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Trump Is No Fascist - TeacherinExile - 02-05-2017
I'm going to play provocateur for a moment, if only because the placards are popping up already in the street demonstrations: "Trump Is a Fascist." So, too, evidently were Nixon, Bush 43 and Obama, judging by the protest signs in mass demonstrations past. For those of us who have been around for a while, broad-brushing U.S. presidents with that epithet has long since lost its punch. Calling someone a fascist has become a tired--almost laughable--cliché. If throwing that f-word in someone's face is meant to shut down--much less, win--the debate...well, that just doesn't fly with me. Nor, do I suspect, with others on this forum.
So, let me say right up front that I am neither an anti-Trump rabble-rouser, nor am I his apologist. I did not--could not--vote for him for any number of reasons that I will not elucidate. Trump poses a certain danger that I have discussed at length on the old 4T forum. I will now concede, however, that he may spark a regeneration of some kind, and that's a big concession for me. Just where that regeneration leads our country is an open question. And I don't think it's going too far out on a limb to say that a Trump presidency is high-risk, high-reward, as conservative columnist Ross Douthat recently pointed out:
"Trump Will Remake U.S. Conservatism, Or It Will Break His Presidency"
http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/ross-douthat-trump-will-remake-u-s-conservatism-or-it-will-break-his-presidency
The impetus for this new thread stems from a recent article in the left-leaning The Guardian, written by a senior correspondent of the Federalist, typically a champion of conservative causes. (How's that for Left, Right?) I generally agree with his assessment, and take exception only with one of his assumptions that I have not seen support for in any poll that I'm aware of.
"Trump Is No Fascist. He Is a Champion for the Forgotten Millions"
He begins by writing--
Amid the ongoing protests against President Trump, calls for “resistance” among Democratic politicians and activists, and the overheated rhetoric casting Trump and his supporters as fascists and xenophobes, an outsider might be forgiven for thinking that America has been taken over by a small faction of rightwing nationalists.
America is deeply divided, but it’s not divided between fascists and Democrats. It’s more accurate to say that America is divided between the elites and everybody else, and Trump’s election was a rejection of the elites...
Read further at this link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/05/trump-not-fascist-champion-for-forgotten-millions
Whether Trump emerges as a "champion," it's premature to say. He has been dealt a pretty good hand--a reasonably healthy economy and a bullish stock market. Trump has not yet been "fire-tested." (Only in a political sense with his improbable victory.) Should another crisis present itself--financial, geopolitical, whatever--the question is, will he meet the moment?
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - SomeGuy - 02-05-2017
(02-05-2017, 02:06 PM)TeacherinExile Wrote: I'm going to play provocateur for a moment, if only because the placards are popping up already in the street demonstrations: "Trump Is a Fascist." So, too, evidently were Nixon, Bush 43 and Obama, judging by the protest signs in mass demonstrations past. For those of us who have been around for a while, broad-brushing U.S. presidents with that epithet has long since lost its punch. Calling someone a fascist has become a tired--almost laughable--cliché. If throwing that f-word in someone's face is meant to shut down--much less, win--the debate...well, that just doesn't fly with me. Nor, do I suspect, with others on this forum.
So, let me say right up front that I am neither an anti-Trump rabble-rouser, nor am I his apologist. I did not--could not--vote for him for any number of reasons that I will not elucidate. Trump poses a certain danger that I have discussed at length on the old 4T forum. I will now concede, however, that he may spark a regeneration of some kind, and that's a big concession for me. Just where that regeneration leads our country is an open question. And I don't think it's going too far out on a limb to say that a Trump presidency is high-risk, high-reward, as conservative columnist Ross Douthat recently pointed out:
"Trump Will Remake U.S. Conservatism, Or It Will Break His Presidency"
http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/ross-douthat-trump-will-remake-u-s-conservatism-or-it-will-break-his-presidency
The impetus for this new thread stems from a recent article in the left-leaning The Guardian, written by a senior correspondent of the Federalist, typically a champion of conservative causes. (How's that for Left, Right?) I generally agree with his assessment, and take exception only with one of his assumptions that I have not seen support for in any poll that I'm aware of.
"Trump Is No Fascist. He Is a Champion for the Forgotten Millions"
He begins by writing--
Amid the ongoing protests against President Trump, calls for “resistance” among Democratic politicians and activists, and the overheated rhetoric casting Trump and his supporters as fascists and xenophobes, an outsider might be forgiven for thinking that America has been taken over by a small faction of rightwing nationalists.
