Is Today's Trumpist GOP Fascist?
 

Robert Paxton (Mellon Professor Emeritus of Social Science in the Department of History at Columbia University), in his 2005 book The Anatomy of Fascism, sums up fascism as follows:

A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion.

Similarly, Dr. Lawrence Britt, in his oft-cited 2003 article in Free Inquiry entitled "Fascism Anyone" revealed the 14 characteristic of fascism based upon his study of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet.

From these pieces by acknowledged experts written a decade before Trump's escalator ride into the American political consciousness, one would be hard-pressed to state that Trump's GOP is not fascist, or at least very close to fascist and wanting to go further down that road.

Recently Biden called out the GOP for its embrace of fascism ("semi-fascism" in his garbled syntax) and many in the GOP got all butt-hurt with this obvious statement of fact. Is it time to start labeling today's GOP "fascist?" After all, the GOP has been (falsely) labeling the Democratic Party as "soci@list" or "communist" for years now. I would argue (with ample historical basis) that the "fascist" label fits the GOP far better than "communist" fits the Democrats. What say y'all?

Does a bear poop in the woods?

Fascism at core is an ideology that says there is a group (call it 'us') that should be at the top of the hierarchy and rule without limit. Why? The only answer is myth, which always boils down to 'because we're us.' Fascism always requires it's real impetus from desire to dominate 'them,' whoever they are. 'They' are responsible for the horrible danger that threatens 'us,' and logic always goes to getting rid of 'them,' one way or another.

For 'them,' read 'communist Democrats,' 'immigrants,' 'non-Christians,' and 'non-whites,' LGBTQ+.any or all of these, for the modern-day, undoubtedly fascist, Republicans.

BTW, fascists base their core strength on herding the authoritarian followers into a cult of personality that fixates on a single leader.

Obviously they have not considered the people who head Google, Microsoft & Twitter and these are multinational companies that wields a lot of influence globally.

Fascists identify 'us' with the nation and mobilize nationalism accordingly. Multinationals are suspect, and specific multinational figures will be made targets of hate (George Soros). Generally, big money and fascist authoritarians find common cause, though Putin has made examples of a few oligarchs.

Sounds about right to this old Democrat, Pat.

I would say that those in the GOP that got butt-hurt did so because the truth hurts. Of course predictably they claim Biden called all Republicans fascists when anyone who saw the speech knows he said no such thing. The GOP (GOF?) is the one pushing the us vs them narrative and they've been doing it for quite some time.

https://i.imgflip.com/3bykcn.jpg

Someone I was friends with on Facebook posted that and I immediately dropped them.

^^^A quintessential fascist meme! Us, them, and the cult of the leader, all in one pic!

Speaking of fascism - we’re watching Hotel Portofino on PBS, a drama set in its beautiful namesake in post-WWI Italy. Mussolini’s nasty fascists are everywhere, just as Whell’s friends are today. Bastards.

Fascism plus extreme Christian agenda interwoven ought to frighten everyone. The history of the world is full of deaths and destruction. Due to the conflicts over one religion verses others.

The rise in power of the church into our government I see as a significant contributing factor of Fascism. This was feared by the Founders, who knew all to well the consequences if allowed.