The good news is that both Capitalism and Democracy are designed to channel selfish desires to socially useful purposes. The bad news is that it's not possible to do so perfectly.
Well written, well crafted analysis. He is about Trump, and only Trump. Just a new flavor of the same narcissistic political opportunists we love so much.
I thought you were going somewhere with this article and it turned out to be Trump cynicism. I grant you that Trump is always for and always will be for Trump… but he is also a populist and I do believe he is also a dyed-in-the-wool American that puts America and Americans first.
That President Trump is America first, and Americans first, is in large part why they hate him - other than the fact that he is undoing their entie system of corruption. The other side hates America. They hate western values. They hate our system of freedom. This is all well seen through the far left's connection with radical Islam. Despite the fact that Islam hates the American left because of its positions on all things that are antithetical to Islam, the two still have a shared hatred for western values and American freedom (that whole 'enemy of my enemy is my friends' concept). The Amrican left is just too ignorant to realize that, if radical Islam were to succeed in its objectives to fly their flag over the US White House and establish their worldwide caliphate, the left would be the next to be pushed off the rooftops of buildings and stoned to death.
“It Can’t Happen Here”: It is Happening but We’re All in Denial
(Several days ago I penned the following post. After reading Philip O’Reilly’s “Fascist or Communist?” I added the above subtitle because many of you are in denial about Trump.)
The other day my friend Philip O’Reilly (Hoist the Black Flag) was critical (with good reason) of a Substack post with an apocalyptic image; the caption reads: “We Live In A Fascist Nation. What Now?”
Hyperbole?—absolutely.
The actual title may tell you everything you need to know about this post—“I researched every attempt to stop fascism in history. The success rate is 0%.” (Subtitle: “Once they win elections, it’s already too late.”
Before you scoff (maybe you won’t), this post has more than 12,000 likes.
Phil made the following comments in his note:
“I won’t say “you’re either very bad at research or you’re a blatant liar.”
But only because you might be both.”
I remember reading after Donald Trump won for the first time in 2016, that there was a renewed interest in Sinclair Lewis’ novel, It Can’t Happen Here.
What follows are my comments to Phil’s original note about this insane post. There were two other comments to my note, and my response.
Does this sound familiar to anyone?
It Can't Happen Here is a 1935 dystopian novel by Sinclair Lewis that serves as a cautionary tale about the rise of American fascism, depicting a charismatic demagogue, Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, who is legitimately elected President and subsequently establishes a fascist dictatorship. The story, told through the perspective of newspaper editor Doremus Jessup, shows how political apathy, polarization, and propaganda can erode democratic institutions, leading to a society where dissent is suppressed and human rights are violated. Lewis's novel warns that democracy is fragile and can be subverted from within by exploiting citizens' fears and desires for order, making it crucial for the public to remain vigilant and engaged.
“Interesting. It would seem the electorate took that task to heart in 2024.” (Jim on Substack)
“It certainly can happen here. We were quickly headed that way under Biden, and would have continued under Harris.” (John F on Substack)
My response:
“And we’re NOT under Trump?!
Please don’t mistake me. The problem isn’t Trump (or Biden or Harris); the problem is the electorate—We the People are the problem.
Trump is the blunt weapon of one side of the same coin or body politic.
We created these types of “rulers” who come to power and take back what’s been lost in one cycle of elections (only to lose it in another cycle). That’s not liberty; that’s a system of control—the polar opposite of freedom.
Once upon a time, Warren and Coolidge ran on a platform that promised the “return to normalcy”.
Warren Harding's "Return to Normalcy" platform promised a shift away from the Wilson administration's Progressive era policies and international entanglements, advocating for a return to traditional American values and limited government intervention through a laissez-faire economic approach. This platform resonated with voters by promising stability, a reduction in government activism, and a focus on domestic prosperity after the turmoil of World War I. Calvin Coolidge, who succeeded Harding, continued this ideology, emphasizing business-friendly policies, limited federal spending, and fiscal responsibility, thus solidifying the return to normalcy as a dominant theme in the 1920s.