America is deeply divided, but it’s not divided between fascists and Democrats. It’s more accurate to say that America is divided between the elites and everybody else, and Trump’s election was a rejection of the elites...
Read further at this link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/05/trump-not-fascist-champion-for-forgotten-millions
Whether Trump emerges as a "champion," it's premature to say. He has been dealt a pretty good hand--a reasonably healthy economy and a bullish stock market. Trump has not yet been "fire-tested." (Only in a political sense with his improbable victory.) Should another crisis present itself--financial, geopolitical, whatever--the question is, will he meet the moment?
It remains to be seen.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Eric the Green - 02-05-2017
Trump is one of the most famous of the elites. The people were deceived that they were voting against the elites. That is on them; it's on them to realize their mistake. They voted FOR the elites, whereas a vote for Hillary Clinton was a vote against the elites; however imperfect she was as a vehicle for such a vote.
Elites are not the peoples' representatives in government. The elites are the wealthy business interests. Unfortunately the people have been deceived into voting for representatives of the elites, instead of representatives of themselves.
Right now, I have no problem calling Trump a fascist. I could change my mind. But his actions so far can only be described as reprehensible in the extreme.
Whether Trump has been firetested seems to me irrelevant. It is the people who are being firetested. How fully will they respond to this (at least borderline) fascist, fully-corporate takeover of their country?
Our nation has been set on fire. What do we do about it, and how?
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Marypoza - 02-05-2017
Well the shit just hit the fan. Let's see what the Donald does about it
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-ballistic-missile-strikes-riyadh-saudi-arabia/
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - pbrower2a - 02-05-2017
(02-05-2017, 02:06 PM)TeacherinExile Wrote: I'm going to play provocateur for a moment, if only because the placards are popping up already in the street demonstrations: "Trump Is a Fascist." So, too, evidently were Nixon, Bush 43 and Obama, judging by the protest signs in mass demonstrations past. For those of us who have been around for a while, broad-brushing U.S. presidents with that epithet has long since lost its punch. Calling someone a fascist has become a tired--almost laughable--cliché. If throwing that f-word in someone's face is meant to shut down--much less, win--the debate...well, that just doesn't fly with me. Nor, do I suspect, with others on this forum.
Fascism has become a proxy for 'pathological, undemocratic right-wing, non-monarchical, government or political action'. Donald Trump is certainly pathological and right-wing, and he shows no desire to be a Crowned Head. Does he hold democracy in contempt? So far I see little cause to trust him.
Quote:So, let me say right up front that I am neither an anti-Trump rabble-rouser, nor am I his apologist. I did not--could not--vote for him for any number of reasons that I will not elucidate. Trump poses a certain danger that I have discussed at length on the old 4T forum. I will now concede, however, that he may spark a regeneration of some kind, and that's a big concession for me. Just where that regeneration leads our country is an open question. And I don't think it's going too far out on a limb to say that a Trump presidency is high-risk, high-reward, as conservative columnist Ross Douthat recently pointed out:
"Trump Will Remake U.S. Conservatism, Or It Will Break His Presidency"
http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/ross-douthat-trump-will-remake-u-s-conservatism-or-it-will-break-his-presidency
The impetus for this new thread stems from a recent article in the left-leaning The Guardian, written by a senior correspondent of the Federalist, typically a champion of conservative causes. (How's that for Left, Right?) I generally agree with his assessment, and take exception only with one of his assumptions that I have not seen support for in any poll that I'm aware of.
Because he is a demagogue, I dread him.
Quote:"Trump Is No Fascist. He Is a Champion for the Forgotten Millions"[url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/05/trump-not-fascist-champion-for-forgotten-millions][/url]
He begins by writing--
Amid the ongoing protests against President Trump, calls for “resistance” among Democratic politicians and activists, and the overheated rhetoric casting Trump and his supporters as fascists and xenophobes, an outsider might be forgiven for thinking that America has been taken over by a small faction of rightwing nationalists.
America is deeply divided, but it’s not divided between fascists and Democrats. It’s more accurate to say that America is divided between the elites and everybody else, and Trump’s election was a rejection of the elites...
Read further at this link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/05/trump-not-fascist-champion-for-forgotten-millions
Every fascist has claimed to be the champion of the Forgotten Man...
