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Trump & Fascism: The Basics

posted 7 years ago by jriddle73 (404)
19 replies | jump to latest

Excerpt:

"This hopefully provides an outline of where the Trump phenomenon is similar to fascism and wherein it differs. It's easy to understand why even reasonably intelligent and informed people would jump to the "f" word to describe him. The ultranationalism, the anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism, the lack of any real program beyond Trump as the strongman who promises to cure the liberal democracy that ails the nation, the promise of authoritarian rule and of national renewal to be achieved by it ('Make America Great Again'), the machismo, the persistent demonization of his "enemies," including helpless minorities, often to justify repressive policies--it would be far easier to list the few areas in which he differs from fascism than those wherein he echoes it. Nevertheless, some of those points of departure are important..."

The full article here:
http://corporatenewsreviews.blogspot.com/2017/02/trump-fascism-basics.html

[–] beavis (3249) 7 years ago

"Like any machine, this one can't run without fuel and what's powering it now is its primary audience: conservatives. This puts conservatives in an unique position to make a difference. The only way these institutions will ever dry up and disappear (and hopefully be replaced with better ones) is if their audience willingly walks away--has a road-to-Damascus moment, turns off Fox News, shuts out Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, stops reading RedState and Breitbart and Coulter and Malkin, casts Glenn Beck into the sea. Confirmation bias can be an intoxicant and feeding it has proven a formula for right-wing media success, as the appetite for it on the right seems insatiable.[12] For a time. Conservatives are going to have to sort out whether their future is conservative or reactionary. At the moment, too many of them think they're sitting at a safe distance and delighting in watching a video feed of that gorilla in that closet raging away. They may soon discover they're actually stuffed in that closet with the rest of us."

Tried to read it and this stuck to me, conservatives have plenty of mainstream outlets, and that exactly where this "machines fuel" is running on, I could be wrong but they complain about liberal mainstream but go running to these people for fuel, im sick of this shit

[–] jriddle73 (404) 7 years ago

Confirmation bias is very powerful. The right-wing Rage Machine doesn't just tell rightists what they want to hear without regard for reality, it also shapes what they want to hear. It ultimately creates a large class of zombies who have been indoctrinated with the notion that momentary political utility--what they want to hear--is the sole measure of reality itself. If the press reports something critical of Trump, that's just liberal bullshit. If it doesn't come out of Fox News (or fill in your favorite far-right source), it isn't true. That, continuing unchecked, is the end of everything.

[–] eYeDEF (5050) 7 years ago

All true. Former Bush speechwriter and Republican #nevertrumper David Frum summarizes this well in a recent article. Key excerpt:

conservatives have built themselves a closed information system. The system generates and repeats agreed fictions, and people are rewarded according to their ability to internalize, repeat, and embellish these fictions.

The system has revved itself into hyper-activity in the Trump years. And no Trump-era fiction has been more profoundly internalized and repeated within the closed conservative information system than the fiction that Trump is the victim of a plot by the FBI. This particular fiction is exceedingly complicated. Its details shift from day to day. It is most often repeated not as a coherent statement of checkable facts, but as an outraged sequence of bullet points: Fusion GPS! Deep State! The Democrats are the real colluders!

Even on its own terms, the story does not make sense. Within the closed information system, it is simultaneously believed—for example—both that former FBI Director James Comey deserved to be fired for his unfairness to the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign and also that Comey cannot be trusted because of his flagrant bias in favor of the Clinton’s presidential campaign. But the whole point of a closed information system is that the things are not believed because they make sense. Things are believed because the closed information system has ratified and repeated them.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/04/comey-memo-conservatives/558521

I think the danger is what happens when this "closed information system" meets reality. Hard to imagine Trump diehards accepting they've been the jobbed and are the real victims of "fake news".

[–] jriddle73 (404) 7 years ago

The 2012 elections offered one very amusing example of that very thing. Fox News spent the entire campaign telling rightists that pollsters were involved in a big conspiracy to reelect Obama, that America really hated him and would under no circumstances reelect him, then, on election night, Megyn Kelly and especially Karl Rove had on-screen meltdowns when they were forced to concede that Obama had just won.

The real danger from that "closed information system" is that it's a breeding-ground for fascism and political violence, turning people into unreasoning zombies who are fed a 24/7 diet of anger and hatred and finally decide to "save" America by acting on it.

