The rise of a dictator

If you don't follow Heather Cox Richardson's commentary, you should. She is a historian, and a good one. Here's a snippet of what she wrote late last night:

So here’s my two cents. This is not normal political behavior. This is not normal partisanship. While, as you must know by now, I believe that the future always remains unwritten, and we can always change the outcome until it is, the steps Trump takes are consistent with the rise of a dictator. And now with him freed from the cloud of impeachment, we appear to be entering a new phase of escalation. It looks like he is beginning to single out his opponents for punishment, justifying it with the argument that those opponents are hurting America.

Read the whole thing—and then do something counter-cultural: Love your neighbor. Especially the one who isn't lovable. Be honest with yourself and others. Don't "other" people—love them instead. Not mushy, feel-good love. Real love with boots on them. Shovel their walk; offer them food; offer them yourself as a friend.

Think I'm overreacting? We'll see in about six to nine months, won't we? Remember, the current ruler won on a minority of votes. He doesn't represent the majority of registered, voting, voters, let alone the majority of the US public. And the US public is getting less and less white, upper-middle-class all the time. This is the reaction of a fearful minority who see their power slipping away.

Government overthrows usually happen in the name of restoring an imagined past. That's how Octavian (Caesar Augustus) presented himself. He was just restoring order and the traditional Roman mores. We all know how that turned out, don't we? There's always a Nero waiting in the wings. . .