How Authoritarianism Becomes Appealing (For Some)
Across the political spectrum, there are concerns and predictions that the US government could become authoritarian. Liberals see former President Donald Trump as the leading perpetrator of creating an authoritarian state. Organizations backing him, such as the conservative Heritage Foundation, which released Project 2025, reinforce this perception. Trump claimed not to know who was behind Project 2025; however, a CNN review found that at least 140 people who worked in his presidential administration were involved. The 900-page document details how the federal government’s “deep state” must be destroyed in a new Trump Administration.
Liberals spanning the country, from the West Coast to the East Coast, fear a possible authoritarian future. From the heartland, the Nebraska Examiner contributor professor Steve Corbin writes in his piece, “Authoritarian rule threatens America’s democracy,” that 147 congressional Republicans voting to overturn the 2020 election results amounted to authoritarianism in action.
Veteran national political columnist Dick Polman, in the Progressive Populist, describes today’s political fight as between a pro-democracy party and an authoritarian cult. Ralph Nader accuses US Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts and his “clique” of five like-minded Supreme Court judges as authoritarians who re-installed the doctrine of “The King Can Do No Wrong.”
Because Trump ignited the MAGA movement, he is viewed as the embodiment of authoritarian behavior. Even mild-spoken President Joe Biden remarked at a Maryland fundraiser that the MAGA philosophy was “semi-fascism.” Consequently, liberal commentary interprets Trump’s language and actions as displaying approval for authoritarian government leaders.
https://www.postalley.org/2024/08/29/how-authoritarianism-becomes-appealing-for-some/
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