Quote:Whether Trump emerges as a "champion," it's premature to say. He has been dealt a pretty good hand--a reasonably healthy economy and a bullish stock market. Trump has not yet been "fire-tested." (Only in a political sense with his improbable victory.) Should another crisis present itself--financial, geopolitical, whatever--the question is, will he meet the moment?
The eight-year bull market depends upon the sort of economic stewardship that Barack Obama offers, and that Donald Trump can easily end. He has thrown away the Reagan-to-Obama foreign policy for something risky.
He does not have experience in elected political office or high military rank. The successful politicians have found ways to cut deals with people who might offer some trouble. "My way or the Highway" is the norm in business, but the President cannot fire a federal judge or an elected member of either House of Congress.... and nobody not a government employee. He might want to put Rachel Maddow in ADX Florence (the Supermax prison), but he can't. Eisenhower, the only really-good President since 1900 to have no experience in public office, at least recognized the difference between civilian and military life.
He may think that he can apply his experience in his businessman a s a real estate magnate to the government... but he has done little more than to bark out executive orders and ridicule anyone who does not give him what he wants.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Eric the Green - 02-06-2017
(02-05-2017, 09:19 PM)Marypoza Wrote: Well the shit just hit the fan. Let's see what the Donald does about it
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-ballistic-missile-strikes-riyadh-saudi-arabia/
That site does not come up, and there's nothing about this on google news
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Marypoza - 02-06-2017
(02-06-2017, 02:25 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:(02-05-2017, 09:19 PM)Marypoza Wrote: Well the shit just hit the fan. Let's see what the Donald does about it
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-ballistic-missile-strikes-riyadh-saudi-arabia/
That site does not come up, and there's nothing about this on google news
-- l just opened it up. Worked 4 me. Anyhow here's the rext:
[/url]
14 C
Damascus, Syria
Monday, February 6, 2017
![[Image: almasdar_logo-5%40x2.png]](https://cdn.almasdarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/almasdar_logo-5%40x2.png){kind=logo}
AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
[url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/]Home Yemen Breaking: Ballistic missile strikes Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Breaking: Ballistic missile strikes Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
By
Suliman Mulhem
-
05/02/2017
7
![[Image: Yemen-696x392.jpg]](https://media.almasdarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Yemen.jpg?__hstc=143095274.8fbcc453682d32d74c7d9ae250781281.1486347441511.1486347441511.1486390525203.2&__hssc=143095274.2.1486390525203&__hsfp=3442154223)
According to emerging reports from Yemen, a surface-to-surface missile fired by the Yemeni Army has hit Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
The missile was launched on Sunday evening, and sources in Yemen have described the missile test as successful. It is unclear exactly what missile was used, and casualty figures, if any, are yet to be reported.
Saudi Arabia militarily intervened in the Yemeni Conflict in 2015, leading a coalition of almost 10 Middle Eastern countries. In October 2016, a Yemeni activist warned that Riyadh was the next target for a Yemeni missile attack.
Advertisement
Update 1: More information has emerged, suggesting that the missile was a variant of a Russian Scud, known as the “Borkan” surface-to-surface missile.
Update 2: Sources indicate that the missile struck a military base West of Riyadh, in Mazahimiyah.
Update 3: On social media, a Saudi attempts to cover-up the attack, saying that the sound of the explosion in Riyadh was an earthquake or meteor.
Update 4: Co-Founder of Mona Relief, a Yemeni charity, Dr. RS Karim, has reported that his contacts in Riyadh told him that a state of emergency has been declared.
Follow Reporter on Twitter for Updates: @SulimanM98
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - gabrielle - 02-06-2017
(02-05-2017, 02:06 PM)TeacherinExile Wrote:
The impetus for this new thread stems from a recent article in the left-leaning The Guardian, written by a senior correspondent of the Federalist, typically a champion of conservative causes. (How's that for Left, Right?) I generally agree with his assessment, and take exception only with one of his assumptions that I have not seen support for in any poll that I'm aware of.
"Trump Is No Fascist. He Is a Champion for the Forgotten Millions"
He begins by writing--
Amid the ongoing protests against President Trump, calls for “resistance” among Democratic politicians and activists, and the overheated rhetoric casting Trump and his supporters as fascists and xenophobes, an outsider might be forgiven for thinking that America has been taken over by a small faction of rightwing nationalists.
America is deeply divided, but it’s not divided between fascists and Democrats. It’s more accurate to say that America is divided between the elites and everybody else, and Trump’s election was a rejection of the elites...
