President Trump鈥檚 caudillo costume is now complete. It needed just one more scary piece 鈥� his very own paramilitary goon squad 鈥� which he provided at Tuesday night鈥檚 shambolic debate.
SA国际传谋 is committed to providing the trusted news and local reporting you rely on. Please keep SA国际传谋 strong with your support today. now. Thank you.
Even gringos who don鈥檛 know Belize from Bolivia are by now aware of the 鈥渃audillo鈥� label Trump鈥檚 been working overtime to earn throughout his presidency. A caudillo is a dictatorial Latin American strongman 鈥� Hugo Ch谩vez, Anastasio Somoza, Fidel Castro, Juan Per贸n, take your pick. Trump of course is not a homicidal tyrant like Augusto Pinochet. But, like a guy invited to a Halloween party, he loves to try on caudillo apparel 鈥� so much so it鈥檚 a wonder his suits aren鈥檛 tailored with epaulettes.
He already had a pretty macabre ensemble going: The cruel and sophomoric bullying. The Orwellian addiction to lying. The epic narcissism and self-pity. The subversion of democratic institutions for personal political and economic gain. The demand for blind loyalty and the obsession with conspiracies. Not to mention accessorizing touches like firing tear gas at peaceful protesters for a law-and-order-and-Bible photo op.
But in just the past month Trump鈥檚 caudillo couture has become so convincing I鈥檝e found myself rubbing my eyes in front of the TV and asking, 鈥淗oney, is that Donald Trump or Manuel Noriega?鈥�
READ MORE: 隆Eso! Hugo Ch谩vez Would Have Felt At Home In Florida, Where Home Rule Is Under Attack
First there was last week鈥檚 frightening refusal to assure Americans he鈥檒l recognize the results of the November election if he loses. That produced flashbacks to Noriega鈥檚 iron-fisted rejection of Panama鈥檚 1989 presidential outcome. Then came Sunday鈥檚 New York Times revelation that my high school buddies and I paid more income tax after cutting lawns in the summer of 1976 than billionaire Trump did for the whole of 2016. That鈥檚 all too reminiscent of the unscrupulous spoils caudillos have enjoyed in Latin America since Columbus came ashore in the Bahamas.
But Trump鈥檚 real coup (pun very much intended) happened Tuesday night when he was asked once and for all to condemn white supremacist hate groups like the Proud Boys. He instead told the Boys to 鈥渟tand by鈥� 鈥� a quip the right-wing militia immediately adopted as its new motto.
Trump鈥檚 all but called out every neo-Nazi goon squad in the U.S. to be his enforcers 鈥� his very own Noriega-style Dignity Battalions 鈥� if the returns don鈥檛 look good for him once the polls close November 3rd.
Trump on Wednesday finally told white supremacists to 鈥渟tand down.鈥� But that was hardly a full-throated renunciation 鈥� and by now the hate鈥檚 already out of the bag. Trump has all but called on the Proud Boys and every other neo-Nazi outfit in the U.S. to be his enforcers if returns don鈥檛 look good for him once the polls close November 3rd.
Trump in fact now has what could morph into his Batall贸nes de Dignidad. His very own Dignity Battalions. His very own colectivos or 肠丑颈尘猫谤别蝉.
DING BATS AND MONSTERS
The Dignity Battalions were Noriega鈥檚 street thugs 鈥� the 鈥減atriotic鈥� Panamanians who bloodied the opposition politicos who were unpatriotic enough to win more votes than Noriega鈥檚 candidate in that 1989 presidential race. Known derisively as 鈥淒ing Bats,鈥� their mayhem is one reason the U.S. invaded Panama later that year, collared Noriega and jailed him in Miami.
The colectivos served the same goon squad purpose for Ch谩vez鈥檚 dictatorial socialist regime in Venezuela 鈥� and still do seven years after his death. The 肠丑颈尘猫谤别蝉, or 鈥渕onsters,鈥� terrorized Haitians in the 2000s for authoritarian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, much as their even more horrifying predecessors, the Tonton Macoutes, did for Haiti鈥檚 Duvalier dictatorship.
Right-wing autodefensas in Colombia, left-wing grupos de choque in Nicaragua. More than official military or security forces, paramilitary gangs keep caudillos and other repressive interests powerful in Latin America thanks precisely to their clandestinely sinister natures.
And you only need to recall the deadly hate disgorged in Charlotesville, Virginia, three years ago to realize that right-wing hate groups like the Proud Boys 鈥� more than left-wing militants, though they need to get a grip too 鈥� have already been flexing a similar potential for political violence.
Potential that鈥檚 ecstatic about the POTUS green light it got this week. During the debate Trump blubbered about the need for 鈥減oll watchers鈥� in places he says 鈥渟ocialists鈥� are defiling ballots marked for him. So it鈥檚 all too reasonable to fear that Trump wants groups like the Proud Boys on 鈥渟tandby鈥� to intimidate polling sites during the balloting 鈥� and menace non-Trump supporters after the balloting if he does refuse to accept an unfavorable outcome.
And that鈥檚 when we鈥檒l realize: this ain鈥檛 no Halloween party anymore. It鈥檚 our democracy鈥檚 nightmare. Ask Latin America.
