Do Americans Want a Bully-in-Chief?
In last week's GOP debate, {as blogged and recapped in podcast form by your friendly neighborhood Lions of Liberty!} Donald Trump was at his vitriolic worst - or best, depending on your point of view. The Donald was highly vocal about numerous topics, attacking his rivals (and the crowd at times) with gusto, but saving special treatment for Jeb Bush.The dynamic really does seem to be emerging with Trump playing the role of the Bully - blustering and blasting everyone else on stage, ignoring any attempts at moderation, and going out of his way to attack the weaker members of the herd. I'm not saying this tactic hasn't been effective - it has. It's also been entertaining. But Trump's continued popularity, which has shocked pundits and the establishment, both having predicted a fast flame-out, makes me wonder if Americans simply want a Bully-in-Chief rather than a more hands-off leader who would respect the independent rights of citizens.Rand Paul's measured comments throughout the debate, and his emphasis on personal rights and a government that would "leave people alone" resonated with some of us, clearly, but not with the country as a whole. This is surprising if recent polls are to be believed that reveal more Americans are libertarian-leaning than they are Dem or GOP.Trump's assertions that he'll "Make America Great Again" via a combination of hard negotiation, economic and military tactics (including 'medieval' torture, of which he is a fan) have been convincing to Americans, who seem to be in love with the Bully-in-Chief who will do everything for them and force his views through no matter what.We see this on the other side of the dreaded two-party system as well. Progressives like to pretend that they're high-minded and just want whats best for everyone but they have no problem forcing the 49% that doesn't agree with them into obeying. They also want a bully, and many are very fond of Barack Obama's use of executive actions - the best bullying tool in the presidential playbook. Also, take one Bernie Sanders, who has made his intention to force American's into massive tax increases, whether they like it or not, while also pushing through a single-payer health mandate. He's also made it very clear that he'll be bullying Wall Street into some sort of subservience to his will.The central theme is that the president has to be a forceful personality who is convincing people that he/she doesn't care about anyone's opinion and that no matter what, they're going to do what they want to do. A Bully-in-Chief.Perhaps this is why libertarianism is still facing an uphill battle. Because the allure of personal rights pales in comparison to the desirable - if not comfortable - belief that Big Bully will be taking care of things and pushing others around to get what we want.Coercive government is based on being able to bully the populace into submission. It seems that the biggest bullies in the presidential race are resonating with America.Check out our latest debate reaction show, where we break down the bullies on both sides of the aisle.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
