Amanda Carpenter challenges General Milley’s statement in an article with a reality: Trump can win.

A recent article stated that Mike Milley believes Trump would jail him if he is reelected. Conservative editor Amanda Carpenter took exception to Milley believing Trump would not get re-elected.

Amanda Carpenter challenges General Milley in a statement

Amanda Carpenter‘s challenge to Milley taps into a broader debate on the American democratic process and its vulnerabilities. Her reference to a “playbook” that details how authoritarians operate recalls the work of scholars like Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, who, in their book “How Democracies Die,” delineate the various strategies employed by authoritarians to corrode democratic institutions. They warn against “norm erosion,” where long-standing democratic norms are broken down, providing fertile ground for authoritarianism to take root.

In this clip:

• General Chief of Staff Mike Milley criticizes Donald Trump in a recent book, pointing out Trump’s questionable attitude towards a wheelchair-bound veteran and other behaviors that show a lack of humanity. Milley states that although Trump may attempt to arrest him, he believes that won’t happen because Trump cannot win another election.
• Conservative editor Amanda Carpenter challenges Milley’s confidence that Trump can’t win. She highlights that Trump is leading a movement, not just representing himself and that this movement has gained substantial power and influence. Carpenter warns against complacency and questions why Republicans are not taking the threat seriously.
• Carpenter references her colleague Ian Bassin’s opinion that Trump would rule as an autocrat if re-elected. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing broader patterns of authoritarian behavior, listing tactics commonly employed by authoritarians, such as stoking violence, corrupting elections, and marginalizing vulnerable communities.
• The discussion shifts to the idea that the U.S. is not immune to authoritarianism. Carpenter encourages people to study how authoritarians gain power in other countries and draw parallels to the current political climate in the U.S.

Amanda Carpenter’s intervention warns against a false sense of security that authoritarianism “can’t happen here.” The argument that Trump represents a movement, not just an individual, aligns with the assertions of scholars like Ruth Ben-Ghiat in her book “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” where she argues that authoritarians can emerge from deeply ingrained cultural and institutional contexts. This is not just a Trump issue; it’s a structural issue involving media, donor classes, and the voter base, all mobilized toward a potentially autocratic future. The emphasis here should not just be on Trump, the individual, but on a systemic analysis of how such movements gain traction.

Combating this threat necessitates a multi-pronged approach. The media must rise to the challenge by not merely reacting to daily events but fitting them into broader patterns. Voter education must also evolve to equip citizens with the tools to discern and combat disinformation. Grassroots initiatives can help galvanize a more informed and active electorate, focusing on local elections that often serve as testing grounds for strategies employed in national politics.

Milley’s warnings and Carpenter’s critical questions underscore the urgency of recognizing and confronting the pervasive movement behind Trump that threatens democratic values. Rather than getting mired in complacency or partisanship, now is the time to be proactive and resolute in defense of democracy.

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