If I liked power, I’d use my power to find a way to use the federal government to get me even more power. I’d use it shut down my enemies. I’d use it to promote my allies into positions where they could help me, but not where they’d be secure enough to oppose me.
If I liked power, I’d consolidate it by dissolving the people’s ability to question or disagree with me; I’d do that by undermining the very idea of facts and truth. So when intelligence experts offer me daily briefings, I’d say “I know more than they do.” So when scientists spend decades studying weather patterns and running experiments to figure out how greenhouse gases work, I’d say “It’s a hoax by the Chinese and a power grab by Al Gore.”

And if I really liked power, I’d focus my denial most strongly on things that I know are really true. That accomplishes three things:

• It makes “the liberals” look crazy when they honestly can’t figure out how the hell that’s working for me.
• Attacking the strongest possible truth is the strongest possible attack on truth.
• Best of all, it sets me up for the pivot.

So if I really, really liked power…

…I’d make sure to “discover” some “new information” that leaves everyone flatfooted, then apply Shock Doctrine tactics to consolidate my power further: “using the public’s disorientation following massive collective shocks—wars, terrorist attacks, or natural disasters—to achieve control by imposing economic shock therapy.”

Here’s what I’d do.

I’d wait for a severe weather event of some kind. Then I’d have my hand-picked Secretary of the Interior or head of the EPA get on TV with a “new study” on climate. It honestly doesn’t matter what’s in the study, because nobody will read it but NPR will discuss to death my newly found “flexibility” and “consciousness.”

I’ll declare a national emergency that demands everyone’s immediate compliance because millions of lives are at stake, which “the liberals” can’t gainsay because it’s actually true. I’ll ask Congress for unprecedented (yuge!) new executive powers over transportation, energy use, mineral resources in general, trade, and probably some unaccountable supply of cash.

In short, remember the right-wing scream circus over President Obama’s “green jobs” idea? When they literally (yet vaguely) went off about “stormtroopers” going to people’s houses to force insulation and solar panels on them? Okay, my plan is to do something just like that, but for real.

I’d include just enough legitimate energy conservation in this new program to get “the liberals” to go along with it, but weight the program heavily with expensive favors to my allies.

Presto! Consolidated power, money for my friends, and a way to stick it to “the liberals” while forcing a program that they can’t complain about without making themselves look ridiculous.

You heard it here first.