Unlikely that other odious form of 20th century Totalitarianism - Leninism -Fascism is not a consistent ideology.It is barely an ideology
at all.
More a loose collection of ideas.,taking somewhat different form under different leaders in different places--Mussolini,Hitler,Franco,Peron,Galtieri,Pinochet or Putin.
But scholars have identified a set of factors commonly present in most forms of Fascism.
How does the new kid on the block do on these factors?
1. Extreme Nationalism
- "Make America Great Again" "keep them [Mexicans]out "
- Build the wall
- “From now on it is going to be America First”
Big on Flags
"people who burn the flag should lose their citizenship and face a year in prison "
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
In fascist regimes human rights and due process can
be ignored because of "need"
Waterboarding
Supporting the use of torture
"Lock her up"
"Lock her up"
Bombing of civilians-- but probably only Muslim ones
Putin is strong
3. Identification
of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
Mexicans are rapists
Deport the children of illegal aliens
Ban Muslims entering America
Register all Muslims
In August, General Michael Flynn,proposed national security advisor,claimed
In August, General Michael Flynn,proposed national security advisor,claimed
“Islamism” is “a vicious cancer inside the body of 1.7 billion people on this planet and it has to be excised”
4. Exaggerated focus on the Military
"I am yuuuge on the military".
"There's nobody bigger or better at the military than I am"
Soldiers
and military service are glamourised.
Four Generals appointed to the cabinet or to critical national security posts--so far.The nominee for national security advisor, General Michael Flynn likes to tweet conspiracy theories
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| Military Men All |
5. Obsession
with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.Remember Dick Cheney?Watch this space.
6. Sexism and Homophobia
- Megan Kelly Hillary Clinton Carly Fiorina Rosie O'Donnell Bette Midler et al et al
- In May 1996,Alicia Machado a 19 years old Venezuelan was crowned Miss Universe.Trump shamed her about about gaining weight, calling her “Miss Piggy” and “an eating machine”.
- “And when you’re a star they let you do it,” “Grab them by the pussy,”“You can do anything.”
- "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever"
- Trump has been accused of sexual harassment by at least 20 women.
- both as governor and as a Congressman, Pence took the lead in attacking legal equality for homosexuals
- favors withholding rights from LGBT Americans, from adoption rights to allowing same-sex couples to marry.
- takes his bigotry a step further by favoring laws and policies that give legal protection to people to discriminate against members of the LGBT community.
- signed a bill in 2013 that would jail Indianan same-sex couples who applied for a marriage licence
- to prove that he wasn’t singling gay people out, Pence was a willing to jail marriage clerks who supplied a license or clergy who performed the ceremony
- wanted to ensure that “federal dollars were no longer being given to organisations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus.” “Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.” euphemism for conversion therapy.
- Conversion therapy is banned in California,Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.
- He served on the board of the Indiana Family Institute which has been in the forefront of attacks on LGBT rights in the Indiana
- The head of IFI served as an aide to Pence in Congress ,the state house and as a campaign consultant.
YOU thought Tumpf was bad ?
Both men favour overturning Roe vs Wade and during the campaign Trump advocated women should be jailed for having abortions.
7. Controlled Mass Media
Unlike Berlusconni,Mussolini,Peron or Hitler,Trump does not own or control a major media outlet.
Fox news is the semiofficial voice of the Republican far right but as yet Trumpf does not control it.
He has those shown major disrespect the freedom of the press and the First Amendment.
He banned both major and minor news publications from his rallies.
Anybody else notice Trumpf railing against the "dishonest media"' and journalists being "the worst the worst people"
Anybody else notice Trumpf railing against the "dishonest media"' and journalists being "the worst the worst people"
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
- Mussolini embraced the Catholic Church and returned to the Vatican significant rights and that had been diminished after the unification of Italy.
- The Catholic Church was the main pillar of Franco's Spain and supported Pinochet in Chile.
- Notwithstanding the importance of the Catholic Liberation tradition in Latin America .The church hierarchy has been involved with dictatorial regimes in Argentina,Chile, Brazil, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
- Putin has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church as a major bastion within his regime.
