Authoritarians with an animus against ethnic minorities are on the march across the Western world. They control governments in Hungary and Poland, and will soon take power in America. And they’re organizing across borders: Austria’s Freedom Party, founded by former Nazis, has signed an agreement with Russia’s ruling party — and met with Donald Trump’s choice for national security adviser.
.. And no, there won’t be a “terrific” replacement: Republican plans would cover only a fraction as many people as the law they would displace, and they’d be different people — younger, healthier and richer.
.. In other words, the movement that’s about to take power here isn’t the same as Europe’s far-right movements. It may share their racism and contempt for democracy; but European populism is at least partly real, while Trumpist populism is turning out to be entirely fake, a scam sold to working-class voters who are in for a rude awakening.
.. This epic bait-and-switch, this betrayal of supporters, certainly offers Democrats a political opportunity. But you know that there will be huge efforts to shift the blame. These will include claims that the collapse of health care is really President Obama’s fault; claims that the failure of alternatives is somehow the fault of recalcitrant Democrats; and an endless series of attempts to distract the public.
.. Expect more Carrier-style stunts that don’t actually help workers but dominate a news cycle.
.. it’s worth remembering what authoritarian regimes traditionally do to shift attention from failing policies, namely, find some foreigners to confront.
Trump on Russia reports: ‘Every week it’s another excuse’
In a Fox News interview, the president-elect continued to push back against reports of C.I.A. evidence that shows Russia attempted to sway the U.S. presidential election. He suggested, without evidence, that the reports are a scheme by the Democrats to undermine his victory.
Donald Trump’s Big Idea: Don’t Blame Me
But he’s also showing the world that he has no intention of taking responsibility for the hard stuff. Don’t blame Trump, he said on Wednesday, for the deep divisions in American society.
“I’m not president yet, so I didn’t do anything to divide,” Trump said in a phone call to the “Today” show.
.. On Dec. 1, Trump smiled happily as his followers chanted, “Lock her up!” He did not attempt to quiet them, perhaps by saying that he had told The New York Times one day earlier that he did not want to prosecute Hillary Clinton. After all, Trump is not responsible for what his followers say.
The obstinate refusal to take personal responsibility permeates the Trump organization.
.. Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the new national security adviser, is not being held to account for spreading vile lies about Clinton on social media
.. Many Americans who voted for Trump may not consider themselves racist, but they cast a ballot for a candidate who espoused racism and xenophobia and told lie after lie without remorse. They have to take responsibility for their decision, and so do the people who choose to work for Trump.
.. He’s willing to shoulder the heavy burden of flaunting his riches. “Others try to hide their wealth,” he told TIME, but he does not because “aspiration’s a very important word.”
The Art of the Scam
Normally, an incoming administration issues a fiscal plan conveying its priorities soon after taking office. But as the budget expert Stan Collender notes, there are strong indications that the Trump administration will ignore this precedent (and, possibly, the law) and simply refuse to offer any explanation of how its proposals are supposed to add up. All we’ll get, probably, are assurances that it’s going to be great, believe me.
.. Almost seven years after Obamacare was enacted, Republicans haven’t offered even the broad outline of a health reform plan. Why not?
Actually, there’s no mystery here.
.. So the emerging Republican health care strategy, according to news reports, is “repeal and delay” — vote to kill Obamacare, but with the effective date pushed back until after the 2018 midterm elections.
.. And there’s likely to be chaos in health care markets well before Obamacare’s official expiration date, as insurance companies exit markets they know will soon collapse. But the political thinking seems to be that they can find a way to blame Democrats for the debacle.
.. An honest memoir of the president-elect’s business career would be titled “The art of the scam.” After all, his hallmark has been turning a profit on failed business projects, because he finds a way to leave other people holding the bag.