Creating a Dictator in America

I won’t ever run for government office. My personality won’t allow it. I don’t thrive in the limelight; I quickly tire of constant human interaction; I’m not driven to continuously expand my connections, forge alliances, fundraise, negotiate, or be the center of attention. I’m the first, never the last, to leave a party. I don’t need to exercise power over the lives of others. I prefer reasoned persuasion over coercive mandates. And my ego doesn’t depend on the attention nor the adoration of others.

People who survive on attributes opposite to mine, quickly climb corporate ladders, occupy many pulpits, or become politicians. They are rarely the most informed or the most analytical, but they project a high level of energy and care for others. It’s called charisma. They understand human nature in a way that makes them able to connect, gain trust, and ultimately secure power by promising to use their people skills to benefit their constituents. This is the contract every corporate executive, pastor, or politician makes when seeking power.

However, history and present-day reality have shown that charismatic leaders can easily ruin a company, a church, and a nation if they are ill-informed, self-serving, and lack good moral character. There are some who lack the self-confidence, diligence, or the discipline to listen carefully to knowledgeable advisors and so their incompetence quickly becomes apparent. Wise charismatic leaders who genuinely care about the company, church, or country will proactively surround themselves with knowledgeable advisors to maintain their power through admirable performance. Others will soon resign or be removed.

But then there is the rare self-serving individual who thoroughly lacks good moral character, is entirely undisciplined and lacks diligence, but stubbornly clings to power through deceit, manipulation, blackmail, vengeance, and violence. We saw these attributes in Hitler. We see it in Putin. And now, in this nation, we are witnessing this power-grabbing dynamic in Donald Trump. And should he be re-elected as president, we should believe his promise to be a dictator, to deport millions of immigrants, to require absolute loyalty, to punish his opponents, to ignore climate change, and to hand over Ukraine and any other European nations to Putin.

He says the words his followers want to hear, making them continue to believe he cares about them, however, his actual actions over his four years in office prove that he was never really interested in benefiting anyone but himself. Anyone paying close attention could clearly see that he broke the contract to use his charisma to benefit the people. The problem is that many people aren’t paying attention, have short memories, are in denial, are too pre-occupied to fact check, or actually agree with his policies and methods.

I think it is evident that the majority of Americans are keenly aware of Trump’s incompetence, immorality, and law breaking. The problem is that his public shaming touches a sympathetic nerve with people who believe he genuinely cares about them. And so, they care about him. Others who followed him passionately from the start are triggered by the human need to preserve their dignity. Anyone following social media can see Trump supporters being publicly humiliated for their ignorance, their blatant hypocrisy, their denial of facts, their cult-like devotion, and their fervent support of Trump. It is true that they have become mean-spirited, taking on the personality of their leader who insults women, veterans, immigrants, the disabled and anyone who holds him legally accountable.

In response, Trump is doing what charismatic people who lack competency do. Having lost reasonable people, he appeals to the emotions of uneducated people who are filled with fears and grudges. He promises simple solutions to complex problems that will only make matters worse. He promises vengeance on his enemies which includes any American who publicizes his incompetence, his lawlessness, his self-dealing, and his broken promises. He promises retribution for his embarrassed followers who suffer ridicule for their ignorance and passion. And worse, he promises revenge on his political enemies, attempting to secure all criminal immunity for the presidency in advance. This is terrifying stuff and not an exaggeration.

As Americans, we’ve made the mistake of allowing a charismatic people who lack both competency and good moral character to lead us. On every metric that really matters, Donald Trump has failed the test of responsible leadership and must never be allowed to ascend to the White House again. Our nation’s other leaders know this is true, but have lacked the courage in two impeachments to stop him.

And now, the Supreme Court, like the U.S. Senate, has been given a legitimate opportunity through Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to prevent Trump from becoming president. Will they take it? I doubt it. Listening to the oral arguments last week, it sounds like they too, might not have the guts to rid us of this man. So, it may be up to us.

Let’s not elect him again because this time he only promises vengeance, retribution, and harm to the most vulnerable among us, including the environment.