- Leaders of the southern evangelical church shamed their faith by their full throated support of Trumpf in both the primaries and the general election.Over 80% of evangelicals voted for this bigoted, profane, thrice married, philanderer, liar and charlatan.
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| Evangelical Leaders Laying on of Hands |
- It is not clear how many of the Ten Commandments Trumpf has not broken but certainly he has "honoured "his Klan supporting, racially bigoted, church attending father.
- Trump's education secretary nominee, Betsy de Vos, is a billionaire Christian activist and philanthropist who has been active in promoting a conservative Christian worldview to children
- Incidentally Betsy's brother, Erik Prince, founded the private security company Backwater. Look it up, and shudder.
9. Corporate Power is Protected
Perhaps the most overlooked feature of the fascist state is
the degree to which the industrial and business bureaucracy intertwines and
creates mutually beneficial relationship with key government leaders.
While not unique to fascism,the degree to which the great leader picks and chooses to support or denigrate individual companies or owners is very greatly enhanced.Volkswagen and Beyer Chemicals in Nazi Germany,Fiat in Italy,favored industrialists in Argentina and key mining interests in Chile.At the same time individuals and companies are selected to be condemned or pilloried by El Duce, the Fuhrer or the President
While not unique to fascism,the degree to which the great leader picks and chooses to support or denigrate individual companies or owners is very greatly enhanced.Volkswagen and Beyer Chemicals in Nazi Germany,Fiat in Italy,favored industrialists in Argentina and key mining interests in Chile.At the same time individuals and companies are selected to be condemned or pilloried by El Duce, the Fuhrer or the President
- In capitalist democracies companies or businesses are treated in categories not simply by the grace and favor of the leader.
- Of course there are favorites and crony capitalism but such activities are frowned upon and kept as covert as possible.
- In the fascist state they are lauded and bragged about.
- The recent furore over special tax deals for the Carrier Company, part of United Technologies, and the denigration of Boeing bodes very ill. The Boeing chief executive had the temerity to question the wisdom of Trumpf's demagoguery about China and the threat to raise 35% tariffs on specific companies and products.
- Both companies are very dependent on US military and other government contracts and no doubt Boeing's troubles will chill the speech of other executives.
- Needless to say the deal with carrier has been greeted with great approval by the generality of workers.Their disillusionment will be sad to behold.
- Such tactics of bullying and stroking individual companies has been the hallmark of fascism from Mussolini to Putin.
- Always with the initial approval of the masses and the enrichment of those in power.
For those of you who think that during his presidency the Donald will be able to resist finding ways to enrich himself and his family , I have some Florida swamp land I could sell you at a premium , along with a magnificent bridge in New York.
If this does not yet convince you,please review the number of billionaires he is nominating to run the country.Look at the tax policies he has proposed and note how heavily bent towards reducing corporate taxes,the advantageous tax treatment for the return of trillions held by corporations offshore and then to the reduction of personal taxes for the very wealthy.
He ran against crooked Hillary,Goldman Sachs, special privilege;against them and for us.Now note his appointments.
10.Labor Power is Suppressed
In all fascist states the power of organized labor is either savagely repressed or replaced by fascist party appointees. Hitler favorite suppression,Peron favoured the takeover of the unions by his party, Mussolini created his own unions.
- In any event strong leaders do not welcome labor staking out an alternative centre of power that could oppose or delay policies that the leader and his corporate friends want to impose.
- Steel Workers Union Leader Chuck Jones has called out Trumpf on the false claim that he saved “more than 1,100 jobs”at Carrier's Indiana plant.As he said,Trumpf "lied his ass off".
- Unions have joined Ford in rejecting Trumpf's claim that he prevented them moving a new plant to Mexico.
- Trumpf ,as one would expect, has reacted furiously,vilifying Chuck Jones.Predictably Jones has been the subject of cyber bullying and death threats.
Trumpf's nominee for Sec. of labor
is Andy Puzder a fast food CEO whose companies employ over 80,000 low-paid American workers. He was a major Trump donor and outspoken denigrater of worker rights.He is a member of
the Jobs Creators Network, which is linked to a group of conservative CEOs and
anti-union operative Richard Berman, a Republican lawyer and lobbyist.
He has consistently opposed:
- raising the minimum wage,
- worker protection regulations,
- Obama care and
- mandatory overtime pay.
