Out in the open
The ex-president's plan to turn a potential second term into an unprecedented, terrifying consolidation and expansion of executive power is no secret: it's a feature of the campaign.
Dear friends - we encountered disturbing revelations this week that, even as the former president was notified of being a “target” in the investigation into the January 6 violent insurrection, he and his allies were openly trumpeting their plans to install nearly unlimited presidential power if he wins in 2024.
You have to wonder whether future generations will read about this time and shake their heads with pity, shocked that their ancestors could be so duped, much as I recall my reactions to learning about the ways the fascists took power in the 1920s and 1930s Germany and Italy.
Couldn’t they see it? I would wonder. So much of it was right out in the open.
Well, here we are.
Bringing independent federal agencies to heel by requiring presidential review and approval. Allowing civil servants to be fired if they opposed a presidential agenda. Refusing to allow funds legally allocated by Congress to be spent as intended. These are all proclaimed proudly and openly in campaign rallies, web sites, and interviews.
It’s worth saying again: single-party rule and unchecked executive power never save a nation. They are always and only about dominance and corruption.
Such an agenda coming from the campaign of an individual who is a target in a special counsel investigation into the attempted overthrow of a free and fair election should raise loud alarm bells no matter what party affiliation or political-economic philosophy you adhere to.
And yet, the campaign believes being open about their intentions will solidify support from their voters.
So far, there is mostly silence, or support, from Republican so-called leaders as their presumptive nominee lays out a road map for dictatorship.
It’s right out in the open. Will we see it, and act?
Thank you for your company on this journey. Link to source after the photo.
The NYT article that examines the plans to consolidate and expand executive power in a second administration:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/us/politics/trump-plans-2025.html