I love language and I love words, especially ones that are new to me. I had never heard of the word of the day until I read a fabulous piece by Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic, One Word Describes Trump. The word is patrimonialism, which was coined by the same guy who came up with charisma, the legendary German sociologist, Max Weber:
“Patrimonialism is less a form of government than a style of governing. It is not defined by institutions or rules; rather, it can infect all forms of government by replacing impersonal, formal lines of authority with personalized, informal ones. Based on individual loyalty and connections, and on rewarding friends and punishing enemies (real or perceived), it can be found not just in states but also among tribes, street gangs, and criminal organizations.
In its governmental guise, patrimonialism is distinguished by running the state as if it were the leader’s personal property or family business. It can be found in many countries, but its main contemporary exponent—at least until January 20, 2025—has been Vladimir Putin. In the first portion of his rule, he ran the Russian state as a personal racket. State bureaucracies and private companies continued to operate, but the real governing principle was Stay on Vladimir Vladimirovich’s good side … or else.”
The second paragraph explains why Putin is the Insult Comedian’s jam. Like kings of old, he wants to run the American state as if it were his own personal property. He thinks he’s Louis XIV only without the powdered wig, which would look better than the nutria pelt he sports atop his head.
While the Kaiser of Chaos would agree with the Sun King’s most famous phrase, he’s unlikely to be familiar with it:
The meaning should be clear, but I’ll translate anyway: I am the state or the state is me.
Observers of President Pennywise know that his three favorite words in the English language can be found in the title of this George Harrison song:
Trumpism is fundamentally selfish. It’s full of double, triple, and even quadruple standards. While decrying the unholy trinity of waste, fraud, and abuse, the Kaiser of Chaos and Reich Chancellor Musk are looting the treasury and stealing the public blind.
Team MAGA’S rampant corruption, reminds me of this story about Abraham Lincoln, his first war secretary, Simon Cameron, and Rep. Thaddeus Stevens:
“In response to a query from Abraham Lincoln about Cameron’s honesty, fellow Pennsylvanian Thaddeus Stevens remarked, “I don’t think he would steal a red hot stove.” Cameron got wind of the barb and demanded an apology, to which the droll Stevens replied, “I apologize. I said Cameron would not steal a red hot stove. I withdraw that statement.”
Burn.
Trump never apologizes, not even sarcastically. We all make mistakes; it’s not a sign of weakness to apologize; refusing to ever admit error is.
I think that self-dealing and corruption should play a bigger role in Democratic counterattacks against Team MAGA. Musk is clearly out for himself. What is he doing with the sensitive and confidential data gathered by his DOGE lackeys? Beats the hell outta me and thee.
Rauch echoes my belief that corruption should be central to the critique of an out of control president who wants to be king; make that kaiser.
“Corruption is patrimonialism’s Achilles’ heel because the public understands it and doesn’t like it. It is not an abstraction like “democracy” or “Constitution” or “rule of law.” It conveys that the government is being run for them, not for you. The most dire threat that Putin faced was Alexei Navalny’s “ceaseless crusade” against corruption, which might have brought down the regime had Putin not arranged for Navalny’s death in prison. In Poland, the liberal opposition booted the patrimonialist Law and Justice Party from power in 2023 with an anti-corruption narrative.“
Patrimonialism is a depressingly common problem, existing in countries that are not dictatorships as well. Greece is an excellent example. The current prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ father was PM from 1980-83. They are not alone: the names Papandreou and Karamanlis are staples of Greek politics. Patrimonialism is a fancy way of describing the nepotism and cronyism that inevitably lead to corruption.
As a resident of the Gret Stet of Louisiana, I am familiar with the costs of patrimonialism. It erodes public confidence in government and the political system. It leads to this sort of thinking: All politicians are crooks, so why should we care?
That’s the sort of thinking that’s gotten us into the MAGA mess we’re in today.
It’s why the Insult Comedian goes on and on about the deep state and “crooked” Joe Biden. He’s actually talking about himself. Along with lying, projection is one of Trump’s few talents.
It’s why I posted two Thomas Nast political cartoons as the featured image. Nast used the pages of Harper’s Weekly to launch a sustained attack on Gilded Age corruption. It’s time to channel Nast’s spirit before Trump, Musk, and their lackeys destroy the federal government. Some may not think they’ll miss it but wait until the Social Security payments stop flowing. Then the shit will really hit the fan.
Repeat after me: It’s the patrimonialism and corruption, stupid.
The last word goes to The Kinks: