We zagen in het vorige bericht dat we drie, elkaar aanvullende, wegen kunnen onderscheiden waarlangs een foute leider in een democratische nationale staat aan de macht kan komen:
- De weg van de desinformatie, van het verbergen van zijn ware bedoelingen en van het voorwenden dat hij erop uit is de belangen van het volk te dienen,
- De weg van het zaaien van onrust, gevaar en chaos, dat wil zeggen van het vergroten van gevoelens van sociale onveiligheid, waardoor hij zichzelf kan presenteren als de grote redder in nood, als de verlosser waar iedereen op kan vertrouwen. Waarmee hij dus de "onderschikkingshelft" van het statuscompetitiepatroon probeert te verbreiden. In de zin van: "Leg je nu maar neer bij mijn alleenheerschappij. Dan komt alles goed."
- De weg van het je laten financieren door het grootkapitaal in ruil voor de toezegging dat je hun belangen zult behartigen als je eenmaal aan de macht bent.
En we zagen hoe deze wegen zijn te onderkennen aan hoe de foute leider Adolf Hitler aan de macht kwam.
Wat valt er op basis daarvan te zeggen over de hedendaagse foute leiders, over Donald Trump, over Vladimir Poetin, over Victor Orbán, over Benjamin Netanyahu, over Geert Wilders? Helaas te veel om op te noemen. Laten we het hebben over de gevaarlijkste, in zijn positie van leider, vanaf 20 januari volgend jaar, van het machtigste land op aarde, Donald Trump.
Allereerst: het is overduidelijk dat we hier te maken hebben met een foute leider, dus met iemand bij wie het statuscompetitiepatroon zo extreem is geactiveerd dat het gemeenschapspatroon ontbreekt of ergens diep is weggestopt. Die dus uitsluitend gemotiveerd wordt door de narcistische obsessie om de top van de statushiërarchie te bereiken, waar hij geen anderen naast of boven zich hoeft te dulden. Voor de mogelijke twijfelaars, lees (nog) eens:
- Donald Trump nu ook
federaal aangeklaagd - Een sociaalwetenschappelijk zicht op het patroon
van een kwaadaardige narcist die aan de macht komt - 1
- Donald Trump nu ook federaal aangeklaagd - Een sociaalwetenschappelijk zicht op het patroon van een kwaadaardige narcist die aan de macht komt - 3
Hoe kan het dat deze man, die in zijn vorige presidentschap er eigenlijk alleen in slaagde om voor de miljardairs de belastingen te verlagen, continu leed aan lage populariteitscijfers en de vorige verkiezingen overtuigend verloor van zijn opvolger, Joe Biden, nu toch de verkiezingen won en straks wederom president is?
De man voor wie velen die hem van nabij gekend hebben, waaronder hen die deel uitmaakten van zijn regering, gewaarschuwd hebben voor zijn slechte karakter en zijn ongeschiktheid voor het presidentschap. De New York Times zette 91 van die waarschuwingen op een rij: The Dangers of Donald Trump, From ThoseWho Know Him. Enkele voorbeelden:
“He will always put his own interests and gratifying his own ego ahead of everything else, including the country’s interest. There’s no question about it.” (Bill Barr, Trumps openbare aanklager)
“This is beyond wrong and illegal. It’s un-American. The president undermined American democracy baselessly for months. As a result, he’s culpable for this siege, and an utter disgrace.” (Tom Bossert, Trumps "homeland security adviser")
“A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution and the rule of law.” (John Kelley, Trumps "secretary of homeland security in 2017 and then Mr. Trump’s chief of staff")
“And yes, I do regard him as a threat to democracy, democracy as we know it, our institutions, our political culture, all those things that make America great and have defined us as, you know, the oldest democracy on this planet.” (Mark Esper, Trumps "secretary of the Army from 2017 to 2019 and the secretary of defense from 2019 to 2020")
“In no arena of American affairs has the Trump aberration been more destructive than in national security. His short attention span (except on matters of personal advantage) renders coherent foreign policy almost unattainable.” (John Bolton, Trumps "national security adviser from 2018 to 2019")
“I think that he constantly feels under attack, and he feels the need to justify his position, either on an issue or position or how he came to achieve something. He has built up a DNA of defensiveness." (Sean Spicer, Trumps "press secretary in 2017")
“You are using the military to create fear in the minds of the people — and we are trying to protect the American people. I cannot stand idly by and participate in that attack, verbally or otherwise, on the American people. ” (citaat uit de ontslagbrief van Mark Milley, Trumps "chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2019 to 2023")
