About the Overton Window: Left vs right, or democracy vs authoritarianism?

The MSM talks very little about the OW (Overton Window). But in my opinion that is a serious mistake. Understanding the OW concept helps to understand the current ideological divide. It helps explain the false perception by tens of millions of Americans that DJT, the Republican Party and MAGA generally are not radical, authoritarian, kleptocratic or bigoted. A WaPo article directly discusses this (not paywalled):

More Americans see Harris than Trump as very ideological

It’s presumably in part because Trump’s already shifted conservative ideology so far to the right

There are those who dislike the metaphor of the frog in the slowly boiling water, but it’s hard to deny its utility. Perhaps frogs aren’t as complacent as the morality tale would suggest, but the idea of a critter becoming acclimated to increasingly dangerous environs deserves some sort of short hand. Particularly at the moment.

Republicans see a citizenry unaware that the nation is facing a crisis of the economy and public safety, mirroring the (pun intended) overheated presentation of their nominee, former president Donald Trump. Democrats see a country unconcerned about the risk of tipping into authoritarianism, a concern amplified by Vice President Kamala Harris (and that’s also driven by Trump’s past actions and rhetoric).

Partisans tend to see the other party’s candidate as an embodiment of the problem, an extreme manifestation of a political ideology they oppose. Unsurprisingly, then, polling conducted by YouGov for the Economist found that significant portions of the country view Trump and Harris not just as conservative and liberal, respectively, but very liberal or conservative. Perhaps unexpectedly, more Americans say Harris is very liberal (37 percent) than say Trump is very conservative (28 percent).

That’s in part because Democrats are less likely to say that Trump is very conservative (40 percent do) than Republicans are to say that Harris is very liberal (71 percent do).

That is in part because Republicans are more fervent in their ideology than are Democrats. That’s reflected in how partisans view their own candidates. About half of Republicans say Trump is “conservative” with another quarter saying he’s “very conservative.” Among Democrats, a bit under half say Harris is “liberal” — with nearly a third describing her as “moderate.” What it means to be “conservative” has shifted — perhaps not among purists but certainly among a lot of Americans. Donald Trump has been the Republican nominee for three straight cycles and, as the head of the ticket, has helped reshape the party and redefine right-wing politics. 

So by the standard of national politics in 2014, Trump is unquestionably more ideological than Republicans overall. We might not have used “conservative” to describe his politics at the time, since “conservative” was a signifier for Republican spending and social positions. Now it’s a signifier for Trump’s far-right mix of populism, isolationism and xenophobia. And by the standard of the new Trump “conservatism,” Trump is in fact not extreme at all. The water got warmer. 

Democrats identify themselves as liberal and moderate and see their candidate as liberal or moderate. Republicans identify themselves as conservative and see their candidate as conservative. But presumably in part because Trump has already shifted “conservatism” to the right, his ideology is seen as less fervent than his opponent’s overall. 

An important concept that is absent here is authoritarianism. DJT's ideology is not "conservative." It is authoritarian, and kleptocratic. The same applies to Republican Party elites and most rank and file MAGA people/DJT supporters. 

Note that the WaPo article referred to DJT's politics as Trump’s far-right mix of populism, isolationism and xenophobia. A Perplexity search about authoritarianism in that kind of politics gave this response:

Q: Can a far-right mix of populism, isolationism and xenophobia be considered inherently authoritarian or authoritarian-leaning, for example as in the case of Trump and MAGA?

A: Trump has shown a tendency to aggrandize executive power and resist checks and balances. This includes: Asserting broad emergency powers, issuing controversial [corrupt, actually] pardons, making extensive use of acting appointments, resisting congressional oversight, and claiming immunity from judicial accountability. These actions align with authoritarian efforts to consolidate power in the executive branch.

The MAGA movement has engaged in tactics that threaten core democratic processes: Spreading disinformation about election integrity by (i) attempting to overturn legitimate election results, (ii)
passing laws that may enable partisan interference in elections, and (iii) supporting the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Such efforts to subvert democratic norms and institutions are hallmarks of authoritarian movements.

The movement revolves heavily around Trump as a strongman figure, with supporters often displaying intense, unquestioning loyalty. This cult of personality is a common feature of authoritarian regimes.

There are indications of hostility toward critics and opposition, including attacks on media as "enemies of the people", attempts to silence or discredit political opponents, and combative rhetoric toward those who disagree. This intolerance of dissent reflects authoritarian impulses to suppress opposing views.

While not every aspect of the movement is inherently authoritarian, the combination of these factors - executive overreach, undermining of democratic norms, nativism, cult of personality, and intolerance of opposition - creates a political ideology with strong authoritarian leanings. However, it's important to note that supporters may not view these elements as authoritarian, often seeing them instead as necessary measures to "make America great again."

That last sentence speaks truth. As far as I can tell, nearly all of the MAGA rank and file claim they are fighting to make American great again. Supporting DJT and MAGA is how they do that. That is solid evidence that the OW has shifted far toward authoritarianism, not necessarily far toward conservatism. There is a huge problem with limiting the OW spectrum to a left vs right scale. The most important OW scale here is democracy vs authoritarianism, not liberal vs conservative.