Autocrats are not confused. They know exactly what they’re doing. It’s hubris soaked in blood. The death spiral isn’t an accident, but a design choice. Because for the strongman and his court of ass-kissers, the goal isn’t governing, just surviving long enough to die rich while someone else cleans up the body count.
From Hitler to Hussein to the Botoxed Butcher in Moscow, the formula’s the same: choke off dissent, flood the room with flattery, and drive your country straight into a ditch while muttering about “destiny” and “greatness.” The only surprise is how many people keep handing them the keys.
And now, enter Trump, the Orange Caligula with a Diet Coke addiction, already back to auditioning fascism in plain view. His cabinet looks like a QAnon talent show, his subcommittees are chaired by the human embodiment of a Facebook comment section (hi Marjorie), and his policies are written in Sharpie on cheeseburger wrappers. But the terrifying part? He’s learning from the worst. He’s taking notes from Putin on how to kill dissent without the mess of democracy getting in the way.
Only he can’t quite get away with it yet. Because we, the people, haven’t handed over the whole damn steering wheel. Not entirely. Wisconsin rose up. Protesters got tasered. Town Halls got shut down because the peasants had the nerve to speak. And now even MTG is breaking rank? Baby girl smells smoke.
What this essay gets SOOOOO right is this: fear of dissent isn’t strength, it’s a death rattle. Trump’s problem isn’t loyalty. It’s reality. And no amount of sycophants blowing smoke up his lumpy ass can stop the brutal, math-crunching, poll-crashing truth of what’s coming.
Dissent is not only patriotic. It is essential infrastructure. It’s the guardrail that keeps the suicide machine from hitting the gas. And right now, it’s up to all of us to be the goddamn steel in that rail.
Because here’s the deal: autocracy doesn’t die on its own. We kill it. Or it kills us.
I'll say it TWICE: We kill it. Or it kills us!!!
So buckle up, sharpen your dissent, and remember, we outnumber them, and we're the ones fighting for our lives on "dead ground."
You’re onto it. The danger isn’t just Trump—it’s the system bending to accommodate him. Loyalty over truth. Applause over competence. But the real difference is, the people still have a say. That’s the only thing holding the whole thing together. And it’s holding—for now.
Thanks Nola… And there is some light…There are answers out there …in the UK, Wales is in the process of legislating to prevent autocracy with a simple but innovative and quietly radical legal solution…
Autocrats are not confused. They know exactly what they’re doing. It’s hubris soaked in blood. The death spiral isn’t an accident, but a design choice. Because for the strongman and his court of ass-kissers, the goal isn’t governing, just surviving long enough to die rich while someone else cleans up the body count.
From Hitler to Hussein to the Botoxed Butcher in Moscow, the formula’s the same: choke off dissent, flood the room with flattery, and drive your country straight into a ditch while muttering about “destiny” and “greatness.” The only surprise is how many people keep handing them the keys.
And now, enter Trump, the Orange Caligula with a Diet Coke addiction, already back to auditioning fascism in plain view. His cabinet looks like a QAnon talent show, his subcommittees are chaired by the human embodiment of a Facebook comment section (hi Marjorie), and his policies are written in Sharpie on cheeseburger wrappers. But the terrifying part? He’s learning from the worst. He’s taking notes from Putin on how to kill dissent without the mess of democracy getting in the way.
Only he can’t quite get away with it yet. Because we, the people, haven’t handed over the whole damn steering wheel. Not entirely. Wisconsin rose up. Protesters got tasered. Town Halls got shut down because the peasants had the nerve to speak. And now even MTG is breaking rank? Baby girl smells smoke.
What this essay gets SOOOOO right is this: fear of dissent isn’t strength, it’s a death rattle. Trump’s problem isn’t loyalty. It’s reality. And no amount of sycophants blowing smoke up his lumpy ass can stop the brutal, math-crunching, poll-crashing truth of what’s coming.
Dissent is not only patriotic. It is essential infrastructure. It’s the guardrail that keeps the suicide machine from hitting the gas. And right now, it’s up to all of us to be the goddamn steel in that rail.
Because here’s the deal: autocracy doesn’t die on its own. We kill it. Or it kills us.
I'll say it TWICE: We kill it. Or it kills us!!!
So buckle up, sharpen your dissent, and remember, we outnumber them, and we're the ones fighting for our lives on "dead ground."
A refreshing commentary. Thank you!
You’re onto it. The danger isn’t just Trump—it’s the system bending to accommodate him. Loyalty over truth. Applause over competence. But the real difference is, the people still have a say. That’s the only thing holding the whole thing together. And it’s holding—for now.
Trumps ONLY superpower is MAGA’s stupidity. I think he is also stupid. If he’s not, he’s a vicious manipulator.
Trump’s superpower is MAGA stupidity: GOLD.
Great article.
Thanks Nola… And there is some light…There are answers out there …in the UK, Wales is in the process of legislating to prevent autocracy with a simple but innovative and quietly radical legal solution…
https://open.substack.com/pub/justhinkin/p/has-wales-found-the-solution-to-autocracy?r=3cs2wr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Trump lost the Vatican as well. Only half kidding.
Autocracy is when the guy who broke everything demands lifetime power to fix it. Great breakdown of the authoritarian death spiral in this piece.
My Canadian cousins believe their election was cheated and a new version of Trudeau was inserted.