When I was in elementary and middle school, the Vietnam War was still raging, and even we young ones were taking sides. No friendships were terminated over the divide, at least among us young ones. The only effect my family’s ardent anti-war views had on me was that it probably led to my exclusion from the Cub Scouts. I applied, but never heard back. Even then, I was fine with that. I hadn’t been that enthusiastic about joining that quasi-military association to begin with, and the only long-term losses resulting from my exclusion were to things like my knot-tying ability and my ability to fashion a lean-to out of sticks and leaves, which I am constantly hearing I absolutely suck at. Of course, the guy who is always telling me about how much my lean-to construction skills suck can’t filter his pee for potable water worth a damn. “It always tastes like pee,” I tell him. But I digress.
One of my conservative, pro-war friends was an Italian-American kid, who was very bright and a great debater. LC, I will call him, was also a fan of Benito Mussolini (and now, presumably, of Trump). LC loved to get a rise out of me by singing the praises of old BM (which we’ll call him both for short and for accuracy of description). “BM brought order out of the anarchy of Italy.” “BM made the trains run on time.” You know. That sort of stuff.
So, today, when the Donald praises Putin, his words, which seem treasonous to us, resonate with a significant portion of his base, which actually yearns for a strong (authoritarian) leader, as well as for the end of rights for people of color, the closing of our borders, and just in general making America great (= white) again.