Trump our very own Plato's Tyrrant?

When Plato’s tyrant first comes to power — on a wave of populist hatred of the existing elites — there is a period of relative calm when he just gives away stuff...

This is the second phase of tyranny, after the more benign settling-in: the purge. Any constraints that had been in place to moderate the tyrant’s whims are set aside...

If Mueller really does have the goods, and if the Democrats storm back into congressional power, then Trump may well lash out to protect himself at all costs. We know he has no concern for the collateral damage his self-advancement has long caused in his private and public life. We know he has contempt for and boundless ignorance of liberal democracy. We know he is capable of anything — of immense cruelty and callousness, of petty revenge and reckless rhetoric, of sudden impulses and a quick temper. We also know he is commander-in-chief, who may soon need the greatest distraction of all.

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calamity said:

Sure. I certainly see the similarities.

America Takes the Next Step Toward Tyranny



War, baby. Who doubts that this is not Trump's end game?

And, Righties, I have news for ya. If we start a war now, we lose.

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Glen Contrarian said:

I must admit, I am concerned that if the Dems take back the House (and perhaps the Senate) later this year, Trump may become yet more unhinged and self-isolated, and there's no telling what he will do. This is even more of a concern if and when he is impeached by the Democratic-controlled House next year. If, however, he does last until 2020, I'd give it even odds that he'd find a way to postpone or even cancel the election. From The Atlantic:

...two professors revealed the results of a poll that asked some Republican voters that question. Using a scientific online survey, the authors asked GOP supporters whether they’d be willing to postpone voting in the 2020 election if President Trump said it was necessary to make sure only eligible voters participated. More than half—52 percent—said they would, and that number bumped up to 56 percent in a scenario in which congressional Republicans agreed with the president.

To be sure, I place little stock in online polls...but looking at Trump's narcissism and particularly his obvious fear of exposure and prosecution, I really think there's a significant possibility that he might do just that.

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