In the last post I said I would talk a bit more about the excellent article by Andres Miguel Rondon. The first piece of advice Rondon gives about fighting a populist is Don't forget who the enemy is. Rondon says "Never forget that you're the enemy...What makes you the enemy? It's very simple to a populist: If you're not a victim, you're a culprit."
The second point is to Show no contempt. This is where I think many have fallen down in dealing with Pres. Trump. The attacks against his character have been nasty. Even if a statement is true about Trump, the comment still comes off as bitter and full of sour grapes. Then when the president attacks his enemies he seems to just be playing the game everyone else is playing (and he's quite skilled at the game). The epitome of that was when Senator Marco Rubio went toe-to-toe with Trump during the debates. No one came out a winner, but Rubio came out more of a loser.
The third point is Don't try to force him out. "In Venezuela," Rondon says, "the opposition focused on trying to reject the dictator by any means possible--when we should have just kept pointing out how badly Chavez's rule was hurting the very people he claimed to be serving." Indeed, we already are beginning to see this by some of President Trump's cabinet appointments. They surely don't seem like they will work for the welfare of the masses.
The fourth, and last, point is Find a counterargument. Rondon says, "Show concern, not contempt, for the wounds of those who brought him to power." For many of those voting against Trump right after the election, this would be quite difficult. Speaking for myself--at least now--I do find this attainable.
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