The Strong Leader is an urge many have in moments of turmoil
History--not to mention current times--abounds with examples of that choice
The Alpha Male.
The Queen Bee.
Nature abounds with examples of different creatures operating with a pecking order.
Mankind has been able to step outside that order to some extent, thanks to the ability to think, with the tools of foresight, hindsight, explanation, and detachment allowing us to counter such instinctual behavior.
But not completely.
Our history—not to mention current times—abounds with examples of subservience to a strong leader (the Leviathan) and/or a ruling class, with a handful at the top of the hierarchy and the vast majority serving as faithful followers or useful drones.
But men and women, being thinking creatures who can reason, have seen or can see the situation for what it is: exploitation, repression, and tyranny. Or at least some have seen and do see. And have acted to change the situation.
Personal freedom, human rights, liberty for all, equality, and brotherhood are the vocabulary of those efforts.
In the United States we have a Constitutional Republic—with representative government and checks & balances—that has over time broadened beyond serving the interests of a privileged few (the wealthy landowners and prosperous merchants, all of them white and male) to become more of a Constitutional Democracy. A government “of, by and for the people” as Lincoln famously described it. One where the notion of ‘the people’ and the definition of ‘stakeholder’ have gradually broadened.
But that evolution of becoming more encompassing, of expanding the franchise, has not come without struggle and dispute. Nor has there been a steady and straight-ahead march in this direction. It’s been more of an ebb and flow. An ongoing tug-of-war between those entrenched in power who seek to protect their interests and status through the control of government, including the passage of laws and use of police power, against the less fortunate and less well-heeled and against all those ‘others’ who seek equal rights and protections, opportunities without baked-in obstacles, and a society free from legal discrimination and suppression.
There are been leaps forward, but more often an incremental progress.
But, of course, not everyone sees this evolution or expansion as progress, or as having been beneficial. Otherwise, there’d not have been struggle and dispute.
For many in this country, but also elsewhere in the world, what’s happened in the past, and more importantly what is happening now, is viewed as a threat. A profound change to the economic, social, and cultural pecking order that would be to their disadvantage and would upend of their way-of-life and the social norms under which they operate.
In moments of turmoil, when the tug-of-war is fierce and when anger, resentment, and fear gain an upper hand, the longing for a strong leader seems to surface. Someone to restore the pecking order, put the other side in its place, and end the turmoil.
* * *
I thought of that when I read a comment by Eric Trump—the former President’s second son—when he told an interviewer that the Republican Party for all practical purposes is now the Trump Party. The context was the defeat of Trump critic Liz Cheney in the recent Wyoming GOP Primary, the latest in the string of Republican House members who voted to impeach President Trump and, faced with the wrath of his supporters, either decided not to seek re-election or were defeated by one of his endorsed opponents.
That record, plus the many other candidates he’s backed that have won their primaries, obviously prompted his son’s observation.
Out of the mouth of babes.
There has been all manner of warnings by media pundits, Democrats, disaffected Republicans, and other observers that the rank-and-file allegiance to Trump—coupled with the loyalty of many party and governmental officials—is setting the stage for a rise in authoritarian rule (if he regains the Presidency or a like-minded candidate is elected)… a scenario that would end the gains of democracy.
Is it hyperbole?
Chicken Little shouting that “the sky is falling?”
The Democrats calling the pot black?
Perhaps.
Strong leaders have reshaped their political party, and our country in the past. Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan come to mind.
But, as we know, history—not to mention current times--abound with examples of the slippery slope that can occur when a strong leader, with less benign motives, is embraced. Where freedom and tolerance in a nation or society gave way way to oppression and suppression. Where what seemed unthinkable quickly became commonplace.
Lincoln called it “this last great experiment” and in the throes of the Civil War feared for its survival. Self-government. A Constitutional Democracy with a broad and encompassing notion of ‘the people’ and the definition of a ‘stakeholder. A nation formed with the opening words in a Declaration of Independence about equality and inalienable rights. Not for a few, but for all.
He thought it was worth preserving. And could serve as an example for other nations to follow. I trust most Americans, and many others around the world, share that sentiment.
Steve Horton is a mid-Michigan journalist and editor-publisher of the ‘Fowlerville News & Views.’