear weapons, his winning/stealing the election means that American democracy would end on January 20th, 2025.

8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The world has always had its Donald Trumps. (Original Post) Cyrano Jan 2024 OP
History is filled with failures C_U_L8R Jan 2024 #1
Yes. But their failures were usually accompanied by enormous death tolls. Cyrano Jan 2024 #2
At least none of his kind have ever met a happy end. C_U_L8R Jan 2024 #3
Yes, but the problem is 10's of millions of times larger than Trump Model35mech Jan 2024 #4
Gotta' disagree. Cyrano Jan 2024 #5
they get to ignore politics because God's doing the choosing among the geniuses Model35mech Jan 2024 #6
He's a one-man Spanish Habsburgs Bucky Jan 2024 #7
22 Years, Congratulations! question everything Jan 2024 #8

Cyrano

(15,097 posts)
2. Yes. But their failures were usually accompanied by enormous death tolls.
Sat Jan 20, 2024, 04:48 PM
Jan 2024

For every advancement in the humanities and sciences, our species seems forever doomed to take two steps backwards.

C_U_L8R

(45,057 posts)
3. At least none of his kind have ever met a happy end.
Sat Jan 20, 2024, 04:52 PM
Jan 2024

It's unfair the rest of the world has to pay such price for their cruelty.

Model35mech

(1,647 posts)
4. Yes, but the problem is 10's of millions of times larger than Trump
Sat Jan 20, 2024, 04:59 PM
Jan 2024

Really I mean that. And I can be more specific

The problem is something around 74 million times larger than Trump. That number is based on 2020 Trump/Pence election results.

Near-worship of rich people by not rich people is at the root of that problem.

Many slow-witted not rich people think that Rich people are geniuses. Trump sells that

Christo-fascist believe GOD sees to it that his choice among them get rich and get into public offices. Our Nation's speaker of the House sells that gem.

And 3 score million plus 10 million federal government blaming and hating dimwits buy what's being sold, because in the worst case the GOD appointed federal level leaders can ar worse ruin the federal government.

And THAT is what the Ammon Bundy acolytes and all Teahadists actually want.

So, no matter how bad things could get, that's no sweat for them.


I think that sort of names the problem we have and gives something of a measure of its scope.

Cyrano

(15,097 posts)
5. Gotta' disagree.
Sat Jan 20, 2024, 05:41 PM
Jan 2024

I believe the major problem is that most people don't pay attention to politics. They may catch stuff on the nightly news, but it doesn't consume them the way it does with us political junkies. They're paying attention to their own interests, problems, situations in life, and virtually anything that has no relationship to politics. In short, most people aren't aware that politics is, or can be, a matter of freedom or servitude; life or death.

Around election time, they either vote for some name they've heard a lot on commercials, or they may not even bother to vote at all.

And the thing is, human nature is what it is, and there's no changing it. We'd all like to think that, given today's threat to the existence of democracy, people would be paying attention. I wish they would. But my guess is that I'm living in a fantasy world.

Model35mech

(1,647 posts)
6. they get to ignore politics because God's doing the choosing among the geniuses
Sat Jan 20, 2024, 06:05 PM
Jan 2024

I'm convinced they believe that.



Bucky

(54,162 posts)
7. He's a one-man Spanish Habsburgs
Sat Jan 20, 2024, 06:08 PM
Jan 2024

Caligula, Attila, Mad Juana, Stalin...

The interesting thing about Trump is, he was able to rise to the top of a democracy. That alone makes him a fairly unique lunatic leader.

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