What Happened to the Man of My Dreams?

He's charismatic, he's exciting, he's strong. How do elected autocrats woo their publics and then destroy the very countries they promised to elevate? What happens to the populace?  Kristie Kenney, ambassador to Ecuador, Thailand and the Philippines has a thing or two to say about these folks and the reasons that people elect them.  Repost from 2020, with oddly entertaining postscript from Pete.  Spolier alert: Things doesn't always turn out the way these guys expect.