Politics & Government
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- See also: Donald J. Trump ...
- Dictatorship, Authoritarianism, Autocracy
- Nazism
- Communism
- Patrimonialism
- Russia, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, India, USA (under Trump)
- Opposite of bureaucracy (bureaucratic proceduralism) - not democracy
- Bureaucracy: Orwell understood the bureaucratic aspect of classic authoritarianism; in 1984, Oceania’s ministries of Truth (propaganda), Peace (war), and Love (state security) are the regime’s most characteristic (and terrifying) features. Patrimonialism is suspicious of bureaucracies.
- Patrimonialism stocks the government with nonentities and hacks, or, when possible, it bypasses bureaucratic procedures altogether. Unlike classic authoritarianism, patrimonialism can coexist with democracy.
- One Word Describes Trump - The Atlantic
- $$
- It is not classic authoritarianism - nor is it autocracy, oligarchy, or monarchy. Trump is installing what scholars call patrimonialism.
- Modern rational legal bureaucracy (or “bureaucratic proceduralism”) is a system in which legitimacy is bestowed by institutions following certain rules and norms.
- Premodern world - The state was little more than the extended ‘household’ of the ruler; it did not exist as a separate entity. This system is called “patrimonialism” because rulers claimed to be the symbolic father of the people - the state’s personification and protector. Trump declared: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” Patrimonialism is less a form of government than a style of governing. Based on individual loyalty and connections, and on rewarding friends and punishing enemies (real or perceived), it can be found not just in states but also among tribes, street gangs, and criminal organizations. Patrimonialism is distinguished by running the state as if it were the leader’s personal property or family business. Putin in this scheme has occupied the position of the capo di tutti capi, the boss of bosses.
- Trump is patrimonialism’s perfect organism. He recognizes no distinction between what is public and private, legal and illegal, formal and informal, national and personal. “He can’t tell the difference between his own personal interest and the national interest, if he even understands what the national interest is,” John Bolton.
- Patrimonialism is corrupt by definition, because its reason for being is to exploit the state for gain—political, personal, and financial.
- What's the Difference Between Socialism and Communism? | HowStuffWorks
- Nazi vs. Fascist: Is There Really A Difference? - Dictionary.com
Comparing Capitalism and Communism: Which System is Better for Society? - Soapboxie - What's the Difference Between a Democracy and a Republic? | HowStuffWorks
- "pure democracy" - The ancient Greek city-state of Athens is considered the world's first and only "pure" democracy, established in 507 B.C.E.
- "democratic country" = "constitutional democracy" = "democratic republic" = "constitutional federal representative democracy"
- The U.S. Constitution was designed to create a balance of power across three branches of government: the legislative (Congress), the judicial (the court system) and the executive (the president, vice president and cabinet). = "presidential model"
- The U.K. divided power into the one (the monarch), the few (the House of Lords) and the many (the House of Commons)" = "parliamentary model" - The modern U.K. is a constitutional monarchy.
- Whether it's a presidential or parliamentary system, what makes a modern democracy a true democracy is faithful adherence to a set of democratic principles: the rule of law (constitutionalism), representation based on free and fair elections, and guaranteed rights including freedom of speech, press and religion. By that measure, some countries are democracies in name, but not in practice.
- Perspectives on the Constitution: A Republic, If You Can Keep It - National Constitution Center
- "A republic, if you can keep it." - Benjamin Franklin
- USA
- Facts / Lies
- Weapons - (handguns, rifles, other arms, terrorism)
- Opinion | My Father, Ronald Reagan, Taught Me a Healthy Fear of Guns - The New York Times
- Nicolae Ceaușescu, the dictator who ruled Romania from 1965 to 1989 was quoted saying “You can do whatever you want if you keep the people frightened enough.”
- Fear is a breeding ground for autocracy, and history shows us that every democracy that has crumbled did so in an atmosphere of fear.
- Americans live in fear of gun violence, and fear is a breeding ground for autocracy.
- Politics
- Progressive (Left-wing, woke?) > Liberal Left > Mixed/Moderate > Right > Radical/Fanatical
- Causes
- Left
- civil rights (individual rights, equality, social justice, racial justice, xenophobia, education, healthcare, gender, wealth)
- environmentalism, climate
- healthcare rights, abortion rights, misogyny
- labour (rights, wages)
- democracy
- Right
- arms
- life
- speech, religion
- economy (big business)
- absolutism, totalitarianism?
- In Defense of Punching Left
- What happens if the demands of the well-organized minority conflict with the beliefs of the disorganized majority?
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