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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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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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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),
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AversionofthisopedappearsinprintonJanuary2,2017,onPageA15oftheNewYorkeditionwiththe
headline:AmericaBecomesaStan.

2017TheNewYorkTimesCompany

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