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Friday, February 27, 2026

27: Tesla

When Vladimir Putin came to power in 1999, Russia had just experienced a devastating financial crisis. The crisis precipitated a severe recession, forced the Russian government to default on its debt, and led to a plunge in the value of the ruble: .......... Putin brought stability and presided over a strong economic recovery. And, as with Hitler, the upswell of popular support enabled Putin to consolidate power. .............. there were reasons American families felt stressed despite good conventional numbers, although the depth of their discontent remains startling. But because America wasn’t suffering a Germany 1932 or Russia 1998-type crisis, it was impossible for Trump to deliver rapid economic improvement – that is, it would have been impossible even if he were competent (which he isn’t). So his efforts to consolidate power aren’t succeeding the way he and his fellow authoritarians expected. ................ Fascist Failure about the Trump administration’s lagging attempt to bring fascism to America. For now, I willbe more cautious and say that American fascism is faltering rather than failing. But the power grab is clearly not going according to plan. .......... the determination and courage of ordinary Americans — in utter contrast with the craven surrender of much of the elite — has been crucial. ............... Trump spent more time in the SOTU bragging about his triumph in Venezuela than he spent talking about affordability, but the public was utterly unimpressed by his Maduro adventure. And there is no appetite at all for a confrontation with Iran. ................ While he can and does lie about the Biden economy, claiming that it was catastrophically bad, while touting the current economy as the greatest ever, people aren’t buying it. A plurality of Americans now say that Biden was a better president than Trump, and a majority say that the economy under Biden was better. Trump simply can’t gaslight Americans into disbelieving their lying eyes and wallets. ................ He would have to rescind policies that increase the cost of living, such as deportations and tariffs. He would have to break with Heritage Foundation conservatism that pushes tax cuts for the rich and extreme benefit cuts for the poor and working class. ............ But we know he isn’t doing that; he won’t do that; and he can’t do that, given how dependent both his political machine and his program of personal enrichment are on support from billionaires. Furthermore, he just can’t stand the humiliation of backing down. ............... Hitler established total control against the backdrop of an economic boom. So did Putin. Even Hungary’s Viktor Orban — whose regime now looks mild compared with Trumpian violence — was able to consolidate control in large part because during the early 2010s Hungary’s economy was recovering from high unemployment caused by austerity policies. ........... In the end, if Trumpist fascism is indeed defeated, I believe that there will be three sources of that defeat. First is the courage and basic decency of the American people, who refuse to bow down. Second is the egomania and malign incompetence of Trump, who tried to bludgeon and gaslight Americans into submission. And last is the weakness of a fascist movement that just can’t deliver the goods.

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