Don’t take the bait
Donald Trump’s attacks on our democracy, our Constitution, and our rule of law are disturbing and dangerous – and his abuses keep getting more egregious. None of this is in dispute. But I keep seeing an unfortunate and counterproductive trend in which some Resistance members are now painting our democracy as dead, and Trump as having succeeded in taking over as a dictator.
Nothing could be further from the truth. This is what Trump wants people to think is happening. It’s why he and his handlers have engaged in calculated stunts designed to horrify the public and break its spirit, such as tear gassing protesters outside the White House. But in reality, five minutes after that stunt was over, Trump was right back to being that scared loser who’s taken to hiding in the White House basement and wasting his time fretting over his cable news coverage.
We’re making a big mistake by painting Trump as succeeding at becoming a dictator. First of all, it’s simply, factually, not true. The guy has virtually no political muscle left. He’s more politically crippled than any modern president has ever been crippled. He has to come up with smoke and mirrors, whether it be the tear gas or the helicopter buzzing the protesters, or his empty threats on Twitter, in order to give the false impression that he’s flexing muscles that he simply doesn’t have.
We should avoid this histrionic hyperbole about Trump “becoming a dictator and getting away with it all” simply because it’s factually untrue. But if you want another reason, consider that a lot of Americans simply don’t care. There are plenty of conservatives, and even moderates, who are not bothered by authoritarianism, because – in theory at least – they see it as being simpler than having to put in the work of caring about the complexities of democracy. We will not turn people against Trump by complaining that he’s a “dictator.”
We can, however, turn people against Donald Trump by explaining that he’s screwing up the whole authoritarianism thing. For instance, as evidenced by the ongoing civil unrest, his “law and order” routine is a disaster. It’s not just that he’s trying to abuse power in the name of keeping things simple, he can’t even pull it off. He’s also running afoul of the military, which is something that a “law and order” type of leader isn’t supposed to do – even in the eyes of a winner-take-all conservative mindset.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the way to turn the general public against Donald Trump is to push the narrative that would turn you against Donald Trump. You’re already against him. You, and others who see the world like you do, don’t need convincing. They just need to be reminded to show up and vote. If you want to convince on-the-fence conservatives and moderates to turn against Trump, you’ve got to focus on the things that actually matter to them. It’s not just that he’s abusing his power – it’s that he’s screwing things up and making a fool of himself while trying to abuse his power.
