I imagine Trump will be grouped in with Senator McCarthy, both beign dangerous populists.

@snytiger6 When did populist and demagogue become synonyms? For whose purposes?

@snytiger6
In the OED:
populist - represents the interests of ordinary people
demagogue - appeals to prejudices, not using rational argument.
Who benefits from that?

@yvilletom If you look in retrospect, then yes McCarthy looks like a demagogue. However, at the time and in the moment, he was leading a populist movement against communism, even if he took things way too far. Historians will likely consider Trump to be a (failed) aspiring demagogue, in retrospect.

@snytiger6 Who benefits from seeing those two words as synonyms?

I think the same people who refer to our plutocratic oligarchy as our democracy.

@yvilletom I don't think they are synonymous. However, a person who at the time of the events can be seen as a populist, but in historical retrospect be seen as more of a demagogue. When events happen in the moment, people don't always see what is actually happening.

If the Trumplicans take over our government, will Americans soon try to overthrow Trump’s fascist dictatorship and maybe establish a better democracy than we now have?

I hope so.

@yvilletom I rather think we will become as tribal as Afghanistan or unstable as so many South American countries.

@yvilletom If Trumplicans tok over... I think there would be a lot of infighting, because all of them would want to be considered the most important... which would cause the end of democracy in the U.S. Not to mention they are dumb enough to use nuclear weapons, so it may be an end to to the world as we know it.

@snytiger6 You referred to “…the end of democracy in the U.S.”

The 1787 Founders made a government that allowed only white male property owners to vote — a plutocratic oligarchy.

@yvilletom there have been a whole series of Amendments to that original document to make it more encompassing democratic, and inclusive. The Republicans are doing everything they can to eliminate those 250 years of improvements.

Why IYO will kids likely not reach middle age?

@yvilletom Climate change, disease, or war (Civil or foreign).

@yvilletom The Trumpublicans are dumb enough to start a nuclear war, so that is one reason why today's kids may not reach middle age.

@snytiger6 Right on. I think they may have set the stage for the one brewing over NATO right now but the decisions won't be 45's to make. Thankfully. Big things are afoot, though.

@snytiger6, @rainmanjr Trumpublicans are dumb enough to start a general nuclear war, but the world’s ruling classes, knowing they too will die, won’t let them. IMFO, grin.

@yvilletom If you remember the French Revolution, the rich can underestimate what the poor might do and how much control they have over them.

@snytiger6 Remember it? I was there. (grin)

Are a nuclear war and a few guillotines validly equivalent?

@yvilletom The point is that the rich can, once again, underestimate the control they have over the masses, as they have in the past.

@snytiger6 And when they underestimate, isn’t that when they lose?

When they overestimate, the masses don’’t rebel.

@yvilletom This is where the advise, "Don't get cocky, kid," comes in handy.

@yvilletom The French and Russian Revolutions would say that the masses can revel when the control of the rich is underestimated. Also, add in the slave revolt in Haiti as another example of where the rich lost control.