Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: Donald Trump is not far right. [View all]andym
(5,443 posts)Trump, though far right, is too petty, unfocused, and not clever enough to actually drive the USA to true fascism, but he is a pathfinder for those who might follow. He has degraded American institutions that are key in opposing the rise of a dictator: a free press, and Congress. He is completely willing to use the tools of dictators: lying, gaslighting, and unwarranted attacks on opponents-- calling for an opposition leader, Hillary Clinton, to be locked up, even before he was elected is a hallmark of a third world dictator/fascist. America is probably lucky that Steve Bannon, who appeared to be helping Trump become an effective nationalist, was sidelined early.
The worst thing is Trump has received little blowback from his party, making them willing accomplices to how he has redefined the American Right -- that has surprised me. The "never Trumpers" are only a small minority. The only explanations for the GOP's support of this far right winger include 1) that their party has been subjected to a lot of manipulation in the recent past: constant manipulation by talk radio and Fox and GW Bush's government lying about WMDs have softened their critical thinking. 2) The GOP consists of more people willing to follow authority wherever it leads and they are very tribalistic. 3) Cynical calculation on the part of GOP politicians that they need to follow Trump to keep their jobs or advance.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden