There is an opportunity that has increasingly grown in America to do away with the Enlightenment’s conception of rights and return to my own – that is, the divine right of kings.
Liberty and equality be damned – they’re inefficient (and less fun, at least in my personal experience).
While doubtlessly crasser, I see some of myself in the orange plump atop the conservative heap in the US. We both have had a penchant for marrying multiple wives and being disappointed in the children they bore us. We both believe in autocratic regimes with increasingly centralized power structures. We’re both charismatic, popular, and lustful. We’re perhaps a bit too paranoid at times, if I may be self-critical, and I think we’d both agree that we have some of the smallest egos around. And of course, I can’t lie, we both gained a significant amount of weight in our elder years.
So, if I may, I’d like to give him, or any seeking to ride the coattails of his popularity, some brief advice.
First, he needs to surround himself with ever more loyal followers. While president, his administration was rife with traitorous individuals willing to leak to the press, publicly contradict his statements, undermine his authority, and unwilling to take the steps necessary to ensure his continued hold on power. While I would have them executed for their treachery, he should probably simply employ more loyal followers. He appears to have learned this lesson in part already, but the trend must continue.
Second, he should declare his right to rule as divine, as I did. He is already off to a good start. His supporters have a belief in his supremacy that mimics organized religion. Americans have always been a fanatically religious bunch (there’s a reason their founders became unwelcome in England), and so he should continue using this to his advantage. Make his cause holy and his supporters will not break rank, lest they incur the eternal wrath of God. They will follow him blindly without reason, allowing him the ability to act with complete impunity.
Third, he should spend extravagantly, as I did. After all, you only live once. The right wing is exceptional at spending and blaming others for the ills it causes. This is a perfect strategy. Spend on enriching oneself and those loyal around you and they will remain so. Spend on war to create a nationalist and jingoist ideology among your populous. Leave the debt to be someone else’s problem.
Fourth, he should accuse those that oppose him of treason and heresy and have them executed without a formal trial. Fair courts will not be necessary, and the current Supreme Court is well on its way in this regard. Without dissenters and only ideologues he can rule unopposed.
Fifth, he should ensure the succession of his power following his own demise. This was something which my wives failed me for many years. If not one of his own children (who appear at first sight unqualified), he must name a successor or at least a group of executors to decide on his behalf, as, like us all, his days are numbered.
The pillars of democracy in America are ripe for collapse. And tyranny is not so bad if you are the tyrant.
Love your analysis! Thanks for a refresher courses on HenryVIiII. Sounds too much like what we are living through today! Disturbing!