In 1935, American writer Sinclair Lewis graphically explored the possibility of home-grown American fascism with the ironically titled novel: "It Can't Happen Here."

Anyway, in unrelated news, here's a scrappy Kansas politician who more or less staged a soft coup to keep himself in power:

In a move that one Goddard resident likened to "Germany in 1935," Larkin manipulated existing rules to reclaim a position he'd lost in May 2022 following a news report detailing questionable ties to a local real estate family. After his ouster in 2022, Larkin was arrested for DUI, then launched a bid for the statehouse, promising he would spend his time focusing on "voter integrity, the right to bear arms, protecting the unborn and keeping Critical Race Theory (CRT) out of schools." He lost. However, as The Daily Beast reported last month, Larkin kept his seat on the Goddard City Council, eventually using his position to gain other members' support behind the scenes before dispatching then-Mayor Larry Zimmerman along with a city administrator who had been critical of his business dealings.

Man oh man, this kid is like an aspiring lord of the Sith.

"I have to hand it to Larkin," wrote Dion Lefler of the Wichita Eagle. "I've covered cities for a long time and have seldom seen a political takeover that was this sleazy, and yet this well-orchestrated."

Seriously, look at the resemblance between this guy and Emperor Palpatine:

When the speakers were finished, Larkin decided to offer a rebuttal.

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything," he began. "But I think I'm going to."

He then claimed to quote [Steve] Jobs, coming out from behind the dais and speaking to the assembled Goddardians as if he were giving a sermon.

"Here's to the crazy ones," Larkin declared...

Everyone in Goddard, Kansas right now:

Larkin then vowed, without a hint of irony, that the council would be "more transparent than ever before," promising to "work harder than ever before."

"I know that what happened at the last meeting was tough. But it was done out of love," he said, provoking scattered laughter. "Words don't do much. But actions speak louder than words… And we will make you proud. And I promise that."

I mean it's one young politician who's too ambitious, has too few scruples, and will almost certainly overstep at some point soon and go down hard. That's usually how this sort of thing works.

In the meantime, though, seemingly everyone in town really dislikes this guy:

"I'm just gonna come right out and say it: I think you ought to resign," one resident said. "... This is a huge moment in our city's history, and we've got your stink all over it. We've got a stain on this city, the corruption, sitting right there, It's insane to me. Yes, it might be legal what you did. It might be within the bylaws or whatever. But it's not right… We deserve so much better… We want you out of here… Because we cannot trust you." ...

A high school student who got up to speak put it in simple terms: "If you have any honor at all, you would resign… You are not good for our community."

Another woman stepped up to the lectern and demanded the entire city council step down. Her husband, who she described as a "very soft-spoken person," became so upset by Larkin's sneaky return that she said the two may move elsewhere.

Here's probably the worst thing anyone's said so far about this:

A woman who described herself as a lifelong Goddard resident also called for Larkin to resign, saying, "We've been on the national news one other time… It was when there was a shooting at the middle school… It was a very painful time for our town. This is worse."

Worse than a middle school shooting??

Brutal. Now, some citizens are working to have this odd young man recalled from office, but Wichita Eagle columnist Dion Lefler says it's unlikely to work and a simpler solution is in the offing:

"State recall law is so politician-friendly that about the only way to get rid of one is if they murder somebody or are in a coma," he wrote Tuesday morning. "There's only one consolation for the Goddard citizens troubled by the strange turn their city has taken without their democratic consent. The council primary will be in August and the general election in November. Here's hoping that not too much havoc gets wrought by then."

The country will surely be watching Goddard closely for any havoc until then.