Cultures change, governments change. The United States has different values, and cultures, and government history; but they are two sides of the same coin. The

Cultures change, governments change. The United States has different values, and cultures, and government history; but they are two sides of the same coin. The mythology of the meritocracy of the great "American Republic" is pretty hard to defend in a post 9/11 world. Listening to Republicans glow about Donald and hide his flaws is like listening to Kemalists glow about Ataturk or AKP-supporters rave about Tayipp. Here is what I see as the very striking similarities which are already equal or rapidly equalizing: - Single-man rule. (In both systems decrees are almost limitless and have replaced the legislation process. In the US it's DNC/NRA^WGOP, in Turkey it's the coalition of CHP&&CHP&&IYI vs the AKP&&MHP coalition. When representatives always vote down party lines, then you really have single man rule. - Active war against the press. America is just a few years behind this, and this article itself is a sign that Trump is emulating Putin and Erdogan. This isn't just a Trump thing, Obama's administration did the same, but just more quietly - Religion being respected and advocated by the government - Constant pro-war/support our troops rhetoric - Rapidly increasing display of flags and patriotic slogans - Unwarranted search and seizure - Endless state of emergency (you call it the PATRIOT act) - Violent crackdowns on protestors, supporting nationalists who attack/murder said protestors. Compare the AKP patriots in the Gezi protests to Trump's "Very fine, very nice people" in Charleston Really, you won't notice it until you're too late, and if you support the ruling power, then you probably will never notice it, especially if you profit from it. The only real difference I see is that Tayipp wants conservative Islam to be the primary value of the "republic", and Trump wants it to be business (but is happy to give almost unlimited power to Evangelicals). Different authoritarian styles, but still authoritarian. Any semblance of democracy ended the day the PATRIOT act was signed.