Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/19/birds-of-a-feather.html
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Trump phoned Erdoğan to congratulate him.
FAKE NEWS! He phoned him to ask “How did you do it man?!?”
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I wouldn’t read too much into Trump and Erdogan having a nice chat. In world politics, one often has dealings with authoritarians… Stroking their ego and not angering them unnecessarily just might allow you to have a productive relationship where one can achieve one’s actual policy priorities. I mean this doesn’t mean the Erdogan agrees with Trump’s anti Muslim agenda.
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It is natural. World leaders will congratulate each other on victory. So what ?
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The unpleasant thing about Trump is how is chats with authoritarian assholes seem to go markedly better than his chats with assorted leaders in general.
This is the guy who couldn’t keep it diplomatic with Australia; and Erdogan might be the first NATO-member leader he hasn’t tried to slap in the face with an invoice rather than even feigning politeness.
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Well yes. Because for him conversations are about mutual ego stroking. Actual policy is for little people.
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should startle Republicans out of their favorite recurring fantasy: that Trump will go “mainstream” and support democratic norms in America and elsewhere.
That’s the Republicans’ favorite fantasy?!
Someone’s giving Republicans a leetle too much credit.
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I’ve started keeping score since 2015 in this Resurgence of Right-Wing Authoritarianism phenomenon. With the exception of the Austrian elections it hasn’t been looking good for our side.
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I would just like to clearly state the underlying theme here: Trump is a dick.
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Except of course that it wasn’t simply them having a “nice chat” but Trump specifically calling him after the (contended) vote to congratulate him on his authoritarian move, something that only dictators did, otherwise. And it’s highly suspicious just how friendly and agreeable Trump is with various authoritarians (from countries where he has business) compared compared to how he behaves with other leaders. No other democratically elected Western leader is being anywhere near so chummy with El-Sisi, Duterte, Erdoğan…
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Ok guys, re-read the last sentence please.
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Here in the UK we organise our coups a lot more stealthily, by proposing something called “The Great Repeal Act” which is ostensibly about helping to disentangle UK laws from EU laws, despite the obvious fact that almost none of them actually need disentangling, but actually gives ministers powers to effectively choose what laws remain on the statute books without having to go to all the tedious trouble of getting Parliament to approve them.
The politicians proposing this claim, of course, that it’s only for limited use and will not be abused. Ha-ha ha-ha, ha-ha.
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Especially if it is a victory that conforms to their own ideologies and aspirations 
BTW: Welcome to the Boing Boing BBS 
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Erdogan has entered the phase where he’s believing his own propaganda bullshit. Something which usually doesn’t end well, but that’s still to come. Right now he is carried by his own momentum.
Coming up soon: getting made president for life.
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Diplomacy means that Trump should try to be courteous to Ergodan if he talks to him on the phone. It doesn’t mean he has to act like there’s nothing alarming going on, either during that private chat or in Trump’s public statements on the matter.
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World leaders congratulate each other for winning elections, not for granting themselves dictatorial powers. Herbert Hoover didn’t call up Josef Stalin to congratulate him on expunging his remaining political opponents from the Politboro in 1930.
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True…but that night he did put on his super cute red dress and have a little Uncle Joe-themed party.
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This is not a victory, it’s a powergrab. This is a disaster for the Turkish people, even those who believe in and support Erdoğan. Fewer checks on power in a single office or individual means it’s far easier to to get away with corruption and authoritarian actions.
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You’re thinking of J Edgar Hoover, not Herbert Hoover
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What’s shocking to me is that so many turks in other european countries voted “yes”. So you live in a free, liberal, secular country (yes yes, details, not the point) and vote for a dictatorship “back home”? I just can’t wrap my head around it.
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