Authoritarianism in America IS Alive: And It Isn’t in Donald Trump

Have I Missed Something?

First, in spite of all the noise of what was to be a heavy-handed presidency led by Donald Trump, we’ve seen a universal governing style by this president showing an undeniable commitment to democratic rule. As compared to the governing of his predecessor, Donald Trump, again and again, has railed against the top-down government from Washington, encouraging states over and over to take charge of their decision-making in governing themselves. He has lashed out at the Congressional control of Nancy Pelosi and others that almost daily stifle attempts by states and voters to push back against Big Government overreach.

Pelosi is the Congressional power jockey who in every piece of legislation proposed in the House under her leadership floods each bill with outlandish spending proposals that seldom have anything to do with assistance for everyday Americans. They almost always favor big campaign spenders and wealthy Democrat Party donors that most Americans are certain are just paybacks from the House Speaker.

Secondly, the Harvard scholars have confused Mr. Trump’s analyses of his opponent’s lack of governing proficiency for denying their legitimacy. Let’s face facts: just because someone is inept and unqualified in no way means they are illegitimate. He just as many Americans who are voters often question “capabilities” of his opponents and the opponents of other candidates. That’s not questioning legitimacy. It’s questioning capabilities to perform the tasks included in the position they seek. Doing so is actually an integral part of Democracy.

Regarding violence, Mr. Trump continually lashes out against ALL violence. He has never tolerated it and has taken dramatic steps to combat it numerous times with the authority of a U.S. President but always within his Constitutional authority. The recent responses to looting and rioting in several large U.S. cities show his demeanor is certainly not that of an authoritarian.

Finally, any allegation of attempts on his part to limit the civil liberties of any opponents is laughable. He certainly points out the fallacies of numerous opponents both political and media. But doing so is vastly different from “stifling” or “limiting” civil rights.

There ARE Plenty of American Authoritarians

They are everywhere! And we watch as they reveal their evils over and over in very public and demonstrative ways. They are not ALL in politics. But they ALL are in positions of power and seldom miss an opportunity to exert their powers over others. Do you want a few examples?

• A Louisiana professor called on her colleagues to keep a list of students who engage in “hate speech” and “drop” them from classes at the public university after George Floyd’s death. Louisiana State University Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Alyssa Johnson made the comments after the school’s official Twitter responded to those calls, saying, “we are subject to the constitutional limitation on our ability to take action in response to free speech.”

  Johnson wrote, in a now-deleted tweet: “If @LSU won’t take action, we as professors can. Keeping a list of names and if I see them enrolled in my course, I will drop them. It’s not just free speech, it’s hate speech and it’s a threat to student safety. #safespace #BlackLivesMatter”

• Another professor in Johnson’s department, LSU Associate Professor William T. Doerrler, responded to another deleted tweet, writing: “Thank you!! If he enrolls in my class I’ll drop him too!”
• The myriad of actions taken by governors and mayors during the COVID-19 pandemic have already resulted in lawsuits filed against states, counties, and cities for violating the Constitutional rights of citizens. The political leaders (none of which are the President) who are subjects of this litigation somehow draw their power to take such actions with total disregard for the infringement of citizens’ rights drawing from a mythical authority to do so because of the pandemic. In almost every case, one individual or a small group determines what action is necessary and initiates that action. These perfectly fit the definition of authoritarianism as described by these Harvard political scientists.
• A Barack Obama rogue Department of Justice in conjunction with his FBI trampled all over the Constitutional rights of numerous members of the Trump Campaign when conducting illegal activities designed specifically to overturn the democratic election of a U.S. president. Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee were not only complicit in the attempted coup, but actually funded the production of false documents with which to initiate the attack.

Summary

There are two things many on the Left politically have either forgotten or never knew were factual. They have been mentioned numerous times here at TruthNewsNetwork. But in this environment and with these nonstop allegations against the President, it makes sense to repeat them:

1. “Just because one thinks something is right doesn’t mean it is right.”
2. “Just because one thinks something is wrong doesn’t mean it is wrong.”

Rather than relying on facts and reason, many in this charged political environment have abandoned reason and the pursuit of facts with which to form legitimate perspectives, we are daily witnessing the cries of a Mob’s desperation to attack this President just because of their dislike and disdain. But their emotional state is no basis for a Constitutional attack on individual Americans or their legal rights.

I have been patiently waiting for four years for those legal and political scholars to publish their narratives in support of the expressions of Constitutional rights guaranteed in the First Ten Amendments. I as of today have seen or heard none! Instead, the talking heads of the Left — the Mainstream Media — parrot the hollow threats in non-stop attacks against the Rule of Law, Equal Justice under the Law, and the freedoms retained by the States for the People contained individually and collectively in the First Ten Amendments.

Do you know why Jefferson was adamant to detail the specific authorities and rights our forefathers were NOT giving to the federal government but rather were specifically retained by the States? Because he knew actions, like we see playing out daily, would happen at some point in the future. He and others were adamant that they would guarantee future generations would NOT experience the authoritarian rule that crushed the spirits of individuals in Europe. That crushing was the final straw that led them to the New World. And they made certain it would never be infringed by any leaders in government, education, or business in America.

I’m not surprised by the authoritarian allegations made by the two Harvard scholars against Donald Trump. But I’m ashamed to hear that LSU professors have fallen into that trap. (I’m a rabid LSU supporter: Geaux Tigers!)