Trump Might Be an Authoritarian. But Are Democrats Any Better?

Reason TV asked DNC delegates about issues ranging from freedom of speech to trade to executive power, guns, and foreign policy.

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Trump Might Be an Authoritarian. But Are Democrats Any Better?

A recent University of Massachusetts, Amherst study found one trait linking all Donald Trump supporters—their authoritarian inclinations.

Trump presented his dystopian outlook in his closing speech last Thursday at the Republican National Convention (read Reason's coverage of it here) where he stated that he alone was the solution to the nation's problems.

But do Democrats and their selected candidate Hillary Clinton offer a viable anti-authoritarian alternative?

Reason TV talked to delegates on day two of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA and asked them how Clinton contrasted with Trump on major issues such as free speech, free trade, the sharing economy, gun rights, Citizens United, and foreign policy.

Approximately 5 minutes.

Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Weissmueller, Alexis Garcia, and Joshua Swain. Graphics by Swain. Music by Podington Bear and Antiqcool.

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to ReasonTV's YouTube Channel to receive notification when new material goes live.

Comments

[Space]

What a great video. A recent review of the top 100 psychological papers was undertaken by "Retraction Watch", a watchdog group of scientists who investigate scientific papers, that found that the majority of top studies in Psychology can't be replicated and/or contain serious flaws. I seriously doubt that the study that is referenced in this article suggesting that Trump supporters have a predisposition for authoritarianism, is valid and after watching this video it is clear that there is quite a bit of self-delusion on the Left when it comes to their projection of authoritarian tendencies onto others.

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[Zero Sum Game]

This is what is most wrong about the election of the President. The office is seen by too many of the electorate as that of an emperor. The executive order has become a royal decree, and we hear people here talking about "rights as President."

[mojoe]

Just can't criticize Hillary without first taking a couple of shots at Trump, and Trump supporters can you, Reason?

[jmg09]

Why would you want to? To criticize one while staying silent on the other, implies that you don't feel the same about the other. But they're both authoritarian douche nozzles, so they both need to be called out as such.

[JWatts]

That might be a viable standard if you were consistent about it. But there have been plenty of Reason articles that criticized Trump without bringing in Hillary. Granted, the article's aren't all written by the same person, so I think you really need to call out specific people if there's bias.

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[Spinach Chin]

Hey reason, thanks for helping progressives deliver the shit sandwich that will be a Hillary presidency to the US.

I hope you like the taste.

[Ama-Gi Anarchist]

What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Newsflash, asswipe, choosing between Orange Sauron and Blonde Maleficent isn't a fucking choice. Go back to Blaze, or Breitbart or wherever it is you fucking Trumptards came from....

[jjjjj]

Both parties are authoritarian.

So vote Hillary.

[LV]

A.) No. and B.) Hell to the fuck no.

[LV]

To be clear, Trump may be criminal and may be evil. Clinton (pick the first name of your choice) IS Criminal and IS Evil, no two ways about it.

[Dilligaf]

Hmmm...Well we got us a real melon scratcher right there. The known Evil insider vs. the Unknown and possibly bad to mediocre maybe even good (but-who-the-fuck-really-knows-in-all-honesty), outsider? That one is probably just too hard to call unless we go to the tie breaker. And where I live, it always just seems to come down to the 2nd amendment. Some folks are just strange like that, there may be other considerations of course - but it seems that there are a whole lot of people that seem to think that taking away the right to defend things like the your life are pretty much the same as trying to take your life.

[JWatts]

" And where I live, it always just seems to come down to the 2nd amendment. "

Well Hillary's hostile to the 1st amendment also. Remember, Citizen's United was specifically an attempt to muzzle speech that was critical of Hillary Clinton. And she's running on a platform of over turning the decision.

[Peter Verkooijen]

Trump is running on "taking money out of politics" as well. Free speech in America is fucked either way.

[Peter Verkooijen]

Trump is not an unknown. Trump is not an outsider. Trump has been a public insider figure since the 1980s. We know his business record - really not that great. We know his shifting positions over the years. We know Trump is an opportunist and habitual bullshitter.

[JWatts]

"Trump is not an unknown. Trump is not an outsider. Trump has been a public insider figure since the 1980s."

Trump isn't a political insider. At least not on the same scale as Hillary Clinton.

"We know his business record - really not that great."

