Sunday, April 1, 2018

Bill Crawford: Will Trump's strongman example become U.S. norm?

Dictators rule. In the U.S., presidents are supposed to govern. The differences between ruling and governing are stark, e.g., Russia's Vladimir Putin rules, Germany's Angela Merkel governs.
 
Unlike Ronald Reagan, our current president just doesn't get it. President Donald Trump tends to praise the Putins and disdain the Merkels.
 "President Donald Trump's affinity for authoritarian leaders across the globe has been one of the few constants during his chaotic first few months in office," CNN reported. "From Russian President Vladimir Putin to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Trump has gone out of his way to lavish praise on some of the world's most notorious strongmen."
 
In 2016 Trump told NBC news regarding Putin, "He is really very much of a leader. I mean, you can say, 'Oh, isn't that a terrible thing' – the man has very strong control over a country.
 
In November 2017 he boasted of having "great relationships" with Philippine despot Rodrigo Duterte and China strongman Xi Jinping. He also touted his “great friendship” with Turkey dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
 
Meanwhile, Trump has literally given Merkel the cold shoulder, even refusing to shake her hand at a White House meeting last year.
 
In February, Trump allegedly lost his temper in a call with Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto that resulted in a cancelled state visit to the White House. A year ago, an angry Trump cut short a phone call with Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. (A meeting last month seemed to ease tensions, but reports indicated serious divisions remain.)
 
Dictators set policy. Leaders who govern have to work with other factions and often must seek compromise to establish policy.
 
Could it be that Trump admires dictators' power and resents having to work with others to get his way?
 
Earlier this month when China's Xi got himself anointed president for life, Trump commented, "He was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot someday.”
 
It's no secret Trump has been dissatisfied with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He regularly slams him on Twitter. In January news reports said Trump complained he couldn't get his appointees at the Department of Justice "to do my bidding."  In December, he told a NY Times reporter, ""I have absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department."
 
Lately, Trump has begun to shed leaders in his administration who don’t exactly do his bidding. Earlier this month he abruptly fired National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Gary Cohn quit as director of the National Economic Council and top White House Economic Advisor.
 
Then, there were his controversial firings of FBI Director James Comey, who wouldn’t drop his Russia investigation, and Acting Attorney General Sally Yates after she refused to defend Trump's original immigrant travel ban.
 
The U.S. presidency was designed to be held by a leader who governs, not a dictator who rules. 

How far Congress and the American people will let Trump go before reining in his strongman tendencies, is one question. 

A more important one may be, will Trump's strongman example become the norm for future U.S. leaders.
 
 
Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

As opposed to Barak "Constitution shredder" Obama?
Pay more attention to actions than to words.

Anonymous said...

Other countries know by now that the U.S. has no dictators. No matter how arrogant or idiotic Trump's statements or tweets may be they represent a temporary regime and the U.S. will elect new leadership with new policies quick enough. We'll live through Trump, we lived through other presidents who weren't great. Although by some of these posts you would think we were destroyed about eight years ago!

Anonymous said...

I stopped reading at "CNN reported". Thanks for putting that so early in your article.

Just Here To Fixit.. said...

No, 11:50, we were not 'destroyed about eight years ago'. Let me fix your sentence for you..."....we were destroyed beginning ten years ago in a period of turmoil, intentional racial divide and trampling of the constitution that lasted eight years". Howzatt?

Anonymous said...

The next Congress will likely impeach Trump. Effectively ending his Presidency. Not to mention that Stormy and the other woman who were paid hush money will prevail and be allowed to resell their stories.

Anonymous said...

Yes 1:05 our redeemer Trump has raised Uncle Sam from the dead and replaced the anti-Christ. We WERE destroyed. Now there will be peace, racial brotherhood, and the restoration of constitutional principles. After that, the redeemer will ascend into heaven. (Or maybe the Trump Tower) Hey, it's Easter Sunday, how appropriate!

Anonymous said...

Maybe, maybe, impeach but won't convict.

Anonymous said...

Bill Crawford = Leftist drivel from a hasbeen wannabe journalist. Crawford always wanted to be popular as a kid, but never was. That's where most reporters come from. Why we have to hear his BS is a certain mystery. Kingfish, please spare us.

Anonymous said...

There you have it. They can't grasp why Mississippi is dead LAST much less why that draft-dodging, bipolar, uneducated, malignant narcissist lunatic Trump has made a global laughingstock out of the proud USA.

Anonymous said...

The author has become afflicted with TDS. Perhaps he needs to be sent to the Socialist Venezuela for a time to get cured.

Ophelia said...

Ummm, 3:41, "have to hear his bullshit"? Just don't click on the link. Do as I do, and ignore these posts, which appear with dispiriting regularity here. Boring and uninformative. NEXT!

Kingfish said...

Draft dodging? What exactly did you say when Clinton was called a draft dodger or did you forget the 90's?

Anonymous said...

Trump may be the star of new episodes of Orange Is The New Black soon but my bet would still be that he will make a deal and resign to avoid prison.

Anonymous said...

No American president has ever 'gone to prison' and none ever will. How idiotic. Even when Barack and his brood are convicted, all will be pardoned. Like professional courtesy of cops sending drunk-driving cops home, unticketed.

