Defeating Demagogues

A few weeks ago I wrote about demagogues and their history. I noted that demagogues are found only in democracies since they need to get public support for their discriminatory, prejudicial, anger-filled positions. While they can sometimes appear to be progressives, in reality they are simply opportunists seeking their own self-promotion. We have had our share of demagogues in American history, Sen. Joseph McCarthy's Red-baiting witch hunt of the 1950s being the most famous and far-reaching.

Until now.

Michael Singer, mayor of Charlottesville, VA, an attorney and lecturer at the University of Virginia, has been since the last election cycle about the rise and danger of Donald Trump, our latest national demagogue. He is the author of Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies (2009) and has applied his general insight on demagogues to Trump. In a February 29 article in the Washington Post Singer listed four ways demagogues damage their country when they take power.

• First, a demagogue imperils his country in the international arena.
• The second danger is that the demagogue will surround himself with incompetent and dangerous advisers.
• The third danger is that the demagogue, who ascends to power by manipulating the passions of his followers, will fall prey to passions of his own.(Most often a demagogues narcissism will turn to other passions, issues, and plain old belief that they are above the law.)
• Fourth, demagogues like Trump threaten dissenters in an effort to silence them. (Singer)

We have seen the manifestations of all of these over the past year with statements and actions from Trump and his supporters. Many have reacted to him with uncertainty and even fear. But many have also been afraid to challenge him or call him on his dangerous world-view for fear of attacks from him. The GOP, which should have tried to do something before now, has been handicapped by their desire to stop anything related to Obama or Clinton. They were blind to the problem they themselves created.

After yesterday's Wisconsin primary, though, there may be an inkling of hope. Admittedly Ted Cruz has enough uncertain stands and fear-inducing statements. But he did show that with a concerted effort, Trump can be stopped. He lost by a very significant 13 points. (It may be interesting to note that Wisconsin was the home of Joseph McCarthy. Maybe there is a sense of not wanting to repeat history?)

But even that hope has its dangers. In its attempt to stop Trump at this late stage, they may very easily destroy themselves for this election year. Their only hope is that in the end Trump will self-destruct, his paranoia and prejudice, his hate and fear-mongering causing him to implode.

That is what happens to most demagogues in a democratic country that has a rich history like ours. They go too far, their narcissism gets the best of them, they believe their own rhetoric and then use their rabid but minority supporters as proof.

But we as a people can also do our part. Back in 2010 Singer wrote an article for The Daily Beast titled "How to Beat the Demagogues". (Link) He outlined how America has defeated what he called "militant manias" in the past.

1. Ad hominem attacks can backfire.
Ad hominem arguments are logical fallacies that attack the individual rather than the position they are maintaining. When the demagogue's opponents resort to these kind of arguments, they end up hurting their own cause. Even though the demagogue often resorts to this since they usually have poorly defined actual positions, to respond in kind often brings a reactionary response that only perpetuates the negative discourse.

2. Help educate people about our constitutional traditions.
Many times demagogues clearly care little about our American democratic and constitutional traditions. Even as they hide behind them, they are often ready to change them to suit their own ideology. The GOP's difficulty in maintaining a clear, positive constitutional stance has only assisted people like Trump. Their recent and ongoing refusal to have hearings on a Supreme Court nominee is a clear example.

3. Extreme opportunists usually self-destruct.
The ultimate hope for everyone challenged by demagogues is this one that I have already addressed above. Trump's response to his loss yesterday may very well start this process. How he attempts to spin the loss into something in his favor through blaming others could sow the seeds of his own defeat. Of course his defeat will never be his own fault.

4. Side with the people and show them results.
A demagogues opponents need to stay positive and give a clear alternative world-view to the one being espoused by the demagogue. While someone like Trump will attempt to be the person of the people's views, a consistent, concise, and positive approach to the same issues can go a long way. Again, the GOP's extremely anti-Obama stance over the past 8 years has set a negative precedent that has fueled Trump's rhetoric. Even in Wisconsin, the whole approach seems to have been "Stop Trump!" and not a more clearly laid out plan. It was an ad hominem approach which still could backfire. They must do something differently than they have before.

The Democrats need to be doing the same thing. Their biggest hope would be to be a clear alternative to the negativity of Trump and the toxic atmosphere that has fed his rise. Unfortunately, as the "under dog" Sanders has gained momentum, the establishment begins to react out of fear. Both sides there have moved toward personal attacks after what had been a somewhat civil discourse. Unless they can show they have a positive alternative, the election will continue to be difficult to watch.

Overall, perhaps, the greatest caution we should pay attention to comes from Singer in his 2010 article about how to beat the demagogues.

Demagogues have always been a mirror for the people. When democracies turn to lawlessness, it’s because the people abandon constitutionalism for the lowest common denominator. Conversely, when audiences choose the law over vandalism, it’s because the people have decided to protect their country.

Wisconsin yesterday gave me some hope that we might be at a turning point. I know it is still too early to tell, but as I have said before, ultimately I continue to believe in the American people. We will often rise to heights of honor and dedication to our country and our democratic way of life. This is one of those times that we will need to.

Demagogues: Built on Fear; Inciting Fear

Another election year Tuesday is soon upon us. In the last couple weeks as Donald Trump has been moving closer to a possible nomination. As that has been going on there continues to be the discussion of Trump as a “demagogue.” Adding to that thought were videos of protestors being punched at Trump rallies, then the protests and clashes in Chicago that moved Trump to cancel a rally there on Friday.