Trump has spent billions of dollars on a lavish life style and still has as much money as if he had invested his entire inheritance in the stock market and never spent a dime. It's weird to hear a critique on a Libertarian website about a business record not being "great" because the man spent his own money.

"We know his shifting positions over the years. We know Trump is an opportunist and habitual bullshitter."

Absolutely. In those regards, he's little different than Clinton.

[jmg09]

If only stupidity and hypocrisy were painful.

[LV]

They are to most of us, know what I'm sayin'?

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

Progressivism by definition, all statists by definition -- authoritarian to the core.

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[JagerIV]

Could someone tell me what is uniquely authoritarian about Trump again?

As far as I can tell, here's my thoughts:

1) He's not a libertarian, and it thus partially authoritarian by definition because like almost everyone else he uses a narrower definition of being an authoritarian than we do. Which tells us nothing uniquely bad about him.

2) He's about average for most politicians: there's things he wants to see free, and things he want's to see greater control over. In this case, he seems more pro freedom than Hillary is.

[JWatts]

"Could someone tell me what is uniquely authoritarian about Trump again?"

I'm in the same boat. There's a lot of proclamations about Trump being authoritarian that usually seemed to be linked to him being an asshole.

Trump threatening to sue a reporter is not authoritarian. He's not using Executive power abusively. He's just being a rich asshole. Trump promising to enforce immigration law as written is not authoritarian. It's actually the job of the President to enforce the laws. And not to find means to avoid enforcing the one's he doesn't like.

Hillary promising to force businesses to pay women higher wages is authoritarian. Hillary saying she'll maintain Obama's executive orders in place, even though they skirt US law is authoritarian.

[Warren]

Would you like to shoot me now?

[Rockabilly]

Hmm
Strong Womyn
Not
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Vote Hillary the democrat war monger!

[Meletaeus]

Trump may be authoritarian, but his presidency would likely end up being the most libertarian we've ever seen. At the end of the day, a president can't do much without the congress and courts supporting him. If anything, I suspect they'll move to impeach him the first chance they get. Hillary, on the other hand, will get a free pass for everything she does.

[Peter Verkooijen]

"... his presidency would likely end up being the most libertarian we've ever seen ..."

Bullshit. Pure wishful thinking. Trump promises government will "take care of everybody". Trump represents white welfarism, Chinese/Russian-style "state capitalism". Name one aspect of Trump's agenda that is even remotely libertarian?

[buybuydandavis]

As per usual, people "feel" Trump is authoritarian, without offering evidence or context, and Reason articles start by genuflecting to this feeling to make sure no one gets the wrong idea.

Meanwhile, our current President offered the most succinct expression of authoritarianism since Louis XIV's "L'?tat, C'est Moi":

I've Got a Pen and I've Got a Phone

[JWatts]

"I've Got a Pen and I've Got a Phone"

In the context of writing Executive Orders and Executive Memorandum that skirt existing US law, yes Obama's actions are implicitly authoritarian.

[Azathoth!!]

Okay, so trump's 'authoritarian' because he's says he's the only guy that can do the job he's campaigning for.

And that's it?

Because he's set no policies, enacted no laws, done absolutely nothing whatsoever in his entire life to provide him a record of 'authortitarianism'.

Unlike his opponent--who takes being above the law as a starting point.

[Peter Verkooijen]

No, of course the Democrats are at least as authoritarian as Trump, but at least with Hillary Clinton as the next President, the "liberty movement" will live to see another day.

If Trump becomes President, the opposition will be socialist; Trump would be succeeded by a hardline socialist in 2020, a younger, more electable version of Bernie Sanders, a more explicitly marxist version of Obama.

The priority for 2016 should be to defeat and repudiate white nativist, nationalist big government welfarism and clear the way for Liberty and limited government as the only viable alternative to authoritarian statism of the left and right.

[JWatts]

So, Libertarians should give in and hope that Hillary wins because if she doesn't then the Left will go full on Prog Town?

[CLM1227]

Unless Hill is full on prog town.

[Peter Verkooijen]

Trump discredits the GOP and any Republicans, conservatives and libertarians who follow him off the cliff. Only the socialist left would be left standing with "credibility" after a Trump presidency.

Let Hillary Clinton take the blame for the fallout from the Obama era and the bankrupt welfare state. Libertarians, independents and conservatives would get one more chance to come up with a serious liberty/limited government coalition.

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