Bill Maher, Dictator's Checklist

On February 10, 2108, Bill Maher (on Real Time) said that a year earlier, they had compiled a 10-point "dictator's checklist." At that time, Trump had checked eight of the boxes on the list. This year, he can now check #9. The only one left is #10.

You're a dictator if:

1. You're a narcissist who puts his name on buildings
2. You appoint family members to positions of power
3. You hold political rallies before crowds of adoring followers
4. You hate the press and use your own propaganda outlet (Fox News)
5. You use your office for personal financial gain
6. You align with other dictators and strongmen (in Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Philippines)
7. You scapegoat minorities as the cause of the country's problems
8. You lie so frequently people can't tell what the truth is anymore
9. You hold military parades with missiles and tanks and fighter jets
10. You wear unearned military costume with plenty of braid, stars, and medals



Maher says if Trump appears one day in military get-up, Real Time will start broadcasting from Vancouver.

On a serious note, I think he's left one biggie off the list. This is just a funny Real Time shtick, but it stops being a joke if, #11, you have a force of paramilitary thugs who beat political opponents, like Hitler's Brownshirts. If that day ever comes -- and it may take a Reichstag fire to bring it about -- the American experiment has ended in failure. All hail Trump the Magnificent, Dictator for Life! (Hey, Mugabe stayed in power into his 90s.)