How would you make America a dictatorship?

[Martinus]

Anyway, I thought Obama was already a dictator.

[Admiral Yi]

An classical dictatorship by a single authoritarian leader seems unlikely, but even a mature democracy like the US might degenerate into something less liberal.

I could see a dystopian society where opinions of an apathic public are carefully managed by directed media and controlled by all-pervasive intelligence services and swayed towards the interests of the elites. Legal corruption in the form of "donations" at the highest levels of politics would run rampant and figureheads would stand for elections just to implement what their invisible benefactors want.

Armed hillbillies wouldn't figure in this scenario as they have virtually no influence anyway, no matter how many guns they have. If they ever start trouble, just brand them as terrorists or crazies and the public will not support them.

I think it much more likely to end up with an authoritarian left populist government that maintains its power through patronage, a la PRI.

[dps]

Really? I'd definitely support Lincoln over the Confederacy. Democracy is useless when it does not protect basic rights of all.

Lincoln wasn't elected?

Just assume Marti's grasp of ACW-era US history is on par with his grasp of the law or Christianity. 

Seriously, I'd guess he's referring to the suspension of habeas corpus and the like, not the circumstances of the 1860 election.  But I could be wrong.

[crazy canuck]

An classical dictatorship by a single authoritarian leader seems unlikely, but even a mature democracy like the US might degenerate into something less liberal.

I could see a dystopian society where opinions of an apathic public are carefully managed by directed media and controlled by all-pervasive intelligence services and swayed towards the interests of the elites. Legal corruption in the form of "donations" at the highest levels of politics would run rampant and figureheads would stand for elections just to implement what their invisible benefactors want.

Armed hillbillies wouldn't figure in this scenario as they have virtually no influence anyway, no matter how many guns they have. If they ever start trouble, just brand them as terrorists or crazies and the public will not support them.

Agreed. The US already has unrestricted political funding, primary systems which encorage extreme views and an intelligence apparatus which monitors citizens.  And the elite are already supported unequally through a tax system which prefers the interests if the .01 over the rest.

If Fox News stops being the punchline for jokes the fix will really be in and armed hillbillies will still think they live in the land of the free.

[dps]

The US already has... ...primary systems which encorage extreme views 

I think that's debatable.  To any extent which it is true, I'd say it's not a systematic problem per se, but a problem of low voter turnout for primaries.

[Ideologue]

No, I wouldn't. No telling what evils would come out of a dictatorship - however benevolent. Course, US would be going to hell in a hand basket if such a backwards move was made that I'd probably seek out fairer climes.

Ambivalent cosmopolite considers the world a menu.  Go Cardinals.

[garbon]

No, I wouldn't. No telling what evils would come out of a dictatorship - however benevolent. Course, US would be going to hell in a hand basket if such a backwards move was made that I'd probably seek out fairer climes.

Ambivalent cosmopolite considers the world a menu.  Go Cardinals.

If refugees can manage, why can't I?

[crazy canuck]

The US already has... ...primary systems which encorage extreme views 

I think that's debatable.  To any extent which it is true, I'd say it's not a systematic problem per se, but a problem of low voter turnout for primaries.

Sure but that is part of the "apathetic public" Zanza mentioned.

To be clear the US is not there yet.  But one can see the outlines of how the scenarios set out by Zanza and Tonitrus might occur. 

[Razgovory]

An classical dictatorship by a single authoritarian leader seems unlikely, but even a mature democracy like the US might degenerate into something less liberal.

I could see a dystopian society where opinions of an apathic public are carefully managed by directed media and controlled by all-pervasive intelligence services and swayed towards the interests of the elites. Legal corruption in the form of "donations" at the highest levels of politics would run rampant and figureheads would stand for elections just to implement what their invisible benefactors want.

Armed hillbillies wouldn't figure in this scenario as they have virtually no influence anyway, no matter how many guns they have. If they ever start trouble, just brand them as terrorists or crazies and the public will not support them.

I think it much more likely to end up with an authoritarian left populist government that maintains its power through patronage, a la PRI.

Historically the people who feared this were the ones most likely to set up a dictatorship to protect their own rights.  The most likely sort of dictatorship would be in my opinion one that ruled with light hand it would be a "managed democracy" like Singapore, Russia or Turkey.  The dictator would be an outsider, perhaps business perhaps military, who would be "above politics", and would promise to "fix the broken system".

[Zanza]

Yeah, like some flamboyant billionaire who can tout his independence from the Washington machine, have unusual opinions that find support among a variety of societal groups and promises to make America great again!

[mongers]

Yeah, like some flamboyant billionaire who can tout his independence from the Washington machine, have unusual opinions that find support among a variety of societal groups and promises to make America great again!

I think you've misread Raz, he was implying HRC.   

[dps]

The US already has... ...primary systems which encorage extreme views 

I think that's debatable.  To any extent which it is true, I'd say it's not a systematic problem per se, but a problem of low voter turnout for primaries.

Sure but that is part of the "apathetic public" Zanza mentioned.

Yes, but my point was it's the voter apathy that's the problem, not the primary system itself.

[crazy canuck]

I disagree voter apathy plus a primary system is a recipe for extreme candidates as politicians try to appeal to the primary voters who tend not to be moderate.

[Valmy]

Anyway, I thought Obama was already a dictator.

Well technically all of the last three Presidents have been Hitler.

[Eddie Teach]

Nah, Clinton was just Slick Willie.