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Current U.S. Politics and the Rise of Hitler, Part 3: When Civil Societies Aren’t Civil
Between the publication of Part 1 of this series and now, new public information about what the Republican Party is up to has hit the news. The New York Times had this headline: “Trump and Allies Forge Plans to Increase Presidential Power in 2025.” The title is very understated. This is a quote from it.
Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him.
That is a lot of words used to describe a dictatorship. Unfortunately, a look at the history of Germany’s Weimar Republic and the trajectory of our American history makes this turn of events painfully logical. In fact, for a portion of Republican donors, politicians, and operatives, it is arguable that this has been the goal for decades.
Some will immediately cry that what Trump is calling for is all on him — not on the Republican party. Yet, as noted by the history and public affairs professor, Julian Zelizer, the GOP’s push to consolidate presidential power has been…
