Why Trump is Scary

**Received this link with the subject: Scary

Democracy is So 2005

Middle classes around the world seem weary of free politics and are open to strongmen like Trump.

In my reply, I generally agreed. Good article, loaded with useful info. But a slightly different slant:

Yes, indeedy. I've been thinking all along that the problem isn't the candidate, it's the electorate. Although I don't know much about the Asian autocrats, I think Berlusconi is the closest we have to Trump. Where Trump has done him one better is that he got all his publicity for free while Berlusconi had to buy up a lot of media outlets to get his message across. 

I don't quite agree with the closeness of the Mussolini comparison. Hitler's rise seems more relevant. Shirer notes that after two failed coups, and prison, Hitler realized that the route to power was through a media-manipulated democratic process. The German electorate is also more comparable to today's Establishment weariness. The Weimar Republic formed after WW1 was an economic disaster made even worse by public humiliation because of harsh sanctions and reparations imposed by the victors. It became identified with democracy because the US was an important part of the settlement at Versailles. Hitler capitalized on this widespread discontent and made democracy (and minorities) the convenient scapegoat for his argument that the country needed a strong leader.

What Hillary needs to learn from Bernie is that the movement he represents is very close to the movement that Trump represents. Neither constituency cares much about a candidate's gender – nearly everyone expects that a female president will eventually happen. They also don't care about their age. Bernie's backers are mostly young, but they rally behind this grandfatherly figure because he seems to be a future version of what they could be. And because he addresses their deeply felt concerns. Hillary needs to find a way to address both camps with a message and a posture that promises real determination to steer the basic structure of the government toward their interests. 

But even if she doesn't, I think she needs to keep hammering away at Trump's mentality, the unstable condition he seems helpless to correct cosmetically. "Never Trump" should resonate with the same legitimacy as "Never Hitler."

Bernie's continuing relevance

**Leaderless movements seldom get far. Occupy and BLM are examples. While they make important statements in the national conversation, their influence seems to be mostly on those who already like the kool-ade. The Bernie movement is – or can be – different. A grandfatherly, quirky politician might not become the leader of a political party, or a country, but he can still be a leader of an important movement that can and should survive the election. 

The mood of the country as a whole favors this moment. (It also favors DT but that’s a different story.) Bernie’s movement hasn't really been about him. It’s about the millions of mostly young people who see through the artifice of politics and government as it has been practiced in their lifetimes. They want it to change into something resembling the promise of democracy. Many, but not all, of them may not be able to articulate it to themselves or the general public but they feel the yearning deeply. Bernie’s role has been to articulate it for them on a world-wide stage. He has done so in a way that gains respect and attention from much of the country, especially millennials. It’s long been well known that this class of the populace (those born between around 1980 and 2000) is taking over as a principle force in the cultural and political life of the US. And yet, the cultural and political life of the previous generation (boomers) still has momentum and has become “the establishment.” Hillary best represents that momentum, which is why she will probably (and certainly must)  win the presidency. 

The Corner

And yet, the pendulum is swinging the millennial’s way. If there is going to be a real revolution, where the establishment is gradually replaced by the Bernie revolutionaries, the revolutionaries (millennials) will still need a spokesperson AND a leader. Bernie can take on that role, at least for a while. His prominence and energy will keep the gadfly function active and visible and part of the national conversation. Sure, someone else may come along and represent it better, but until then Bernie’s continuing role is to be the leader of an important emerging constituency

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