COLLINS: Let’s call a spade a spade
MOST PEOPLE ARE CAUTIOUS in trying to pinpoint Donald Trump’s leadership style. Is he a fascist, a dictator, an autocrat, a narcissist, or a king?
The Oxford English Dictionary — remember that Merriam-Webster is probably persona non grata right now — says fascism is an extreme right-wing political system or attitude that is in favour of strong central government, aggressively promoting one’s own country or race above others, and that does not allow any opposition. Other dictionaries have similar meanings. Ostensibly, we’re talking about a right-wing government that tolerates no opposition.
When you see what Trump has done, you can see bits of each of those ideologies. Trump believes he is the most powerful person in the world, capable of bullying and scaring Americans and other nations to bend to his will. His actions in calling for an investigation and possible impeachment of judges who disagree with his views are an affront to democracy. To fire Inspectors charged with helping to patrol violations of our laws. To ignore judges’ rulings and act as if those rulings hadn’t even been made. To talk about annexing other countries to satisfy his view of how the world should be or using economic force to bully other countries into submission. To take away the freedom to learn and to investigate universities that study subjects he disagrees with, thus starting the process of having students learn only what he and his cronies want them to learn. Even hints that federal funding could be withdrawn from states that don’t bend the knee.
If we want to call a spade a spade, being blunt and honest, we cannot be afraid of the elephant in the room, which is to identify what Trump’s goals and beliefs are. That’s for people more expert to decide. But we do know that Trump wants credit for all that is good and to distance himself from all that is bad.
