Plenty of demagogues have held positions of power and the system corrected itself after they were gone. Some good examples from American history include Huey Long, George Wallace, and Joseph McCarthy.
A new biography of McCarthy was published this summer, titled Demagogue — The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy, by Larry Tye. I recently read it and recommend it to anyone who enjoys political, historical, and/or biographical books.
In his introduction and conclusion, Tye highlights the numerous parallels between McCarthy and Trump. Both were consummate liars. Both manipulated the media. Both spun elaborate tales about nonexistent conspiracies. Both ruthlessly attacked and defamed anyone who criticized them. Both held large rallies. Both were adored by a large percentage of people on the right who thought they could do no wrong.
And, perhaps like Trump will soon experience, McCarthy suddenly had a fast decline into disgrace. Power is ephemeral and most often vanishes quickly.
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