Read further at this link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/05/trump-not-fascist-champion-for-forgotten-millions
While I'm not saying we're living under a fascist regime--yet--I feel bound to point out that this Guardian article fails to make any argument that Trump is not a fascist. What it does do is describe the degraded conditions and morale of middle America that would cause the "forgotten millions" to fall prey to a populist con man like Donald Trump.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Eric the Green - 02-06-2017
(02-05-2017, 09:19 PM)Marypoza Wrote: Well the shit just hit the fan. Let's see what the Donald does about it
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-ballistic-missile-strikes-riyadh-saudi-arabia/
Beware fake news and conspiracy theories.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Eric the Green - 02-06-2017
(02-06-2017, 09:49 AM)nihilist moron Wrote: Bill O'Reilly says Putin is a killer.
Trump replies "you think we're so innocent?"
FOX News having fits this morning.
I'm starting to like this president.
Others are not so fond of Trump bringing the USA down to Putin's level.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/02/05/mitch-mcconnell-trump-russia-putin-a-thug-sotu.cnn/video/playlists/donald-trump-and-russia/
I wonder what nihilist thinks about Trump's plan to send troops to Mexico to join its drug war.
https://youtu.be/VVox2frrW64
at about 3 min.
I have to admit he nailed the Super Bowl.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Eric the Green - 02-06-2017
Drump the fascist.
He's keeping his promises.
BREAKING: Trump BRAGS He Will “Screw Over” Everyone “Except Friends”
http://www.learnprogress.org/trump-screw-over-except-friends/
Donald Trump’s executive orders and policies screw over the middle class and poor while favoring the rich, those like him. A few years ago, Trump admitted that this is exactly what he would do if elected.
In a 2014 tweet, Trump wrote that, if elected, he would screw the world, except for his friends. Trump’s tweet on his favoritism for friends while screwing over everyone else is enough evidence for his impeachment.
Trump’s words are true as far as putting it to everyone except his friends. His cabinet selections consist of people just like him — self-serving, arrogant billionaires as well as corrupt career politicians.
Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
"@damiranz: DonaldTrump: Pls don't run for president. If you do and win, the rest of the world would be screwed" So true, (except friends)!
4:01 PM - 23 Aug 2014 · New Jersey, USA
BREAKING: Trump Caught in Major Donor-Corruption Scheme. This is Bad.
BREAKING: 370 Cities Around the World Are RESISTING Donald Trump. PLEASE Support Them.
BREAKING: The Military RESPONDS to Trump's Demand for MILITARY PARADES in His Honor
The new secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, is a billionaire oilman and, like Trump, a buddy to Russia’s Putin. With his confirmation as secretary of state, he can lift Obama’s sanctions on Russia and profit greatly.
Tillerson was the CEO of Exxon before his confirmation, and he had a 500 billion dollar oil deal with Russia that sanctions held up. Now, he has the power to lift the sanctions, and the oil deal will be complete. This is a conflict of interest that the media failed to report.
One other cabinet nominee and a member of his administration bought their nominations. Linda McMahon, of World Wrestling Federation “fame,” donated millions to the Republican Party, and her reward was an appointment as the new head of the Small Business Administration.
McMahon ran for the United States Senate from Connecticut and failed twice. Her reward, though, for being such a good Republican, was a seat in Trump’s administration.
The incompetent Betsy DeVos, the nominee to head the Department of Education, donated over 200 million dollars to the Republican Party. In spite of her gross lack of qualifications shown during confirmation hearings, she will probably be confirmed by Vice-President breaking a 50-50 Senate vote tie.
There are many more of Trump’s friends in his cabinet and administration, such as the nominees for the treasury, commerce, and HHS positions. Trump and the Republican Party reward blind loyalty and policies that harm everyone but their selfish interests.
As far as screwing over everyone else, Trump is excelling. His policies negatively affected immigrants, Muslims, veterans and their pay, healthcare for the elderly and poor, and rolling back regulations that protect laborers and our already fragile environment.
Internationally, Trump hung up on the leader of Australia, one of our staunchest allies, over an agreement to accept refugees. John McCain called the Australian leader to assure him that Trump did not speak for all Americans.
And things will only get worse. In the past 15 days, Trump threatened China, North Korea, Mexico, and who knows how many other countries. He is a foreign relations disaster.
