- Oct 26, 2006
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A president is “authoritarian” not when he’s angry or impulsive or incompetent or tweets too much. He’s authoritarian when he seeks to expand his own power beyond constitutional limits. In this regard, the Obama administration — though far more polite and restrained in most of its public comments — was truly one of our more authoritarian.
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Liberals were blind to Obama’s authoritarian tendencies in part because they agreed with his goals and in part because their adherence to “living Constitution” theories made the separation of powers far more conditional and situational. But authoritarianism is defined by how a president exercises power, not by the rightness of his goals. It’s early, and things can obviously change, but one month into the new presidency, a trend is emerging — Trump is less authoritarian than the man he replaced.
Despite the Hysteria, Trump Is Trending Less Authoritarian Than Obama
Trump's not going to be cracking my top ten, but it does warm the cockles of my heart that he's at least trending less authoritarian than Obama. Like the author says, it's still very early on, but I figured a reality check was needed after the past two months of non-stop hysteria.