Like fellow opinion writer John Ashbaugh, I also like to take another look at some of our history’s heroes and to challenge some popular perceptions.
The May 18, 2024, issue of The Economist reflected upon the vulnerability of the United States to becoming a dictatorship. But while the writer’s focus was on another Donald Trump presidency, I think our closest encounter with dictatorship was in our not-so-distant past.
A “dictator” is defined as a leader who has absolute power, who may rule in an authoritarian manner, and who is unconstrained by any effective constitutional restrictions. In the U.S., we rely upon the Constitution, political norms, and three co-equal branches of government to protect us from rule by an omnipotent dictator.
Predictably, The Economist, and most liberals, see Trump as the potential dictator. The always-thoughtful Trump did little to dispel such thinking when he promised to “not rule like a dictator after his first day in office.” The Jan. 6 Capitol riot was cited, despite the fact that this harebrained scheme had absolutely no chance of ever succeeding. Even had it succeeded in momentarily preventing the certification of the vote, there is no constitutional “route” that could have led to recognizing the current president as somehow proceeding to another term. Neither the military, police, nor any branch of the government would have recognized or obeyed such a facially invalid power grab. We might have had chaos, but we wouldn’t have had Trump as president.
To find our closest encounter with a dictatorship, we need to go back to liberal icon Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first two terms as president.
At that time, the U.S. was in the throes of the Great Depression, and people were growing increasingly desperate and willing to support radical measures. Roosevelt enjoyed vast popular support, total control of both houses of Congress, and passed a series of radical measures over the objections of the Republicans. Such measures included Social Security, the FDIC, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Work Progress Administration, National Recovery Administration, new regulations on employment, banking, and the stock market, and lots of spending on public works. Prior to the 22nd Amendment in 1951, there was no limit to the terms a president could serve, and the charismatic Roosevelt managed to get elected to an unprecedented four terms.
The only resistance to Roosevelt’s aggressive agenda came from the Supreme Court, which found that some of his legislative programs unconstitutionally delegated excessive power to the president. Frustrated, and following his landslide reelection in 1936, FDR threatened to “pack the court”—that is, to use his control of Congress to add more justices to the court and provide him with enough extra votes to approve his agenda. Intimidated by this threat, the justices reversed their stances and approved Roosevelt’s agenda.
Voilá! We had a situation in which a single charismatic leader had assumed effective control of all three branches of government by threatening the Supreme Court, and he was using his power to further expand the powers of his office. Roosevelt was effectively functioning as a dictator. Eleanor Roosevelt even opined that we needed a “benevolent dictator.”
Roosevelt was also not opposed to extralegal authoritarian measures, such as imprisoning hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens of Japanese descent merely upon a presidential decree. This blatantly unconstitutional act was approved by a now “tamed” and compliant Supreme Court in the 1944 Korematsu ruling.
I recognize that much of FDR’s legacy and agenda remains popular and is often credited with lifting the U.S. out of the Great Depression. Still, there is no reason why a dictator cannot enjoy popular support and produce successful policies. Remember, Mussolini famously “made the trains run on time,” and Hitler restored power and pride to a defeated Germany, both rising to power through popular support.
In echoes of the past, we again are hearing calls to “pack” the Supreme Court, as well as witnessing a liberal campaign against the conservative justices who frustrate the progressive agenda. The doctrine of a “living constitution,” which can be interpreted as needed to accommodate a popular agenda, further weakens the ability of our Constitution to protect us. The erosion of political norms in stunts to achieve momentary political advantage, such as Harry Reid’s “nuclear option” or the attempts to disqualify Trump from the ballot, further weaken our institutions.
My point? A future dictator need not be a brutal ogre, at least not initially, and may be someone you really like and to whom you are happy to give unlimited powers to advance some desired program. He may be remembered favorably, as the victor gets to write the history.
While Trump might eagerly assume the role of dictator if he could, his support is far too weak, and his institutional opposition too pervasive, to be a much of a danger. Progressive “rock star” FDR took us far closer to a dictatorship than Trump could ever dream of. Δ
John Donegan is a retired attorney in Pismo Beach, who is collecting gold braid and epaulets for his uniform in his coming installation, er, “inauguration.” Send comments to the editor at clanham@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pride 2024.
