This Autocratic Intention Signaling by Donald Trump is perhaps another excellent opportunity to remind people of the Seven Rules for Dealing with Autocrats and their enablers. I wrote these when working with those worldwide fighting for Democracy in their nations, and they are just as applicable today with what we face in America in the coming months.
Rule #1: Play the Game You Are In, Not the One You Wish or Want to Play - Recognize and adapt to the dynamics. In a zero-sum struggle against illiberal forces, there's no room for romantic win-win approaches. The outcome is binary: either victory for democracy or defeat to autocracy.
Rule #2: Speak Truth to Power Relentlessly - Challenge the illiberal forces' Big Lies by consistently speaking truth to their power base, the people. Persistence is key, as there's always a tipping point where either truth or lies prevail.
Rule #3: Avoid Giving Autocrats Ammunition - Remember, the struggle isn't about policy or ideology but democracy. Be cautious with your words to prevent autocrats from using them to divide you from your allies.
Rule #4: Recognize Authoritarians' Disregard for Truth - Understand that authoritarians operate in a truth-free zone, focusing solely on maintaining or gaining power. They want you to move on with them, don't. Stay vigilant in forcing them to answer for their actions, lies, and distortions.
Rule #5: Employ Zero-Sum Judo - Turn their tactics against them. Use Big Truths, marginalization, dependency, mockery of disinformation, and division to weaken their power structure. Exploit their need for the legitimacy of democracy.
Rule #6: The Stalin Rule - Unite Against Illiberalism - Stand with anyone willing to fight against illiberal structures, regardless of other differences. Shared commitment to democracy and opposition to illiberal politics is the binding force.
Rule #7: Daily Challenge to Power Structures - Every day, seek ways to expose, confront, and destabilize vertical power structures. Be proactive in restoring faith in democracy and facing the fear used by autocrats to keep you in silence.
Final Thought: Believe in the erosion of fear and the rise of faith in democracy of your fellow Americans. This battle is crucial not just for our nation but for the world. It's about preserving the legacy of a Great Experiment and a Shining City on a Hill, not only for ourselves but for the generations of Americans who will follow.
I am an optimist; if you stand up, and I do too, we are the majority and will prevail! We need to hold fast in the faith in one another, which makes democracy work and has carried America in its times of peril past. We will win this battle against the Autocratic Forces because we have no choice.
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Faith or Fear Thread – When Autocratic Verticals are Challenged
It doesn't matter what autocratic vertical it is. The one in Putin's Russia (currently under stress), Lukashenko's Belarus (cracking up), Xi's China (firmly in place), or Trump's GOP (it is getting nuts fast)
Autocrats have a singular objective – Gaining and Maintaining Power. They do this by "demonstrating inevitability and invincibility through fear." Structurally, they create a vertical with the autocrat on top and a vertical power structure underneath them.
There are six tactics. Autocratic actors use. They are 1) Big Ideas/Big Lies, 2) Disinformation, 3) Dependency, 4) Marginalization, 5) Divide and Conquer, and 6) Threats, Repression, and Violence.
In the weeks ahead remember the Seven Rules for confronting Autocrats & their enablers. We need everyone using whatever they can bring to the battle for democracy! Please share and I hope you will encourage others to follow me as I have lots of exciting stuff coming in this space
Given Don's little explosion over the @ProjectLincoln ad (attached in the following tweet), it's an excellent time to remind all of Rule #7 of dealing with Autocrats and their enablers. @TheRickWilson & the entire LP team live this rule each day.
The Ad, which if you have not seen, is a must watch and retweet.
Faith or Fear Thread: The Rules for Dealing with Autocrats & Their Enablers – J6 Committee Edition
Working around the world with those fighting for democracy, I understand we need Seven Rules for democratic forces to prevail.
Remember, all Autocratic illiberal actors strive solely to gain and maintain power. They do so by creating Fear of each other at the expense of faith in one another – think of what Putin is doing in Ukraine versus Zelensky.
For autocratic forces & their enablers, the game is zero-sum at the expense of the win-win upon which we build democracies. Win-win requires trust to achieve a sum far greater than the parts. Zero-sum has only one winner at the expense of all others. The Seven Rules are:
This by @JaneMayerNYer about the PR firm @zenogroup which is part of @EdelmanPR is a fascinating case study to me on PR firms, corporate America, and the political world we live in versus the one we have known. It is a classic case of misunderstanding democracy v. autocracy.
In a healthy democracy, you can have policy disagreements within a win-win system whereby not just political actors have power, but whereby many within society including corporations (as human endeavors) hold the rightful opportunity to advocate what they view as their interests.
In an unhealthy democracy -- where forces of autocracy on either or both sides are attempting to leverage power in a zero-sum game -- illiberalism and extremism infect all elements of the society. Zero-sum actors want to make every policy issue either-or propositions.
This by @OKnox@washingtonpost is something. He takes comments from the 90's by foreign policy icons on NATO expansion & wraps them into the Rand Paul/Russia line NATO is partially to blame for Ukraine
"Paul took some knocks on social media for seeming at times to excuse Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military action against Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova by noting they had been part of the U.S.S.R. And blaming NATO enlargement is popular in Russia & among its apologists.
"On the other hand, one of the hardest things to convey to American readers is how other countries have their own perception of their national interests, and commit resources accordingly, quite legitimately outside of Washington’s globe-spanning influence.