This is where we once were as a country (as Americans), and if we don’t turn back, it WILL HAPPEN HERE.”
Now Trump is in his second and final term (maybe?!) as president. I’m pretty sure he is better than the alternative. But I’ll leave it to each reader to judge for themselves.
PS—Someone on Substack (I believe in was John F) responded: “No, we’re not under Trump.” But when I looked later for it, that comment was gone (deleted?). Maybe John changed his mind?
PPS—I wrote my original post before the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who I admired and respected for the way debated all comers—always with respect. Sadly, I fear this tragedy has given authoritarians inside government more political propaganda to federalize policing throughout the U.S. Remember what almost happened at the end of the Hunger Games trilogy: President Coin informs the seven surviving victors that she is declaring herself interim President of Panem because “it is clear that the people are far too emotional to make a rational decision”. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe everything will be fine. But just in case, better start training your children in Krav Maga—no pun intended(?).
I think you hit the nail on the head with "The problem isn’t Trump (or Biden or Harris); the problem is the electorate—We the People are the problem."
I spent all of 2024 criticizing Biden/Harris but now that I'm holding Trump up to high standards... well you can read some of the other comments for yourself.
Judge the policies and actions of politicians. If you idolize them you're a fool.
I completely disagree with everything about this post. What I read is another rehashed diatribe of grievances from the long entrenched infiltration into the US, and world for thag matter, that has lost so much power and influence over a people who have been awakened to the dark and sinister realities of this world. Now that a majority of the world has been shown and exposed to the true evils that we have all been faced with, what you're seeing is a complete rejection of the many lies and deceitful actions imposed upon us. Now that we are aware, we can't be manipulated in the ways that 'the powers that be' wish for us to. If there were a single ounce of wisdom amongst them, they would have known that their time would come. After all, the only way that they could have ever been successful (from their depraved perspective), is for all their works to have been done in shadows, out of public view, behind closed doors, in secrecy, outside the spotlight, and away from sunlight. But to all of our great fortune, both a door and window were opened and today, the sunlight is revealing all.
You're right, Trump has been the central political figure for the past decade. I woul imagine that absent every manufactured and illegitimate scam ir hoax that thd democrat party foisted upon him, the past decade woul have been far less of a highlight in US history. But, we needed for everything that occurred over the past decade to happen. How else would the nation abd world seen? These things can't just simply be told to people - people actually have to see these things with their own eyes. How else would criminals be caught by their crimes unless they are given sufficient rope to allow the to commit crimes? And how else could President Trump allow for new judicial precedent to be set - precedent that will inevitably be used against the very criminals, who through their own crimes, created thd very precedents that will be used to convict them?
Fuck 4D chess - this is 5D chess, bitch.
There is no doubt that, with as many moving parts as there are, this entire picture can be very disorienting. This is exactly why we have the US Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and useful reference materials such as the US Federal Registry and 2015-16 Revised Department of Defense Law of War Manual all at our disposal for study and research any time one chooses to. These, along with a thorough review of all Presidetial Executive Orders, and a healthy understanding of US Civil Law, the UCMJ, and the differences between the two will all Mae matters much more clear and understandable to most.
Personally, I detest your characterization of President Trump. But I would expect nothing less from his foes. You are right that President Trump seeks faithful loyalists. What leader in history didn't? Without loyalists, your cause has no support. Seems like this would make the cause entirely in vain, no? This common allegation of Trump being only 'all about himself' is laughable. I've never seen or known anyone soley into themselves who somehow managed to raise a great family, to be sk charitable, or even to fight for the protection of human life and thd sanctity of life, or offload massive amounts kf power of the federal government to be taken by all states as according to our 10A state's rights.
