Donald Trump is a bully. He thinks he should be able to get whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, by merely decreeing that it be done. While that may work in the business world, it’s generally not conducive to effective governing in a representative democracy.
In their third of four editorials this week, the Los Angeles Times is calling Trump out for the way he uses dangerous and hostile rhetoric as his governing style since entering the White House. The Times editorial board writes:
“Trump has no experience in politics; he’s never previously run for office or held a government position. So perhaps he was unaware that one of the hallmarks of the American system of government is that the president’s power to ‘fix’ things unilaterally is constrained by an array of strong institutions — including the courts, the media, the permanent federal bureaucracy and Congress. Combined, they provide an essential defense against an imperial presidency.”
Additionally, the editorial notes that Trump has repeatedly attacked some of the basic pillars of our democracy: The courts, the electoral process, and the media:
“What’s uniquely threatening about Trump’s approach, though, is how many fronts he’s opened in this struggle for power and the vehemence with which he seeks to undermine the institutions that don’t go along.”
Trump’s attacks on these institutions, the editorial concludes, only serve to weaken our country and erode public confidence in what has proven to be the greatest form of governing ever devised:
“Trump betrays no sense for the president’s place among the myriad of institutions in the continuum of governance. He seems willing to violate long-established political norms without a second thought, and he cavalierly rejects the civility and deference that allow the system to run smoothly. He sees himself as not merely a force for change, but as a wrecking ball.”
If Trump succeeds, all we will be left with is a vague memory of how our democracy once operated. And in its place will be a tyrannical dictator.
Featured Image Via Raw Story