“There were multiple occasions where, in my view, the actions the president wanted to take were not consistent with our national security objectives. … His understanding of global events, his understanding of global history, his understanding of U.S. history was really limited.” (Rex Tillerson, Trumps "secretary of state from 2017 to 2018")
“The root of the problem is the president’s amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making.” (Miles Taylor, "an official in the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019")
“Donald has, in some sense, always been institutionalized, shielded from his limitations or his need to succeed on his own in the world. Honest work was never demanded of him, and no matter how badly he failed, he was rewarded in ways that are almost unfathomable.” (Mary L. Trump, nicht van Donald Trump)
“By carefully misleading viewers about Trump — his wealth, his stature, his character and his intent — the competition reality show set about an American fraud that would balloon beyond its creators’ wildest imaginations.” (Bill Pruitt, producer van de eerste twee seizoenen van "The Apprentice", de show die Trump tot televisiepersoonlijkheid maakte)
“In our nation’s 246-year-history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power, after the voters had rejected him. He is a coward. A real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters. He lost his election, and he lost big.” (Dick Cheney, vice president van 2001 to 2009)
“Here’s what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He’s playing the members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat.” (Mitt Romney, "a senator from Utah, was the governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. He was the Republican Party’s nominee for president in 2012.")
En zo kan ik doorgaan, want er waren dus 91 van dit soort waarschuwingen.
En een paar dagen voor de verkiezingen noemde Dana Milbank van de Washington Post als waarschuwing op wat Donald Trump allemaal had aangekondigd te zullen gaan doen bij zijn terugkeer als president:
Americans have heard what Trump has said in his own words. He believes he has the authority to implement “the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.” He’ll implement the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” He would give those who attacked the Capitol in the deadly Jan. 6 riot “pardons because they are being treated so unfairly.” He would tell Vladimir Putin’s Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that, in Trump’s view, don’t pull their weight. He wouldn’t “give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate,” which virtually all schools have in place to prevent deadly childhood diseases. He’ll send a message to criminals with “one rough hour, and I mean real rough,” of vigilante attacks. He speaks about his political opponents as “the enemy from within” and believes they “should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard or, if really necessary, by the military.” He has suggested that the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s top soldier, deserves to be executed.
He has vowed to appoint a prosecutor to “go after” President Joe Biden, his family, and “all others involved with the destruction of our elections, borders, & country itself!” He has said he will order the Justice Department “to investigate every radical district attorney and attorney general in America” and that the media “will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage,” because we are “the enemy of the people.” He has threatened “retribution” and said it is “very possible” he’ll seek to jail opponents. He has used Nazi rhetoric in saying immigrants are “vermin” who are “poisoning the blood of our country.” He has said some migrants are “not people” and suggested that, because of immigration, “we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.” He has vowed to restore the names of Confederate generals to military bases. He has vowed to deny federal aid to states controlled by Democrats. He has threatened to blow Iran “to smithereens.” He has said he will unilaterally jettison the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship. He has expressed his desire to “be a dictator” — but only for one day.
Dat was allemaal bekend. Of had bekend kunnen en moeten zijn.
En toch won de foute leider Donald Trump de verkiezingen, zij het met gering verschil.
Hoe dat kon gebeuren is een wel heel belangrijke vraag, waarop we dringend een antwoord nodig hebben. Hier het vervolg.
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