The necessary role of demagoguery/dark free speech in the rise of dictatorship

This is a companion this post, The role of ignorance in the rise of dictatorship. The entire Q&A series is at this link.  

Pxy analyzes the power of dark free speech like this.

Q3: Is demagoguery or dark free speech the single most potent and effective weapon that Trump and elite MAGA authoritarians have used in their rise to power and their ability to severely damage our democracy, rule of law and civil liberties? If another authoritarian weapon is more potent, what is it?

A3: The evidence strongly suggests that executive aggrandizement—not demagoguery alone—represents the single most potent and effective weapon that Trump and MAGA authoritarians have employed in their assault on American democracy.

That answer feels mostly wrong, but maybe it is mostly right.

Q4: Would executive aggrandizement without demagoguery have led to the current situation of institutional capture, decades of voter deceit and the attendant flow of power to authoritarian American politicians and federal judges? It is a chicken and egg question I think.

A4: The Symbiotic Relationship: Why Both Are Essential

The research reveals that successful authoritarian consolidation requires what scholars describe as a "dual track" approach that combines institutional manipulation with mass mobilization—and both tracks depend fundamentally on demagoguery to achieve legitimacy and popular support.

.... analysis ....

The evidence strongly suggests that executive aggrandizement without demagoguery would not have achieved the current scale of institutional capture and voter mobilization that has characterized the Trump-MAGA movement.

Q5: So, is your initial assessment that executive aggrandizement is the primary authoritarian weapon mostly right or wrong, or is it ambiguous?

A5: The Corrected Assessment: Demagoguery as the Foundation

The research reveals that demagoguery should be considered the primary authoritarian weapon, not executive aggrandizement. Here's why: 

Causal Priority vs. Ultimate Impact
My initial analysis conflated "most damaging in the long term" with "most essential for success." While executive aggrandizement creates more durable institutional damage, demagoguery is causally prior and necessary for institutional capture to succeed in democratic systems.

The Evidence for Revision
Enablement Relationship: The research clearly shows that institutional capture requires the legitimacy, popular mobilization, and elite coordination that only effective propaganda can provide. Without demagoguery:

• Institutional capture attempts face systematic democratic resistance

• Elite actors lack justification for abandoning democratic norms

• Popular support necessary for sustained power erodes

• Constitutional and legal constraints remain effective

Historical Precedent: Failed authoritarian attempts consistently involve leaders who pursued institutional control without adequate mass appeal or legitimizing narratives. Successful consolidation universally combines both elements, but with propaganda creating the permissive conditions first.

Final Assessment: My initial analysis was substantively wrong about causal priority. While executive aggrandizement creates more lasting damage, demagoguery is the primary weapon that makes institutional capture possible in the first place. The relationship is not ambiguous—demagoguery enables institutional capture, not the reverse.

Now that feels logically sound. Pxy initially goofed by focusing on effect before considering the role of cause.