Comment by magna7
5 years ago
Comparing GWB to Trump is a bit disingenuous, don't you think? Trump is an actual wannabe autocrat, as opposed to GWB and Obama.
5 years ago
Comparing GWB to Trump is a bit disingenuous, don't you think? Trump is an actual wannabe autocrat, as opposed to GWB and Obama.
And yet Obama jailed journalists and worked towards instituting Socialist ideas - which include a ruling class.
Meanwhile, Trumps only "autocrat" proof is words? He talks snit... What has he done to become a King? Nothing he's done so far isn't powers used by previous Presidents - including Obama.
What actual has Trump taken to expand Presidential powers? And what steps has Trump taken to become a King?
Because until actual actions are taken... words are just Trump talking shit. Which he's allowed to do...
He's neutered the justice department[0] and he's packing the federal judiciary with ideologues to the exclusion of sober-minded jurists. He's firing inspectors general tasked with oversight of the executive.[1]
[0] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/attack-fun...
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/us/politics/trump-state-d...
Obama jailed a journalist? Who?
What do you mean by socialism? What socialist ideas did Obama institute? What is the "ruling class" within socialism?
Regarding Trump: what do you make of him removing the inspector general who had opened an investigation against Pompeo? What do you make of him pushing out Jeff Sessions because Sessions recused himself from the Muller investigation?
Put another way: what would count as stepping toward autocracy, other than an explicit suspension of Congress or the like? Barring outright coups, these things happen incrementally. See Hungary, Brazil, etc.
> Obama jailed a journalist? Who?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/shocked-by-th...
I don't see anything about jailing them - and I remember reading a story awhile back about but can't find it. So if I'm wrong on that point, I stand corrected.
With that said - Obama definitely attacked journalists from DC. Spying on them, following them, etc.
> Trump removing various people
Those people work at the Presidents discretion. All previous Presidents have fired staff at various stages for various reasons.
Trump is a businessman who is known for firing people... You may have seen his Reality TV Show. His catch line? YOURE FIRED!
https://www.rollcall.com/2017/05/10/a-list-of-notable-presid...
He has the ability to fire people at will.
https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/165983
> The final vote was ten in favor and ten opposed, so Adams, exercising for the first time his Constitutional authority to break a tie, settled the matter in favor of the president’s exclusive removal power.
> The president’s authority to dismiss an appointee is now settled law, but with the text unclear, it had to be settled by the First Federal Congress.
> autocracy
Trump doesn't have the "unlimited powers" of a King or a Dictator though... you can claim it but he's got the same power as those before.
You could argue about "incremental" movements... but Trump hasn't moved the needle any further that I know of. Previous Presidents? Definitely... but Trump has been using everything previous Presidents have used - from Obama on back.