His espoused dream is of totally robot controlled fast food
restaurants without the need to hire any of those pesky, difficult and costly
workers.
Puzder is a passionate pillar of anti
union big business.He will undoubtedly pursue policies that Trumpf’s white
working class base will love. -- Please see last weekend’s post for
the “definition of idiots”.
11.Rigging or Falsifying Elections
What do you want me to say? Could anybody imagine Trump rigging an election or claiming that somebody else has rigged election because he didn't win?
Can anyone imagine Trump objecting to a recount of votes so as to ensure that there were no mistakes in the Democratic ballot?
Can anyone imagine the people around Trump-- say the new Atty. Gen.-colluding in voter suppression? Based on race?
Me neither!!!
12. Anti-Semitism
In the popular mind Fascism is of course linked to anti-Semitism because of Nazi Germany.
The to do not necessarily go together but Jews in many Christian societies have been ostracized or viewed as outsiders or used as convenient scapegoats.Peron in Argentina.Even Franco's Spain.Spain expelled its Jews 1492.
Trumpf claims a free pass on the anti-Semitism front because his daughter Ivanka is married to a Jew and herself converted to a form of orthodox Judaism. He loves his daughter.
Unfortunately there is a record not least from the campaign.
I will not dwell on each outburst and dog whistle and just leave it to the illustrations below. 
During the campaign and in the long public business career he has made disparaging remarks about Mexicans, Latinos,"the blacks"and Muslims. Why on earth would he leave out the Jews?
Less amusing is the record of his chief strategist in the White house,Stephen Bannon founding editor of Breitbart.Bannon is an unapologetic white supremacist,racist and supporter of Holocaust deniers.
In his own words:
“Fear is a good thing. Fear is going to lead you to take action,”--classic fascism.
“I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.” the Daily Beast
Described Anne Applebaum as “a Polish, Jewish, American elitist scorned.”
"Breitbart is a hate site steeped in misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, white nationalism and anti-Semitism" -- A conservative critic.
A sample of articles published during Bannons tenure:
Less amusing is the record of his chief strategist in the White house,Stephen Bannon founding editor of Breitbart.Bannon is an unapologetic white supremacist,racist and supporter of Holocaust deniers.
In his own words:
“Fear is a good thing. Fear is going to lead you to take action,”--classic fascism.
“I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.” the Daily Beast
“didn’t want his kids going to school with ‘whiny Jewish girls.’ ” Bannon’s ex-wife,
“Let the grassroots turn on the hate because that’s the ONLY thing that will make them do their duty,”
Described Anne Applebaum as “a Polish, Jewish, American elitist scorned.”
"Breitbart is a hate site steeped in misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, white nationalism and anti-Semitism" -- A conservative critic.
A sample of articles published during Bannons tenure:
World Health Organization Report: Trannies 49 Xs Higher HIV Rate”
“Roger Stone: Huma Abedin ‘Most Likely a Saudi Spy’ With ‘Deep, Inarguable Connections’ to ‘Global Terrorist Entity’”
“There’s No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews”
“The Solution to Online ‘Harassment’ Is Simple: Women Should Log Off”
He would have fit right in at Der Sturmer in 1933
“Roger Stone: Huma Abedin ‘Most Likely a Saudi Spy’ With ‘Deep, Inarguable Connections’ to ‘Global Terrorist Entity’”
“There’s No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews”
“The Solution to Online ‘Harassment’ Is Simple: Women Should Log Off”
He would have fit right in at Der Sturmer in 1933
In addition to a clutch of Wall Street billionaire asset strippers,a national security advisor who likes to tweet conspiracy theories, and multiple generals;Trumpf nominees include Jeff Sessions, a documented racist as head of the justice department, Betsy De Vos, a Christian zealot with no teaching or administrative experience, as head of education, and Scott Pruitt, a climate change-denier as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.Mr Trump’s senior counsel, Stephen Bannon, is a white supremacist.He is now considering appointing the Head of EXXON as Secretary of State.
Does all this this mean that the USA has
become a fascist state.Of course not.Such things do not happen overnight.Judge for yourself if Trumpf and his
cabinet represent a dangerous potential.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