[–] Keelai (36065) 7 years ago

It doesn't matter if all the "fascist" boxes are checked or not re: Trump. Nicolás Maduro, Erdoğan and Putin aren't by definition "fascists", but they have swiftly changed their countries from democracies into autocracies where political opponents are thrown in jail, there is no freedom of press and voting is rigged in order for them to win any election (if held).

Unfortunately, we have a president who like them, has autocratic tendencies. He denounces freedom of the press, expression and speech, talks about imprisoning private citizens who disagree with him and wants loyalty and control over the other two branches of government.

[–] jriddle73 (404) 7 years ago

That's true; Trump is a major problem, no matter what one calls him. Trump is mostly talk though. The damage he causes isn't, primarily, in how he actually governs. It's in what he represents and further encourages--all of those tendencies you just outlined.

[–] eYeDEF (5050) 7 years ago

Utterly!

I've always thought Trump lacked the knowledge and managerial competence in governing to be able to marshal the full power available to him by his office to successfully pull off an authoritarian coup ... even though he's definitely got an intuitive mastery of the demagoguery down pat. His governing style appears too undisciplined, instinctual, and flying off the seat of his pants reacting to scandal and crises of his own making for him to sustain success and persevere in the long run.

I've long felt the biggest danger posed by his presidency is his destruction of long held Democratic norms and weakening of Democratic institutions, including attacks on the press which ends up undermining our checks and balances. This lays fertile groundwork for a more competent and savvy demagogue to come along in the future to clean up where Trump left off. I think Trump biographer David Cay Johnson got it right in explaining the upcoming midterms as perhaps the most important and consequential election of our lifetimes:

Based just on normal historic averages, the Republicans should lose control of the House by about four seats. They should lose control of the Senate as well, although the map is pretty awful for the Democrats. If Republicans retain control then I believe what will happen over time is that someone who shares Trump’s dictatorial and authoritarian tendencies but doesn’t have his baggage — someone who is a competent manager and just as charismatic — will eventually arise and you can kiss your individual liberties goodbye. That will take time but it’s the trend we are heading towards.

[–] Culburn (3638) 7 years ago

Oh, Lordy, not the old tired ass Fascism materiel. This is dragged out with Hitler and brown shirt loads every freakin' time.

[–] beavis (3249) 7 years ago

I never lived in a blue state until recently, it was good material for me. a new generation is gonna be voting everyday, things repeat itself old timer, get used to it

[–] Culburn (3638) 7 years ago

Do I have any other choice, beav?

[–] beavis (3249) 7 years ago

no, just count your money and except it

[–] Culburn (3638) 7 years ago

You're rakin' it in as well, beav, with both ass scratchers.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 7 years ago

It's funny that Trump supporters are the kings of substance-free responses to anything critical of their Dear Leader.

[–] Culburn (3638) 7 years ago

Get off your high horse, Froggy. When you had the con for 8 years you acted just-like-us. You stripped us down naked and beat our asses on a daily, if not twice daily basis every single time we even made so much as a peep. Do you think we enjoyed that treatment?

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 7 years ago

Fascist is NOT the "F" word people use to describe Trump.

Hint: Ivanka uses it often when she says " - me, Daddy! - me like Jared can't!"

[–] Gd5150 (11948) 7 years ago

The modern left aren’t “like fascists”. They ARE fascists.

- Anti free speech
- anti right to privacy
- anti 1st, 2nd, and 4th amendments.

Ignore elections and use courts to create chaos. Ignore laws because the ends justify the means.

The articles are a nice example of leftwing Demokkkrat ignorance fueled by their obsessive hatred.

The Demokkkrat party has ZERO platform. They have no ideas, no solutions, they can’t debate. They are the party of hate.

#HateIsNotAPlatform

[–] jriddle73 (404) 7 years ago

"The modern left aren’t 'like fascists'. They ARE fascists."

You think there's a big constituency among liberals/progressives for ending democracy, establishing a one-party, white supremacist authoritarian dictatorship that crushes leftists, suppresses racial and ethnic minorities and initiates imperial wars of conquest?

Because if that's the case, I must be very out of touch with contemporary politics.

How is it do you figure Trump and the Republicans came to have the support of the white supremacist/Nazi/fascist factions, factions that uniformly and openly despise everything for which liberals/progressives stand?

[–] Bubbathegut (18237) 7 years ago

I thought Obama was the Fascist?

Last year, President Obama assured the world that “we are living in the most peaceful, prosperous and progressive era in human history,” and that “the world has never been less violent.”

https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/13/hanson-why-history-wont-be-kind-to-barack-obama/

[–] Duck6 (425) 7 years ago

Garbage.