Amazingly ignorant to label FDR a dictator when he was, above all, the man who did the most to preserve democracy in the world.
Good job john….as always you sent these libbys into hesterics
Good job john…as always you sent these libbys into an hysterical rant !
There is no greater threat of tyranny today than theocracy. Per their ‘Seven Mountain Mandate’ the New Apostolic Reformation, allied with Opus Dei, has its tentacles in every aspect of our society, from SCOTUS appointments to local school boards. Whether or not they continue to support Trump, a poster boy for the Seven Deadly Sins, what used to be ‘stealth dominionism’ in the days of Nixon and Jerry Falwell is now openly trying to overthrow democracy.
NEW, well if you’re not happy with FDR…how about his cousin Teddy Roosevelt? governor…police commissioner..POTUS…veteran…Republican? our former POTUS, also a New Yorker could learn a few things from him…yes?
You all forget how good things were when Trump was president….those 13 marines were ALIVE….
Biden has split the. Country in halve….Biden is a criminal….a fool…look what he did to our border….you lefties are gaslighters
Never mind the inflation….interest rates…energy costs…how about the big city crime….of course you don’t want to talk about it….the radical left has Biden by his nose ring….oh I wonder if my granddaughter will have to run against a pretend girl in tract and field events ….you all are taking this country over a cliff…saying Biden is a great president is a ridiculous concept…..he was never considered bright….Obama only picked him because he thought Ole Joe would be a harmless Choice…
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“You all forget how good things were when Trump was president”
I basically remember five things form the Trump presidency.
First, was inauguration day when Trump’s press secretary claimed, despite clear visual evidence, that the inauguration had drawn the largest crowd in history. Already, on the very first day, a lie, to be followed by thousands more.
Second, the day Trump said there were “very fine people” among a group of white supremacists who chanted “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville.
Third, the day Trump sided with thug and anti-democratic dictator Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, saying, he saw no reason to not believe Putin when he said that Russia had not interfered in the 2016 election, despite reams of evidence from Trump’s own administration claiming the exact opposite.
Fourth, the day Trump got in front of the nation and claimed that COVID could be neutralized by simply drinking bleach or shining a UV light down your throat. I will forever remember the cringe emanating from Deborah Birx.
Finally, the day Trump, having been defeated in a fair election (Trump’s own people said it was the securest American election in history), whipped up a crowd of miscreants and ne’er do wells to storm the capitol and somehow attempt to annul the election by hanging Mike Pence. It will most certainly be remembered as the lowest point in the history of the U.S.
I pray for us all that we do not have to repeat those “good things.”
Typical left wing nonsense…..Trump was slandered from the moment he entered the race….all of the lefty media outlets ganged up and spread nothing but lies…..how about the fbi holding back the truth about the laptop?….how about the 51 so called experts who said it was Russian misinformation….Trump would have won easily if the truth were known….lefty states changed voting methods so they could harvest ballots….democrats are rotten to the core!
Democrats are the party.of slander and deceit…how about the big holding back the laptop?….51 so called experts said it was Russian misinformation ?….Trump would have won easily had it not been for these lies
I thought democrats loved riots…..mostly peaceful?…..how about the businesses in the major cities boarding up their storefronts because of fear of rioting if Trump won….you forgot about that huh?….what about threatening the Supreme Court. …I could go on forever!
@Michael Smith: Mike, you missed my point. I am not arguing the merits of FDR’s presidency. Since we are still engaged in much of the agenda that he championed, I will leave it to future generations to judge, hopefully from a more objective vantage, the wisdom of expanding government and creating so much dependency upon it. My focus was on the power dynamic, and to point out that FDR enjoyed the closed thing to absolute power that we have seen. I don’t believe that any president was ever able to subjugate the Supreme Court like he did, and he did it at a time when he also controlled Congress. He really had no limits. And, like I said, whether he used this power for good, will have to be determined by future generations.
“subjugate the Supreme Court like he did, and he did it at a time when he also controlled Congress”
Pretty sure the Heritage Foundation, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump and Don McGahn have done a better job of fashioning the court to serve them and their wealthy donors than anything FDR ever dreamed of.
