Der Spiegel: Trump as Nero

[The Blue Flower]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-1133177-amp.html

There are times in life that really do count. Times when a person's character is revealed, when the important is separated from the unimportant. Soon decisions are taken that will determine the further path a person takes. With some, this can be tragic, and the moment comes too soon in their youth at a time when they aren't mature enough yet to foresee all the potential consequences. They make the decisions cheerfully and they lead to either luck or bad luck. But countries and governments are seldom as innocent when it comes to their decisions. That's the kind of situation now approaching. The people who will soon have to decide are already grown up. They now have to start preparing, even if it will be painful.

Germany must stand up in opposition to the 45th president of the United States and his government. That's difficult enough already for two reasons: Because it is from the Americans that we obtained our liberal democracy in the first place; and because it is unclear how the brute and choleric man on the other side will react to diplomatic pressure. The fact that opposition to the American government can only succeed when mounted together with Asian and African partners -- and no doubt with our partners in Europe, with the EU -- doesn't make the situation any easier.

So far, Germany has viewed its leadership role -- at least the leadership understanding of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble -- as one that is by all means in opposition to the interests of other European countries. Whether Schäuble's austerity policies or Merkel's migration policies, it all happened without much co-coordination and with considerable force. It is thus somewhat ironical that it is Germany, the country that is politically and economically dominant in Europe, that will now have to fill in many of the gaps created by America's withdrawal from the old world order, the one referred to by former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer as "Pax Americana." At the same time, Germany must build an alliance against Donald Trump, because it otherwise won't take shape. It is, however, absolutely necessary.

It is literally painful to write this sentence, but the president of the United States is a pathological liar. The president of the U.S. is a racist (it also hurts to write this). He is attempting a coup from the top; he wants to establish an illiberal democracy, or worse; he wants to undermine the balance of power. He fired an acting attorney general who held a differing opinion from his own and accused her of "betrayal." This is the vocabulary used by Nero, the emperor and destroyer of Rome. It is the way tyrants think.
[more at link]

[democrank]

1. "It is the way tyrants think"

Donald Trump is a danger to the United States....and beyond.

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. Neither Fuckface Von Pussygrabber or his bannon know who Nero was

[MoonRiver]

7. That is irrelevant to the analogy.

[Warpy]

3. I find him more like Caligula, to be honest

He's a narcissist who can't survive unless he thinks everybody adores him without reservation. That's Caligula.

Caligula could have people executed on the spot. Trump is going to find out even his ability to fire people who disagree with him is very limited. It's fun for a raging narcissist to be an emperor with unlimited power, not so much for a US president with checks and balances.

The founding fathers knew he'd pop up eventually. That's why they wrote our laws that way.

[MoonRiver]

8. Yes, I have felt for awhile that Caligula is who Rump most resembles, ugh.

[jalan48]

9. We''ll know for sure when he divorces his wife and tries to marry his daughter.

[Warpy]

14. Think of his behavior around his daughter

Yep, Caligula.

[renegade000]

10. Yup

Too bad John Hurt has passed, his portrayal of Caligula in I, Claudius was great. I get a kick and a chill simultaneously envisioning Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell being brought before Trump in the middle of the night to watch him dance .

[The Blue Flower]

4. The world is uniting against the US

The Republicans had better get a clue about what's actually in their best interests.

[babylonsister]

5. I find this appalling; why can't the gop see this if Germany can? nt

[47of74]

6. Yeah, Germany knows what they're talking about here.

Too bad we're not listening.

Does the GOP honestly want the American people to go through what the Germans did to learn the lessons about the dangers of facism?

[babylonsister]

11. So far, the gop doesn't seem to care.

There's got to be a straw that breaks their backs so they'll publicly acknowledge what a danger he is.

[malaise]

12. They don't care

they've come to enrich themselves

[babylonsister]

15. I have read and suspect

they'll get as much as they can financially via this idiot, then express outrage and blame him for everything we've all been living through.

I do not think any of them will come out smelling like roses.

[Bettie]

13. They can see it

but they are about to get their entire wishlist.

Social Security: privatized (which will mean gone for most)
Medicare: voucherized (which makes it worthless for most people)
Medicaid: gone
ACA: gone, replaced with...die quickly.
Other pieces of the social safety net? Gone.

Public Schools, Clean Air, Clean Water, pretty much anything that is good for humans? Gone.

What they get: LOTS OF MONEY from their wealthy donors and the entertainment of watching people die.

And this last part, I do believe that they enjoy knowing that what they have done will cause suffering and death to those they see as lesser beings than they are.

[Cha]

16. Thank you to Der Spiegle Europe Must Defend Itself Against A Dangerous President

"Germany must stand up in opposition to the 45th president of the United States and his government. That's difficult enough already for two reasons: Because it is from the Americans that we obtained our liberal democracy in the first place; and because it is unclear how the brute and choleric man on the other side will react to diplomatic pressure. The fact that opposition to the American government can only succeed when mounted together with Asian and African partners -- and no doubt with our partners in Europe, with the EU -- doesn't make the situation any easier."

"It is literally painful to write this sentence, but the president of the United States is a pathological liar. The president of the U.S. is a racist (it also hurts to write this). He is attempting a coup from the top; he wants to establish an illiberal democracy, or worse; he wants to undermine the balance of power. He fired an acting attorney general who held a differing opinion from his own and accused her of "betrayal." This is the vocabulary used by Nero, the emperor and destroyer of Rome. It is the way tyrants think."