So, I asked, what really is a demagogue? Here is some information from Discovery.com:

Webster’s defines a demagogue as “a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.” The word comes from the ancient Greek demos, or people, referring to common or working poor.

Over time, it has been applied to political figures who have used fear, paranoia and scapegoating to win support. [Senator Joseph McCarthy, the “communist-hunting” senator in the 1950s, is often cited as the single best example in American politics.]

The term has also been used to describe GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, who called Mexican immigrants "drug traffickers and rapists" and … proposed closing the United States to all Muslims.

So far, so good. Popular prejudices, false claims and promises. In some ways it sounds like many politicians. What makes demagogues different? It seems it is the aspect of playing on prejudices and clearly false claims. McCarthy would make unsupportable statements as fact. Then, because he said them, they were reported as facts. No one was able to check on them- or if they did they were censured and attacked by McCarthy and his supporters.

But the article goes on.

“There’s a fine line between populism and demagoguery,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for American Politics. “Both words describe rabble-rousers. Populism can be used for good, to invoke the little guy versus big business or big government. Demagoguery is a kind of extreme populism that preys on peoples worst fears and often hidden emotions.”

Something else became clear when reading that paragraph. In some ways it explains the rise of a “rabble-rouser” on both sides of the political scene this year. The GOP has Trump, although no one would call him a populist. He is the one building on anger as well as fear. He stirs hatred in much of what he says. He is channeling the anger and hatred of others, consolidating it in himself, and then giving it a type of legitimacy.

Sanders, on the other side, has an edge to him as well. He does not inflame anger as much as offer promises to overcome the fears of those who think the “1%” is too powerful. But, like Trump, he is tapping into energy and underlying concerns of groups of people.

It is interesting to note that, while both build from people’s fears and concerns, it appears that by definition, the demagogue goes beyond what is good into incitement of greater fears and potential difficulties. Was this past weekend’s clash in Chicago (ironic!) indicative of potential difficulties coming?

But why here? Back to the article:

Alan Levine, political science professor at American University, says that demagogues only exist in a democracy.

Their rise occurs before a dictatorship is successful, and so in his opinion dictators like Hitler do not fit the bill as demagogues.

“A demagogue exists in a democratic contest and maintains a technical legitimacy through winning votes. A dictator doesn’t need that kind of legitimacy. Dictators are worse than demagogues, who still operate in a democratic system,” Levine said. “To the extent that which our politicians ignore the Constitution, and don’t feel bound by the Constitution, that lays the stages for the coming of a demagogue.”

Quite a bunch of interesting information in all that. The take-away is that demagogues arise in democracies. Which would allow for Hitler to have started as a demagogue since he was first elected and then gathered the power to himself, taking over as a dictator while building on the fear and anger of the German people post-World War 1. What seems to make demagogues different is what I have to call a "negative" passion that is more "against" than it is "for." Demagogues build on hatred and fear, but give no solutions other than building walls, inflaming prejudice, and reinforcing stereotypes. Demagogues place loose and easy with truth, yet lay out their opinions as true.

We have had some classic demagogues in American history. From Discovery.com again.

Pitchfork Ben Tillman:
He was a Democratic governor and U.S. senator from South Carolina. He led a paramilitary group during the state’s violent 1876 election. As governor, he helped passed bill to remove the right to vote for black men.
On the floor of the U.S. Senate, where he served until his death in 1925, he ridiculed blacks and boasted of helping kill them during that election. His aggressive language gave him the nickname “Pitchfork.”

Sometimes a populist can easily be seen as and act like a demagogue.

Huey 'Catfish' Long:
This outspoken Louisiana governor was also the inspiration for the main character in Robert Penn Warren’s novel “All the King’s Men,” about the rise of a southern politician and his downfall at the hands of an assassin.

Long was a true populist, who started a “Share the Wealth” program to redistribute tax revenues from corporations to the poor in his state. He also built charity hospitals, schools, roads and bridges as well as a substantial political operation throughout the state. Elected U.S. Senator in 1932, he continued to pass legislation through proxies in the Louisiana legislature.

Long was assassinated on the steps of the statehouse in 1935, a month after declaring his candidacy for the presidency, which was stoked by his nationwide "Share the Wealth" clubs. His enemies also called him a demagogue.He often did use National Guard troops to intimidate opponents.. or worse.

One from the past 50 years:

George Wallace:
Upon his election as governor of Alabama in 1962, Wallace vowed “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” The following year, he stood at the doors of the University of Alabama defying federal troops who were sent to enforce a Supreme Court order to allow blacks to attend the school.

The lifelong Democrat ran for president in 1968 as a third-party candidate with the American Independent Party, winning 46 electoral votes and 10 million popular votes. He returned as governor of Alabama, but was shot and paralyzed during an attempted assassination attempt during his 1972 presidential campaign. In his later years, Wallace apologized to black leaders and rejected his racist and segregationist views.

And the ultimate American demagogue up to this point is probably Senator Joe McCarthy. His hunt for communists in government and the entertainment business is legendary.

I will be writing more about this in the next week or so. Tomorrow is another election day, though. At this point, let's just watch and wait- and be very observant of what is happening. It is not a pretty year for American politics.