Is it time now to ask, "has the entrenchment now been so demonitized, defunded, and had so much power and access removed from them that they are now whiddled down to substack hit jobs and mischaracterizations?" I guess time will tell.
I've always considered Trump as a loose cannon populist, devoid of political and economic principles. His trade policies are Peronist. His pluses are he's not woke nor into the nihilism of the left (open borders, DEI, gender pretense, cultural Marxism, etc). I had hopes he would bring the troops home and attempt to balance the budget but he's doubled down hoping his tariffs will fill the gap and he will get stagflation instead. The US is just another bankrupt welfare state in transition from what was formerly a republic and now a democracy (see Alexander Tytler's end stage of all democracies) to tyranny. And Canada is essentially a more woke and nihilist version of the same, going mindlessly into the second decade of capital flight. Fascism, by Mussolini's definition, is globally ubiquitous. How does one single out a fascist when they are all fascists and where now the only free markets exist in the underground economy.
Trump is not any kind of saint but did you really want FJB, Kamala, BHO, and Hillary in charge. They never admitted that they opened the borders for mass illegal immigration. The Donald stopped that cold!
They never uttered the DIE gospel until they were in power, the Donald simply made it clear that racial discrimination is illegal and is stopping it.
Trump will never be canonized but he is doing what he said.
It is possible - very likely - that all are bad. As I wrote later in the piece:
"I spent much of last year arguing that Trump was a better candidate than Harris. Who knows, I may even have been right. Counterfactuals are hypothetical and consequently unprovable. It’s impossible to say if Harris would have been worse. The only thing I can be certain of is that Trump has been bad. Very bad."
This is not a "I prefer x over y" piece, it's an assessment of his behavior.
The good news is that both Capitalism and Democracy are designed to channel selfish desires to socially useful purposes. The bad news is that it's not possible to do so perfectly.
Well said.
Well written, well crafted analysis. He is about Trump, and only Trump. Just a new flavor of the same narcissistic political opportunists we love so much.
Thanks.
I thought you were going somewhere with this article and it turned out to be Trump cynicism. I grant you that Trump is always for and always will be for Trump… but he is also a populist and I do believe he is also a dyed-in-the-wool American that puts America and Americans first.
We agree that he's a populist.
As to putting America first... I remain skeptical.
I might be convinced he puts America second after himself but even then you have an uphill battle on your hands.
I appreciate the unemotional response Dave.
That President Trump is America first, and Americans first, is in large part why they hate him - other than the fact that he is undoing their entie system of corruption. The other side hates America. They hate western values. They hate our system of freedom. This is all well seen through the far left's connection with radical Islam. Despite the fact that Islam hates the American left because of its positions on all things that are antithetical to Islam, the two still have a shared hatred for western values and American freedom (that whole 'enemy of my enemy is my friends' concept). The Amrican left is just too ignorant to realize that, if radical Islam were to succeed in its objectives to fly their flag over the US White House and establish their worldwide caliphate, the left would be the next to be pushed off the rooftops of buildings and stoned to death.
“It Can’t Happen Here”: It is Happening but We’re All in Denial
(Several days ago I penned the following post. After reading Philip O’Reilly’s “Fascist or Communist?” I added the above subtitle because many of you are in denial about Trump.)
The other day my friend Philip O’Reilly (Hoist the Black Flag) was critical (with good reason) of a Substack post with an apocalyptic image; the caption reads: “We Live In A Fascist Nation. What Now?”
Hyperbole?—absolutely.
The actual title may tell you everything you need to know about this post—“I researched every attempt to stop fascism in history. The success rate is 0%.” (Subtitle: “Once they win elections, it’s already too late.”
Before you scoff (maybe you won’t), this post has more than 12,000 likes.
Phil made the following comments in his note:
“I won’t say “you’re either very bad at research or you’re a blatant liar.”
But only because you might be both.”
I remember reading after Donald Trump won for the first time in 2016, that there was a renewed interest in Sinclair Lewis’ novel, It Can’t Happen Here.
