Hail to the Strongman!

Yesterday's dictator is today's "Strongman."
The Strongman no longer uses force;
Instead he manipulates his country's powers
To seize control of his people's lives.

He builds support among the dispossessed
By showering them with goodies from
The national treasury, financed by borrowing
And extracting from the evil plutocrats.

He courts acquiescence from the latter
By protecting their tacit monopolies,
While at the same time excoriating them
From the public pulpits of power.

The Strongman scolds the judiciary
When they try to overturn his orders,
Replacing unfriendly judges with those
Who know where power resides.

The country's legislature is stacked
With loyal supporters, inasmuch as
Opponents are either outlawed, or
Crushed in rigged elections.

Therefore, what passes for
Constitutional and traditional restraint, is
Routinely ignored with the issuance
Of decrees from the many bureaucracies.

The Strongman aims to rule forever
And die in bed, as he is well familiar
With Churchill's famous observation:
"The dictator rides a tiger and cannot dismount."

If he cannot obtain continuous rule, through
"One man, one vote, one time,"
He appoints surrogates to fill the gaps
And do his bidding until he can return.

The masses worship the Strongman,
He demands nothing but obedience.
While their country deterioriates,
He sets one class against another.

Sometime later, much later
The people realize they have been cheated,
That promises of continuing prosperity,
Cannot be kept, and then .....