Trump’s policies, executive orders, appointments to his administration, and tweets prove that he does support himself and his friends and does not give a damn about anyone else. We need to fight this by demanding his immediate impeachment for endangering this country by his appointing unqualified candidates to influential positions and his threats to foreign governments.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Marypoza - 02-06-2017
(02-06-2017, 12:02 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:(02-06-2017, 09:49 AM)nihilist moron Wrote: Bill O'Reilly says Putin is a killer.
Trump replies "you think we're so innocent?"
FOX News having fits this morning.
I'm starting to like this president.
Others are not so fond of Trump bringing the USA down to Putin's level.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/02/05/mitch-mcconnell-trump-russia-putin-a-thug-sotu.cnn/video/playlists/donald-trump-and-russia/
I wonder what nihilist thinks about Trump's plan to send troops to Mexico to join its drug war.
https://youtu.be/VVox2frrW64
at about 3 min.
I have to admit he nailed the Super Bowl.
-- deflated balls
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Marypoza - 02-06-2017
(02-06-2017, 11:47 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:(02-05-2017, 09:19 PM)Marypoza Wrote: Well the shit just hit the fan. Let's see what the Donald does about it
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-ballistic-missile-strikes-riyadh-saudi-arabia/
Beware fake news and conspiracy theories.
-- yeah. Xenakis said to wait & see what the BBC has to say about it. I just checked. So far, nada
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - TeacherinExile - 02-06-2017
(02-06-2017, 11:40 AM)gabrielle Wrote:Fair enough. So let me provide a link to a recent article that I thought was fair-minded for the most part.(02-05-2017, 02:06 PM)TeacherinExile Wrote:
The impetus for this new thread stems from a recent article in the left-leaning The Guardian, written by a senior correspondent of the Federalist, typically a champion of conservative causes. (How's that for Left, Right?) I generally agree with his assessment, and take exception only with one of his assumptions that I have not seen support for in any poll that I'm aware of.
"Trump Is No Fascist. He Is a Champion for the Forgotten Millions"
He begins by writing--
Amid the ongoing protests against President Trump, calls for “resistance” among Democratic politicians and activists, and the overheated rhetoric casting Trump and his supporters as fascists and xenophobes, an outsider might be forgiven for thinking that America has been taken over by a small faction of rightwing nationalists.
America is deeply divided, but it’s not divided between fascists and Democrats. It’s more accurate to say that America is divided between the elites and everybody else, and Trump’s election was a rejection of the elites...
Read further at this link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/05/trump-not-fascist-champion-for-forgotten-millions
While I'm not saying we're living under a fascist regime--yet--I feel bound to point out that this Guardian article fails to make any argument that Trump is not a fascist. What it does do is describe the degraded conditions and morale of middle America that would cause the "forgotten millions" to fall prey to a populist con man like Donald Trump.
"Democracy is fragile: learning from history"
http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/democracy-is-fragile-learning-from-history/Content?oid=2948348
Let me state again for the record that the worst label that seemed applicable to Donald Trump as he was running for office was that of proto-fascist. Some political pundits went further than that: former investigative reporter Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame was joined by Andrew Sullivan, a conservative commentator, in calling Trump a neo-fascist. (And, yes, there is a difference, though those opposed to Trump may say that's a difference without a distinction.)
I'm not too sure I hold by my earlier characterization of Trump. He strikes me more as a right-wing nationalist, perhaps even a hyper-nationalist. I would be more concerned if--as a political theme--he began making naked appeals for a common language, a common faith, and a common ethnic ancestry. That would make him a fellow traveler with emergent ethno-nationalist parties in Europe.
I actually thought there was more of a danger of Trump becoming some brand of fascist if he had been denied the rightful nomination by means of Republican establishment chicanery. That coupled with a second Clinton era overwhelmed by another (hypothetical) financial meltdown, might have galvanized his loyal supporters into a forming a viable third party movement with patently fascistic tendencies. I don't think fascism is truly possible here in America until we're confronted by a meta-crisis on a scale that confronted Weimar Germany. We've experienced nothing like that--so far.
I consider Robert O. Paxton the foremost scholar of fascism. His book The Anatomy of Fascism should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand how fascism takes hold (by stages) in a fragile democracy. Paxton has granted several interviews in the past year on the subject of whether or not Trump is a fascist. Paxton basically says, "We're not there yet," but he does sound increasingly concerned, as am I. I'm vigilant but not hyper-vigilant. As always, attention must be paid.
