Tyrant:
Definition:
1 a : an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution
b : a usurper of sovereignty
2 a : a ruler who exercises absolute power oppressively or brutally
b : one resembling an oppressive ruler in the harsh use of authority or power
1. They exaggerate their mandate to govern – claiming, for example, that they won an election by a “landslide” even after losing the popular vote. They criticize any finding that they or co-conspirators stole the election. And they repeatedly claim “massive voter fraud” in the absence of any evidence, in order to have an excuse to restrict voting by opponents in subsequent elections.
2. They turn the public against journalists or media outlets that criticize them, calling them “deceitful” and “scum,” and telling the public that the press is a “public enemy.” They hold few, if any, press conferences, and prefer to communicate with the public directly through mass rallies and unfiltered statements (or what we might now call “tweets”).
3. They repeatedly lie to the public, even when confronted with the facts. Repeated enough, these lies cause some of the public to doubt the truth, and to believe fictions that support the tyrants’ goals.
4. They blame economic stresses on immigrants or racial or religious minorities, and foment public bias or even violence against them. They threaten mass deportations, “registries” of religious minorities, and the banning of refugees.
5. They attack the motives of anyone who opposes them, including judges. They attribute acts of domestic violence to “enemies within,” and use such events as excuses to beef up internal security and limit civil liberties.
6. They appoint family members to high positions of authority. They ppoint their own personal security force rather than a security detail accountable to the public. And they put generals into top civilian posts.
7.They keep their personal finances secret, and draw no distinction between personal property and public property – profiteering from their public office.
As Tyrants take control of democracies, they typically:
1- Exaggerate their mandate to govern — claiming, for example, that they won an election by a landslide even after losing the popular vote.
2- Repeatedly claim massive voter fraud in the absence of any evidence, to restrict voting in subsequent elections.
3- Call anyone who opposes them “enemies.”
4- Turn the public against journalists or media outlets that criticize them, calling them “deceitful” and “scum.”
5-Hold few news conferences, preferring to communicate with the public directly through mass rallies and unfiltered statements.
6- Tell the public big lies, causing them to doubt the truth and to believe fictions that support the tyrants’ goals.
7- Blame economic stresses on immigrants or racial or religious minorities, and foment public bias and even violence against them.
8- Attribute acts of domestic violence to “enemies within,” and use such events as excuses to beef up internal security and limit civil liberties.
9- Threaten mass deportations, registries of a religious minority, and the banning of refugees with particular religious beliefs.
10- Seek to eliminate or reduce the influence of competing centers of power, such as labor unions and opposition parties.
11- Appoint family members to high positions of authority and power.
12- Surround themselves with their own personal security force rather than a security detail accountable to the public.
13- Put generals into top civilian posts.
14- Make personal alliances with foreign dictators.
15- Draw no distinction between personal property and public property, profiteering from their public office.
Historically, conservatives have been especially vigilant against potential threats to our constitutional rights.