Research Finds Large Numbers Of Americans Still Want An Authoritarian Leader

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This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was first published at The Conversation.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1447865
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Be careful what you wish for.

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But… one that supports their views, bit of a important detail there.

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Did I mention…

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Church, cults, politics, some people just want the freedom to be told what to do.

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I nominate Karen the high school sophomore:

Surreal and stunning that this is a member of congress that actual adult humans voted for.

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Also their views are very narrow while a Authoritarian view covers total control.
When the fools discover that they are only voters and backers and have no say they refuse to admit they screwed up.
And so it goes.

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I’ll lay dollars to donuts that there is a huge overlap of those who seek authoritarian leadership and the
“deeply religious.” Two sides of the same coin; “Please, tell me how to live. I’m too stupid/afraid to figure it out on my own.”

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Two sitting members of the House! Plus George Santos!!! The GQP is not bringing their best…

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Research finds that most Americans want “strong leaders who would take action against those who would undermine American values.”

Okay, what kind of action? Which American values? Define strong?

This was a remarkably ambiguous survey that was almost guaranteed to evoke this sort of response from anyone who didn’t think about the questions too much. It’s a bit like having a survey that asks:

  1. Are you for or against against American values?
  2. Would you prefer our leaders to be strong?
  3. Should our leaders take decisive actions to solve our problems?

Who would say no to such questions? I get that these attitudes can lead to advocating authoritarianism, but most people wouldn’t see it that way if asked those questions in a survey.

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Research Finds Large Numbers Of Americans Still Want An Authoritarian Leader

Until those Authoritarian leaders come for them . . .

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Likewise, the phrasing of our questions is designed to allow respondents to rely on their own ideas about the meaning of “American values,” and “people like you.” Our interest was in what people would enable leaders to do to protect their idea of America and the Americans with whom they identify.

I put no stock in this.

So, questions designed to be wide open to interpretation are used to determine a leader’s behavior to protect the country, and from that we hop to a conclusion that Americans want a Hitler?

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bingo

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No one asked me!!!

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The GOP has a best? Isn’t Pete a Brit?

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The premise of this article is, at best, baloney. What is the definition of “American values”? It’s so vague that anyone could interpret it in any way. I am surprised that you came to any conclusion at all based on the ambiguity of these questions. Really, this is just hysteria. Ground and center people.

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“He hurts the right people.”

That’s one of the subtexts of authoritarianism; the tribal fear and revulsion of The Other, with a Leader who will make sure that not only is the in-group kept safe, but that the out-group will be hurt. It takes advantage of the ways humans come out of the womb pre-wired for tribalism as social primates.

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Research finds that shrinking minority group of cretins wants Big Daddy to make things go their way.

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Exactly. This seems like some really elastic sets of questions that will get you “results” that don’t really back up the rather hyperbolic conclusions in this piece.

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How many Americans can’t even find their own state on a map and we expect them to give anything resembling an intelligent answer here?

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