What follows are my comments to Phil’s original note about this insane post. There were two other comments to my note, and my response.
Does this sound familiar to anyone?
It Can't Happen Here is a 1935 dystopian novel by Sinclair Lewis that serves as a cautionary tale about the rise of American fascism, depicting a charismatic demagogue, Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, who is legitimately elected President and subsequently establishes a fascist dictatorship. The story, told through the perspective of newspaper editor Doremus Jessup, shows how political apathy, polarization, and propaganda can erode democratic institutions, leading to a society where dissent is suppressed and human rights are violated. Lewis's novel warns that democracy is fragile and can be subverted from within by exploiting citizens' fears and desires for order, making it crucial for the public to remain vigilant and engaged.
“Interesting. It would seem the electorate took that task to heart in 2024.” (Jim on Substack)
“It certainly can happen here. We were quickly headed that way under Biden, and would have continued under Harris.” (John F on Substack)
My response:
“And we’re NOT under Trump?!
Please don’t mistake me. The problem isn’t Trump (or Biden or Harris); the problem is the electorate—We the People are the problem.
Trump is the blunt weapon of one side of the same coin or body politic.
We created these types of “rulers” who come to power and take back what’s been lost in one cycle of elections (only to lose it in another cycle). That’s not liberty; that’s a system of control—the polar opposite of freedom.
Once upon a time, Warren and Coolidge ran on a platform that promised the “return to normalcy”.
Warren Harding's "Return to Normalcy" platform promised a shift away from the Wilson administration's Progressive era policies and international entanglements, advocating for a return to traditional American values and limited government intervention through a laissez-faire economic approach. This platform resonated with voters by promising stability, a reduction in government activism, and a focus on domestic prosperity after the turmoil of World War I. Calvin Coolidge, who succeeded Harding, continued this ideology, emphasizing business-friendly policies, limited federal spending, and fiscal responsibility, thus solidifying the return to normalcy as a dominant theme in the 1920s.
This is where we once were as a country (as Americans), and if we don’t turn back, it WILL HAPPEN HERE.”
Now Trump is in his second and final term (maybe?!) as president. I’m pretty sure he is better than the alternative. But I’ll leave it to each reader to judge for themselves.
PS—Someone on Substack (I believe in was John F) responded: “No, we’re not under Trump.” But when I looked later for it, that comment was gone (deleted?). Maybe John changed his mind?
PPS—I wrote my original post before the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who I admired and respected for the way debated all comers—always with respect. Sadly, I fear this tragedy has given authoritarians inside government more political propaganda to federalize policing throughout the U.S. Remember what almost happened at the end of the Hunger Games trilogy: President Coin informs the seven surviving victors that she is declaring herself interim President of Panem because “it is clear that the people are far too emotional to make a rational decision”. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe everything will be fine. But just in case, better start training your children in Krav Maga—no pun intended(?).
Thanks Daniel.
I think you hit the nail on the head with "The problem isn’t Trump (or Biden or Harris); the problem is the electorate—We the People are the problem."
I spent all of 2024 criticizing Biden/Harris but now that I'm holding Trump up to high standards... well you can read some of the other comments for yourself.
Judge the policies and actions of politicians. If you idolize them you're a fool.
I just read through the comments and I must say I’m a little bit concerned for you.
lol. I'm sure I'll take a hit in subscribers but it's not like I'm the host of a late night show. ;)
Phil,
Exactly! I don’t know why people can’t be objective (actually that’s not true—we both know why).
PS—I have moved the chance of a political coup to 5%.
Is that up or down?
Up!
