The Stalin Rule
“If Hitler invaded Hell,” Winston Churchill once famously proclaimed, “I would make at least a favourable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.” The “Devil” that the British prime minister was alluding to was Josef Stalin. The reason for the favourable reference was Stalin’s forced volte-face on Hitler, compliments of Der Führer’s “Operation Barbarossa,” the invasion of Russia. Stalin’s consequent offer of an alliance of convenience with the Allies was the result.
Early in the course of World War II, Josef Stalin made a rogue’s compact with Nazi Germany with an eye to acquiring territory and sharing influence with Hitler in Eastern Europe. Hitler did what Hitler always did and broke the treaty and attacked Stalin’s country. So Stalin had no choice but to align himself with forces opposed to Hitler. Thus was Churchill happy to accommodate “the Devil.”
This famous historical accommodation was recently enshrined as rule number 6 in Trigby Olson’s “Seven Rules for Dealing with Autocrats and their Enablers.” Rule 6 is also known as “The Stalin Rule,” and described as, “Stand Together with Anyone Who Will Join You to Disturb, Disrupt and Diminish the Illiberal Structures -– Even if you share nothing in common beyond a love of democracy, and no matter how much you may loathe the politics of your new allies in normal times, fight side-by-side today so you can disagree tomorrow.”
In other words, never mind how much you may have hated Mike Pence, or how much you may have found Liz Cheney’s and Adam Kinzinger’s politics objectionable. When they turn on Hitler, or in their case Donald Trump, welcome them with open arms. When we’re dying of thirst in the desert, we mustn’t turn up our noses if the water we are offered isn’t Evian.
It’s doubly useful for us to do that in light of Donald Trump’s clear repudiation of Rule 6. When Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican primary, Trump blasted her followers as “RINOs” (Republicans In Name Only) and told them he didn’t need them. So, “never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake.” It’s also not a bad policy to do the opposite of anything Trump does, especially in this case, and hope he continues to make such awful blunders.
It wasn’t that long ago, when I was publicly advocating for the impeachment of Donald Trump here in the pages of Palmer Report, that I was told that was a mistake, that as bad as Trump was, Pence as a replacement for an impeached Trump was much worse. I hope the folly of that advice is clear to my former discouragers. Nothing, absolutely nothing is worse than Trump, and any person, party or programme that we can enlist to our cause, should be.
The lesson is clear and our mission is clearer. An increasing number of former Trump voters have vowed to vote for Biden in a contest between the two. We must make them feel welcome, like a squad of vulgarian, ill-mannered firemen coming to put out the fire on our house. Put a clothespin on your noses and welcome them as our allies.
Since late last year, Republican Party advisors have been warning Trump’s team that their small-dollar Trump donors have been disappearing. They need some place to go. Let’s supply them with that place.
It was those same grassroots members that supplied the money and votes that squeaked Trump to a win in 2016. Remember, in a strictly Democrat-Republican contest, the key to the election is the battleground states.
So let’s not quibble about who does the voting and remember The Stalin Rule. The vote of a reformed MAGA loyalist counts just as much as the vote of the best and most well-intentioned blue Democrat. Given the stakes, we can’t afford to be picky. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.