Submitted by Tyler
Durden on 07/17/2015
One of the reasons we write is rooted in our
deep fear of what might emerge after the current paradigm collapses.
We have no doubt something very different is coming, we just desperately
want that thing to be freedom, free markets and prosperity as opposed to
the disaster that a $2 despot like Trump would bring. His ascension in the
polls is very troubling, and makes us wonder whether the public will
ultimately choose to rally behind some statist-demagogue wrapped in an American
flag when things get bad enough, as opposed to something far more
difficult: Liberty. We fear they may eventually choose
someone like Donald Trump.
Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
It’s not too interesting to say that Donald Trump is a nationalist and
aspiring despot who is manipulating bourgeois resentment, nativism, and
ignorance to feed his power lust. It’s uninteresting because it is obviously
true. It’s so true that stating it sounds more like an observation than a
criticism.
Lovers of freedom need to confront the views of a man with views like
this. What’s more, of all the speeches I heard at FreedomFest, I learned more
from this one than any other. I heard, for the first time in my life, what a modern
iteration of a consistently statist but non-leftist outlook on politics sounds
and feels like in our own time.
What’s distinct about Trumpism, and the tradition of thought it
represents, is that it is non-leftist in its cultural and political outlook and
yet still totalitarian in the sense that it seeks total control of society and
economy and places no limits on state power. The left has long waged war on
bourgeois institutions like family, church, and property. In contrast, right
fascism has made its peace with all three. It (very wisely) seeks political
strategies that call on the organic matter of the social structure and inspire
masses of people to rally around the nation as a personified ideal in history,
under the leadership of a great and highly accomplished man.
Trump believes himself to be that man.
–
From Jeffrey Tucker’s absolutely brilliant, must read, Trumpism: The Ideology
The
Huffington Post caused a bit of a media storm earlier today with its
announcement that it would be covering Trump’s presidential campaign in the
entertainment section. Here’s the
announcement:
After watching and listening to Donald Trump since he announced
his candidacy for president, we have decided we won’t report on
Trump’s campaign as part of The Huffington Post’s political coverage. Instead,
we will cover his campaign as part of our Entertainment section. Our reason is
simple: Trump’s campaign is a sideshow. We won’t take the bait. If you are
interested in what The Donald has to say, you’ll find it next to our stories on
the Kardashians and The Bachelorette.
Unfortunately,
I have to disagree with this assessment. Trump may be a “joke” to
people who see right through what he’s doing, but he’s no joke to his growing
number of supporters. The Huffington Post would do far more
good covering him religiously, while discrediting him every step of the
way. Mocking him will only reflexively boost his support amongst an
increasingly desperate and confused citizenry. As much as I wish he
were a joke, he’s not. In fact, he’s very real and very dangerous.
Fortunately,
Jeffrey Tucker at Liberty.me has penned a piece on Trump that is at the same
time brilliant, incisive and necessary. He wrote the article on Trump I
wish I had. If we are to ultimately choose liberty as opposed to Trump’s
American brand of right-of-center statism, we much expose him for what he is in
the context of history. Mocking him, ignoring him and hoping he just goes away
silently into the night will not be enough.
Now
here are some excerpts from Mr. Tucker’s excellent article: Trumpism: The Ideology
It’s not too interesting to say that Donald Trump is a nationalist and
aspiring despot who is manipulating bourgeois resentment, nativism, and
ignorance to feed his power lust. It’s uninteresting because it is obviously
true. It’s so true that stating it sounds more like an observation than a
criticism.
I just heard Trump speak live. It was an awesome experience, like an
interwar séance of once-powerful dictators who inspired multitudes, drove
countries into the ground, and died grim deaths.
The ideology is a 21st century version of right fascism — one of the
most politically successful ideological strains of 20th century politics. Though hardly anyone talks about it today, we really
should. It is still real. It exists. It is distinct. It is not going away. Trump has tapped into it, absorbing unto his own
political ambitions every conceivable bourgeois resentment: race, class, sex,
religion, economic. You would have to be hopelessly ignorant of modern history
not to see the outlines and where they end up.
For now, Trump seems more like comedy than reality. I want to laugh
about what he said, like reading a comic-book version of Franco, Mussolini, or
Hitler. And truly I did laugh, as when he denounced the existence of tech
support in India that serves American companies (“how can it be cheaper to call
people there than here?” — as if he still thinks that long-distance charges
apply).
Let’s hope this laughter doesn’t turn to tears.
Lovers of freedom need to confront the views of a man with views like
this. What’s more, of all the speeches I heard at FreedomFest, I learned more
from this one than any other. I heard, for the first time in my life, what a
modern iteration of a consistently statist but non-leftist outlook on politics
sounds and feels like in our own time. And I watched as most of the audience
undulated between delight and disgust — with perhaps only 10% actually cheering
his descent into vituperative anti-intellectualism. That was gratifying.
