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Originally Posted by Goofle
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It's well written, but there are some glaring flaws in its logic.
I'll start with a positive. I don't like Judge Gorsuch's views on most major issues, but he's generally consistent and maintains a logical thread through all of them. He's a conservative in the truest sense of the word and would make a good jurist. That said, the Pure Vulcan Logic that his ilk tend to apply is woefully misplaced in the modern era. Also, his 4th Amendment 'right to privacy' interpretations are where the inconsistency appears (for me at least). He's ruled that 'No Trespassing' signs on private property are enough to require a warrant to even step on the lawn to knock on the door, but also believes that the State has a compelling interest in preventing abortion.
The article is also nominally correct in saying that preventing the EPA from using interpretation to use new information to better apply the Clean Air Act is not authoritarian. Yes, but it also flies in the face of logic. An agency charged with protecting the environment uses new data to update guidelines under a mandate it was given 30 years ago... sounds more like a government agency understanding the red tape of Washington and instead relying on experts to help it fulfill its legal purpose than a bunch of anti-corporate hippies making life tough for Big Coal.
DeVos and Pruitt and most of the other appointees are where the authoritarianism rears its head. It's a kind of corporate authoritarianism where money is always correct (these people are rich, therefore they must be smart!) and expertise is derided as liberalism run amok. It's the stark black and white authoritarianism of 'part of this system isn't working, therefore we burn it all down and impose my vision' rather than, 'part of this system isn't working, therefore let's fix this part and keep the part that works'.
Finally, authoritarianism isn't just men with machine guns on the street corner or dead journalists, it's also the inability to speak truth to power. Every lie, every half-truth, every shady deal, every personal enrichment (literally pick one: travel ban, hotels in Dubai, inauguration attendance, terror attacks in Sweden) - this is also authoritarianism; harnassing the organs of state for personal enhancement, gains for the faithful few, let chance or God sort out the res; keep the public disoriented, distracted; host campaign rallies for 2020 in February 2017... because it's definitely NOT about the cheering crowds, right Donald?
We don't live in a dictatorship and I'm not worried that Trump will transform the country into one. He's so personally odious that even his supporters don't much like him. As far as cults of personality go, he doesn't have a great one. What's hurting us is his gaslighting of the media. It's calculated to undermine public confidence in the truth, to make it so the truth only comes from the seat of power. It's a subtle change, but one that can have a profound influence on generations to come. News has always had an element of self-selection, but now it's bubble city. Don't like immigrants? We have news about all the rapes and murders by immigrants you can stomach. Love immigrants? Here's a heartwarming story about a poor Mexican family making it in America. We already have alternative narrative. Now with alternative facts, you can make a full-fledged alternative reality.
A bit long sorry. Mostly because I hate that line 'it's not as bad as it could be', which the article is putting forth. They are correct that the man is not a 24/7 monster. That's because he's not the only one with power. The GOP has a few good men left and they're using their influence where it counts (such as Gorsuch). But when you have men like Steve Bannon whispering in your ear (the man is as close to Wormtongue as we've seen in American politics) and a cabinent full of people who actively tried to destroy the institutions they now head, as a means to enrich themselves, you have the seeds of authoritarianism. The article childishly ignores that to point to a few bright/neutral spots from the past 5 weeks.