I also totally disagree with the idea that we are “engaged in the agenda he [FDR] championed.” We stopped that over 40 years ago when we dropped the top tax rate from 70% to 35%. In case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve been under a neo-liberal economic model since Reagan. Clinton, bought it, both Bush’s bought it and Obama bought it. Even Obama’s signature achievement, Obamacare, was based on neo-liberal principles with health care left in the hands of the private sector. Trump did nothing for four years, but did adhere to Friedman’s mantra to continue to cut taxes on the so called job creators. In return, the national debt has grown to epic proportions (a whopping $8.1 trillion under Trump). The total debt on the day Jimmy Carter left office was less than $1 trillion, today it’s $32 trillion. Thanks Milton.
But sure, I get it Mr. Donegan, FDR created something of an imperial presidency. It was, after all, what the people wanted. He was a great man who was badly needed at a time of economic and violent upheaval. Carlyle posited that in times of trouble a great man will always rise. Too bad he died before he could witness the work of FDR and Churchill, who fit his theory perfectly.
A whole lot.of.words…..nothing said!
“A whole lot.of.words…..nothing said!”
Totally agree, a great summation of Mr. Donegan’s columns.
As Shaw once said, “Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”
Interesting timing for this column… On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, John Donegan dares to portray Franklin D. Roosevelt as a “dictator” who assumed unconstitutional powers far beyond those that Donald Trump could hope to exercise.
No, John: FDR was not a dictator; the Supreme Court AND Congress held his “progressive” agenda in check, as the Constitution intended – especially with the onset of WW II. His strong leadership and his genuine compassion for ALL the people succeeded in bringing our nation out of the Great Depression. His ability to mobilize our nation against the Axis in WW II deserve genuine admiration. His leadership in forming the United Nations – along with Eleanor – helped to create the conditions for peace in the ensuing decades of the Cold War.
Compare the record of FDR to that of Donald Trump, whose saber-rattling nearly provoked all-out war with Iran – who unilaterally killed the Iran Nuclear Agreement – who pulled us out of the Paris Climate Accord – whose “America First” policy seems to echo the all-too-familiar claims of Russia’s Putin.
We commemorate D-Day every year, but especially in 2024 – and we take note of Churchill’s statement that June 6 ’44 was “not the end, not even the beginning of the end… but, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” We should all be very grateful that American voters returned FDR to office for his fourth term just five months after D-Day.
“The always-thoughtful Trump” – You’re kidding, right John? Why you would ever give an ounce of praise to a wannabe dictator, who admires other dictators is beyond me. I would suggest that you embrace this position because the alternative is to admit that your party has knowingly supported a felon to lead this Country. He has promised to be a dictator “on day one” with no clarification of what he’d do after day one, he promised to imprison those who have prosecuted and betrayed him including military Generals, the current President, and members of the free press. He tried to rig the 2020 Presidential election and in January 2021, as you know, he incited an insurrection and arranged and encouraged fake electors to replace those who were legal and in place. How much more insane behavior are you willing embrace? At what point is enough enough? You have choices other than the Orange Elephant.
@John Ashbaugh: My admiration for the achievements of the “Greatest Generation” yield to no one’s, but I am afraid that you let your admiration for FDR interfere with my basic point, which was not to argue with FDR’s accomplishments, but to point out the unrestrained power that he wielded, and in particular, his bullying of the Supreme Court with his “court packing” threat. With his control of both houses, and with his ability to force SCOTUS to reverse itself under threat, he had the powers of a dictator, regardless of how he used them. His compassion for “all the people” seemed to overlook the Japanese American citizens who lost their homes and farms during relocation. And, his efforts in forming the United Nations is nothing I would brag about. Borne from a grand and seductive idea, It is too encumbered by national loyalties and politics to function as the world government intended, and is useful as little more than a hideously expensive debating society to be used when one country or another wants a stage to rant. The Iran Nuclear Agreement, and the Climate Accords, are nothing more than illusory agreements, accomplishing nothing substantive, and neither limiting Iran’s nuclear ambitions nor carbon emissions, and merely satisfy the liberal’s craving to be seen as having done something.