As of this writing, Trump is leading in the polls in the Republican
field. He is hated by the media, which is a plus for the hoi polloi in the GOP.
He says things he should not, which is also a plus for his supporters. He is
brilliant at making belligerent noises rather than having worked out policy
plans. He knows that real people don’t care about the details; they only want a
strongman who shares their values. He makes fun of the intellectuals, of
course, as all populists must do. Along with this penchant, Trump encourages a kind of
nihilistic throwing out of rationality in favor of a trust in his own genius.
And people respond, as we can see.
So, what does Trump actually believe? He does have a philosophy, though
it takes a bit of insight and historical understanding to discern it. Of course
race baiting is essential to the ideology, and there was plenty of that. When a Hispanic man asked a question, Trump
interrupted him and asked if he had been sent by the Mexican government. He
took it a step further, dividing blacks from Hispanics by inviting a black man
to the microphone to tell how his own son was killed by an illegal immigrant.
Trump also tosses little bones to the Christian Right, enough to allow
them to believe that he represents their interests. Yes, it’s implausible and
hilarious. But the crowd who looks for this is easily won with winks and
nudges, and those he did give. At the speech I heard, he railed against ISIS
and its war against Christians, pointing out further than he is a Presbyterian
and thus personally affected every time ISIS beheads a Christian. This entire
section of his speech was structured to rally the nationalist Christian strain
that was the bulwark of support for the last four Republican presidents.
But as much as racialist and religious resentment is part of his
rhetorical apparatus, it is not his core. His core is about business, his own
business and his acumen thereof. He is living proof that being a successful
capitalist is no predictor of one’s appreciation for an actual free market (stealing not
trading is more his style). It only implies a love of money and a longing for the power that comes
with it. Trump has both.
In effect, he believes that he is running to be the CEO of the country —
not just of the government (as Ross Perot once believed) but of the entire
country. In this capacity, he believes that he will make deals with other
countries that cause the U.S. to come out on top, whatever that could mean. He
conjures up visions of himself or one of his associates sitting across the
table from some Indian or Chinese leader and making wild demands that they will
buy such and such amount of product else “we” won’t buy their product.
Yes, it’s bizarre. As Nick Gillespie said, he has a tenuous grasp on
reality. Trade theory from hundreds of years plays no role in his thinking at
all. To him, America is a homogenous unit, no different from his own business
enterprise. With his run for president, he is really making a takeover bid, not
just for another company to own but for an entire country to manage from the
top down, under his proven and brilliant record of business negotiation,
acquisition, and management.
What’s distinct about Trumpism, and the tradition of thought it
represents, is that it is non-leftist in its cultural and political outlook and
yet still totalitarian in the sense that it seeks total control of society and
economy and places no limits on state power. The left has long waged war on
bourgeois institutions like family, church, and property. In contrast, right
fascism has made its peace with all three. It (very wisely) seeks political strategies
that call on the organic matter of the social structure and inspire masses of
people to rally around the nation as a personified ideal in history, under the
leadership of a great and highly accomplished man.
Trump believes himself to be that man.
He sounds fresh, exciting, even thrilling, like a man with a plan and a
complete disregard for the existing establishment and all its weakness and
corruption. This is how strongmen take over countries. They say some true
things, boldly, and conjure up visions of national greatness under their
leadership. They’ve got the flags, the music, the hype, the hysteria, the
resources, and they work to extract that thing in many people that seeks heroes
and momentous struggles in which they can prove their greatness.
This is a dark history and I seriously doubt that Trump himself is aware
of it. Instead, he just makes it up as he goes along, speaking from his gut.
This penchant has always served him well. It cannot serve a whole nation well.
Indeed, the very prospect is terrifying, and not just for the immigrant groups
and imports he has chosen to scapegoat for all the country’s problems. It’s a
disaster in waiting for everyone.
The
main reason I chose to start this blog in the first place, was rooted
in my deep fear of what might emerge after the current paradigm
collapses. I have no doubt something very different is coming, I just
desperately want that thing to be freedom, free markets and prosperity as
opposed to the disaster that a $2 despot like Trump would bring. His
ascension in the polls is very troubling, and makes me wonder whether the
public will ultimately choose to rally behind some statist-demagogue wrapped in
an American flag when things get bad enough, as opposed to something far more
difficult: Liberty. I fear they may eventually choose someone
like Donald Trump.
TRUMP JUMPS TO FIRST
PLACE...
{ Wow! … How irrevocably far america’s fallen … ny/american mobster don … you
must complete your fourth reich aspiration by writing your ‘Mein Kampf’ from
inside a jail cell … paralleling your idol, adolph, whose orations you
obsessively listened to for inspiration (from author O’Donnell as per Ivanna
Trump) … Trumped: The Inside Story of the Real Donald Trump by John
R. O'Donnell }
Leaves third-party door
open...