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TheOpinionPages | OPEDCOLUMNI ST
AmericaBecomesaStan
PaulKrugman JAN.2,2017
In2015thecityofAshgabat,thecapitalofTurkmenistan,wasgracedwithanew
publicmonument:agiantgoldplatedsculptureportrayingthecountryspresident
onhorseback.Thismaystrikeyouasabitexcessive.Butcultsofpersonalityare
actuallythenorminthestans,theCentralAsiancountriesthatemergedafterthe
falloftheSovietUnion,allofwhichareruledbystrongmenwhosurround
themselveswithtinycliquesofwealthycronycapitalists.
Americansusedtofindtheanticsoftheseregimes,withtheirtinpotdictators,
funny.Butwhoslaughingnow?
Weare,afterall,abouttohandoverpowertoamanwhohasspenthiswhole
adultlifetryingtobuildacultofpersonalityaroundhimselfremember,his
charitablefoundationspentalotofmoneybuyingasixfootportraitofitsfounder.
Meanwhile,onelookathisTwitteraccountisenoughtoshowthatvictoryhasdone
nothingtoslakehisthirstforegogratification.Sowecanexpectlotsofself
aggrandizementoncehesinoffice.Idontthinkitwillgoasfarasgoldplated
statues,butreally,whoknows?
Meanwhile,withonlyacoupleofweeksuntilInaugurationDay,DonaldTrump
hasdonenothingsubstantivetoreducetheunprecedentedor,ashefamously
wroteonTwitter,unpresidentedconflictsofinterestcreatedbyhisbusiness
empire.Prettyclearly,heneverwillinfact,hesalreadyineffectusingpolitical
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3/6/2017 AmericaBecomesaStanTheNewYorkTimes
officetoenrichhimself,withsomeofthemostblatantexamplesinvolvingforeign
governmentssteeringbusinesstoTrumphotels.
ThismeansthatMr.Trumpwillbeinviolationofthespirit,andarguablythe
letter,oftheConstitutionsemolumentsclause,whichbarsgiftsorprofitsfrom
foreignleaders,theinstantherecitestheoathofoffice.Butwhosgoingtoholdhim
accountable?SomeprominentRepublicansarealreadysuggestingthat,ratherthan
enforcingtheethicslaws,Congressshouldsimplychangethemtoaccommodatethe
greatman.
Andthecorruptionwontbelimitedtotheverytop:Thenewadministration
seemssettobringblatantselfdealingintothecenterofourpoliticalsystem.
AbrahamLincolnmayhaveledateamofrivalsDonaldTrumpseemstobe
assemblingateamofcronies,choosingbillionaireswithobvious,deepconflictsof
interestformanykeypositionsinhisadministration.
Inshort,Americaisrapidlyturningintoastan.
Iknowthatmanypeoplearestilltryingtoconvincethemselvesthatthe
incomingadministrationwillgovernnormally,despitetheobviouslyundemocratic
instinctsofthenewcommanderinchiefandthequestionablelegitimacyofthe
processthatbroughthimtopower.SomeTrumpapologistshaveeventakento
declaringthatweneedntworryaboutcorruptionfromtheincomingclique,because
richmendontneedmoremoney.Seriously.
Butletsgetreal.Everythingweknowsuggeststhatwereenteringaneraofepic
corruptionandcontemptfortheruleoflaw,withnorestraintwhatsoever.
Howcouldthishappeninanationthathaslongprideditselfasarolemodelfor
democracieseverywhere?Inadirectsense,Mr.Trumpselevationwasmade
possiblebytheF.B.I.sblatantinterventionintheelection,Russiansubversion,and
thesupinenewsmediathatobliginglyplayedupfakescandalswhileburyingreal
onesonthebackpages.
Butthisdebacledidntcomeoutofnowhere.Wevebeenontheroadtostan
ismforalongtime:anincreasinglyradicalG.O.P.,willingtodoanythingtogainand
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3/6/2017 AmericaBecomesaStanTheNewYorkTimes
holdpower,hasbeenunderminingourpoliticalculturefordecades.
Peopletendtoforgethowmuchofthe2016playbookhadalreadybeenusedin
earlieryears.Remember,theClintonadministrationwasbesiegedbyconstant
accusationsofcorruption,dutifullyhypedasmajorstoriesbythenewsmedianot
oneoftheseallegedscandalsturnedouttoinvolveanyactualwrongdoing.Not
incidentally,JamesComey,theF.B.I.directorwhoseinterventionalmostsurely
swungtheelection,hadpreviouslyworkedfortheWhitewatercommittee,which
spentsevenyearsobsessivelyinvestigatingafailedlanddeal.
PeoplealsotendtoforgetjusthowbadtheadministrationofGeorgeW.Bush
reallywas,andnotjustbecauseitledAmericatowaronfalsepretenses.Therewas
alsoanupsurgeincronyism,withmanykeypostsgoingtopeoplewithdubious
qualificationsbutclosepoliticaland/orbusinesstiestotopofficials.Indeed,
AmericabotchedtheoccupationofIraqinpartthankstoprofiteeringbypolitically
connectedbusinesses.
Theonlyquestionnowiswhethertherothasgonesodeepthatnothingcanstop
AmericastransformationintoTrumpistan.Onethingisforsure:Itsdestructiveas
wellasfoolishtoignoretheuncomfortablerisk,andsimplyassumethatitwillallbe
O.K.Itwont.
Readmyblog,TheConscienceofaLiberal,andfollowmeonTwitter,@PaulKrugman.
FollowTheNewYorkTimesOpinionsectiononFacebookandTwitter(@NYTopinion),
andsignupfortheOpinionTodaynewsletter.
AversionofthisopedappearsinprintonJanuary2,2017,onPageA15oftheNewYorkeditionwiththe
headline:AmericaBecomesaStan.
2017TheNewYorkTimesCompany
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