The count now on the guy who posts "Mississippi is Dead Last" is up to 412, just so you know.

Anonymous said...

Trump is a non-intellectual that appeals to Americans that do not have a clue about government and how it works.
His administration is a joke, its seriously dysfunctional, Fox & Friends gives him his intelligence briefings.
This presidency exposed the hypocrisy of this country. The amount of wrong that is happening in this country right now is pathetic and sad. The Republican party is letting this President run rough shot, state media has hijacked our local news and 90% of the respondents on this thread are totally comfortable with it, because the people currently in power share the same skin tone and hair type.


Anonymous said...

5:09, please tell me "how government works". Also, how many "intellectual" presidents held office. You will have to look far and wide for such a President in your lifetime. I count none and I have been alive since Nixon. Anyone who confuses politician and intellectual should be disqualified from posting on this blog.

Anonymous said...

The hypocrisy this morning is truly astounding. The historical ignorance is as well .
None of our Presidents have been perfect or were without bad policy decisions.
Most all of them did some things that have proven important to our Nation.
From the comments, you all reveal yourselves as extremely biased , partisan, and never even bother with weighing the pros and cons of issues.
Some of you make clear you are gullible and get your " news" from crazy zealots who make up stuff or the Russia's planted fake news.
The points being made are about the difference between a democratic republic and a country lead continuously by one ruler.
Rather than hold Congress of any administration accountable for ducking their political responsibilities increasingly on the executive branch and giving Presidents the power to go to war and change law by executive order, you get into partisan BS.
YOU are the problem!

Anonymous said...

Merkel's leadership, much like the rest of western Europe, has led to rampant Muslim terrorism and a weakening of national identity. I have a lot of problems with Putin but his leadership doesn't result in these problems.

Anonymous said...

7:08am, when I said that, I was stating that his supporters lack a general understanding of civics, hopefully, that untangles your gym shorts since I did not specifically state that.

No one is saying that the previous Presidents were saints, but at least they had an intellectual curiosity and a general clue when it came to civics and what was going on with this country, whereas Donald Trump does not.

He changes his mind on a whim and he needs slide shows and Fox News to get information? How in the hell does anyone justify that behavior as real leadership?

Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are spineless amoebas that co-sign Trump's foolishness.


Hell, you should be banned from posting on any political thread with that level of cynicism.

Anonymous said...

9:10 said,"Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are spineless amoebas that co-sign Trump's foolishness."

This is my nominee for the goofiest post of the year.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad Trump is not "an intellectual." Ronald Reagan was the last great American president and he wasn't Ivy League. Every president since Reagan was Ivy League and they were all bad, with Obama carrying the standard for incompetency.

If seven more years of Trump gives us anything approaching the Reagan years then I will gladly admit I was wrong to have voted against Trump.

Kingfish said...

Reagan actually had a degree in economics. Read his diaries and letters. You might be surprised.

Anonymous said...

1:58pm, and Reagan was Governor of California for 8 years as well.

You don't have to attend an Ivy league college to be an intellectually curious individual.

Hell, even Phil Bryant shows he has a clue at times. He works on his Chevy Nomad himself, he's an avid gun collector, and is active with the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I can't stand him as a Governor, but I would have more faith in him as President than I do Donald Trump.

Look at whats going on with the stock market today and how he singled out Amazon, an American company that is doing extremely well. But since he has a personal vendetta against Jeff Bezos, he's using the office for his little temper tantrums. He is not mentally mature enough to handle the office and people just do not want to admit the mistake that is currently serving in the oval office.

Anonymous said...

Well, I know not what course others may take, but as for me, I'm proud to be an American where at least I can say I'm free.

I say that because the comment I originally wrote responding to this was unfit for inclusion here.

Anonymous said...

Seems like someone included my taughts from my unpublished rant.

Anonymous said...

Are Phil Bryant, Intellectual Curiosity and Mental Maturity actually being conjoined in the same post?

Anonymous said...

Donnie Trump has no class whatsoever. He tweets all day like a teenager. He can barely read. In two years we will find out that he's had dementia all this time, just like Reagan. He needs to grow up and start acting presidential. Say what you want about President Obama, but at least when he was president the administration was made up of people from all races, just like this country. Trump's administration is lily white. Obama was president for 8 years, and there was not one personal scandal. There were no grabbing women by their ___, no affairs' hush money, no mocking the handicapped, no personal attacks on people, no tweeting at 3:00 a.m., no hiring of family members, and none of those stupid accusations about fake news. Trump needs to put the phone down, stop tweeting, and learn how to run the country.

Anonymous said...

No scandals during eight years of Barry? How is it medically possible that 1:33 a.m. snoozed for eight years? A clue might be that he's posting at 1:33 a.m.

And now we have the Mississippi Republican Party running a paid ad featuring Lynn Fitch squawking about women's rights. Couldn't they at least have hired a firm that could craft children and disabled folks into that ad? You know...'The New Republican Party - The Party of Women, Children and the Disabled'. Maybe with Ben E. King singing 'Stand By Me' in the background.

Anonymous said...

11:09, I did miss the personal scandal. What was it? I'm awake now.


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