I completely disagree with everything about this post. What I read is another rehashed diatribe of grievances from the long entrenched infiltration into the US, and world for thag matter, that has lost so much power and influence over a people who have been awakened to the dark and sinister realities of this world. Now that a majority of the world has been shown and exposed to the true evils that we have all been faced with, what you're seeing is a complete rejection of the many lies and deceitful actions imposed upon us. Now that we are aware, we can't be manipulated in the ways that 'the powers that be' wish for us to. If there were a single ounce of wisdom amongst them, they would have known that their time would come. After all, the only way that they could have ever been successful (from their depraved perspective), is for all their works to have been done in shadows, out of public view, behind closed doors, in secrecy, outside the spotlight, and away from sunlight. But to all of our great fortune, both a door and window were opened and today, the sunlight is revealing all.
You're right, Trump has been the central political figure for the past decade. I woul imagine that absent every manufactured and illegitimate scam ir hoax that thd democrat party foisted upon him, the past decade woul have been far less of a highlight in US history. But, we needed for everything that occurred over the past decade to happen. How else would the nation abd world seen? These things can't just simply be told to people - people actually have to see these things with their own eyes. How else would criminals be caught by their crimes unless they are given sufficient rope to allow the to commit crimes? And how else could President Trump allow for new judicial precedent to be set - precedent that will inevitably be used against the very criminals, who through their own crimes, created thd very precedents that will be used to convict them?
Fuck 4D chess - this is 5D chess, bitch.
There is no doubt that, with as many moving parts as there are, this entire picture can be very disorienting. This is exactly why we have the US Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and useful reference materials such as the US Federal Registry and 2015-16 Revised Department of Defense Law of War Manual all at our disposal for study and research any time one chooses to. These, along with a thorough review of all Presidetial Executive Orders, and a healthy understanding of US Civil Law, the UCMJ, and the differences between the two will all Mae matters much more clear and understandable to most.
Personally, I detest your characterization of President Trump. But I would expect nothing less from his foes. You are right that President Trump seeks faithful loyalists. What leader in history didn't? Without loyalists, your cause has no support. Seems like this would make the cause entirely in vain, no? This common allegation of Trump being only 'all about himself' is laughable. I've never seen or known anyone soley into themselves who somehow managed to raise a great family, to be sk charitable, or even to fight for the protection of human life and thd sanctity of life, or offload massive amounts kf power of the federal government to be taken by all states as according to our 10A state's rights.
Is it time now to ask, "has the entrenchment now been so demonitized, defunded, and had so much power and access removed from them that they are now whiddled down to substack hit jobs and mischaracterizations?" I guess time will tell.
I've always considered Trump as a loose cannon populist, devoid of political and economic principles. His trade policies are Peronist. His pluses are he's not woke nor into the nihilism of the left (open borders, DEI, gender pretense, cultural Marxism, etc). I had hopes he would bring the troops home and attempt to balance the budget but he's doubled down hoping his tariffs will fill the gap and he will get stagflation instead. The US is just another bankrupt welfare state in transition from what was formerly a republic and now a democracy (see Alexander Tytler's end stage of all democracies) to tyranny. And Canada is essentially a more woke and nihilist version of the same, going mindlessly into the second decade of capital flight. Fascism, by Mussolini's definition, is globally ubiquitous. How does one single out a fascist when they are all fascists and where now the only free markets exist in the underground economy.
Trump is not any kind of saint but did you really want FJB, Kamala, BHO, and Hillary in charge. They never admitted that they opened the borders for mass illegal immigration. The Donald stopped that cold!
They never uttered the DIE gospel until they were in power, the Donald simply made it clear that racial discrimination is illegal and is stopping it.
Trump will never be canonized but he is doing what he said.
It is possible - very likely - that all are bad. As I wrote later in the piece:
"I spent much of last year arguing that Trump was a better candidate than Harris. Who knows, I may even have been right. Counterfactuals are hypothetical and consequently unprovable. It’s impossible to say if Harris would have been worse. The only thing I can be certain of is that Trump has been bad. Very bad."
This is not a "I prefer x over y" piece, it's an assessment of his behavior.
Thanks for the comment and for reading!