I would take issue slightly with your characterization of Trump as a "con man." If he delivers on his promises, and especially if they truly benefit the "forgotten millions," I hardly see how that makes him con man. That would make him true to his word.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - Eric the Green - 02-06-2017
Bernie uses the word "fraud" for Drump. It certainly fits. He promised the drain the swamp and stop the corruption on Wall Street. Instead he filled the swamp with alligators and moved to dismantle Wall Street regulations. But yes he promised to build a wall and keep out refugees and Muslim immigrants, and he's doing it. He promised deregulation. He's delivering on the things that won't help the people. He claimed his policies will bring back jobs to the forgotten people. If he can deliver on his promised ability to make better trade deals, it might help. But Reaganomics has never worked, and his Reaganomics on steroids will not work either. Anyone who promises that it will, as he did, is a con man.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - pbrower2a - 02-06-2017
(02-06-2017, 12:02 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:(02-06-2017, 09:49 AM)nihilist moron Wrote: Bill O'Reilly says Putin is a killer.
Trump replies "you think we're so innocent?"
FOX News having fits this morning.
I'm starting to like this president.
Others are not so fond of Trump bringing the USA down to Putin's level.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/02/05/mitch-mcconnell-trump-russia-putin-a-thug-sotu.cnn/video/playlists/donald-trump-and-russia/
I wonder what nihilist thinks about Trump's plan to send troops to Mexico to join its drug war.
https://youtu.be/VVox2frrW64
at about 3 min.
I am amazed that Bill O'Reilly sees what is wrong with comparing our national misdeeds about which most of us have some contrition to the thuggish deeds of President Putin that he orders without shame. This sort of moral relativism in which someone excuses the misconduct of others because 'yours' have erred, too, would be almost like seeing Hitler's persecution (and ultimate extermination) of the Jews is excusable because of American participation in the Atlantic slave trade and the annihilation of large parts of the First Peoples. The 'almost' qualification is to avoid hyperbole. Bill O'Reilly can rarely see anything wrong in a figure of conservative American politics, but this time he does.
...as for the drug war -- we need to be getting addicts off drugs so that there is no drug money to feed the horrors that that money finances.
But I'm not nihilist moron.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - gabrielle - 02-07-2017
Donald Trump acts like he wants regime change – in the United States
"So-called judge"
Quote:The president’s tweet recalls how authoritarianism has triumphed in other places. Modern tyrants grasp that their real target are rival institutions and legality, not voting as such. They often attack the judiciary first, assuming that the legislature will go along.
Judges cannot, by the nature of their function, engage in populist media competitions. They must be protected by other judges, other institutions and popular opinion. If judges are left on their own, and the judiciary branch loses its independence, the legislative branch is next in line for humiliation and subjugation.
Legislators have more access to the public sphere than judges, but less than the president. And if the judiciary is meaningless, the legislators, too, will soon lose their power. They can pass laws. But without independent judges whose verdicts are respected, those laws will mean only what the executive says they mean.
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - pbrower2a - 02-07-2017
![[Image: fascism_characteristics.jpg?1479789075]](http://images.dailykos.com/images/330752/story_image/fascism_characteristics.jpg?1479789075)
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - gabrielle - 02-07-2017
Quote:No sir, Mr. President, with all due respect. The job of protecting this country from a terrorist attack falls on your shoulders.
In the past few days Mr. Trump has launched a very serious and very dangerous campaign of suggesting that if an attack occurs it will be the fault of federal judges who ruled that his Executive Order on immigration was Constitutionally problematic. And more recently he suggested it might be the fault of the press for not reporting on terrorist attacks - an assertion which any fair read of the evidence shows is a lie. As with the sweeping allegations of millions of fraudulent voters (where is the investigation of that dire threat to our democracy now?), the White House cannot supply facts to back up the President's claim.
Mr. Trump is the Commander in Chief. The armed services and intelligence community report to him. Searching for scapegoats to blame even before an event occurs is to sow the seeds of destabilization to the very fabric of our republic. These are the tactics of a thin-skinned bully who may realize he is in far over his head. No doubt there are many in Mr. Trump's base who are being whipped up into a misguided frenzy fueled by "fake news" and right-wing media. This is a common tactic of authoritarian rulers I have seen around the globe. It is stoking civic unrest and paving a path to crack downs and repression.
I do not think - or perhaps a desperate hope is father to the thought - that this tactic will work here. Mr. Trump built his brand on a bold, brash form of leadership and I think most Americans will see through the rhetoric of dodging responsibility. Furthermore we cherish an independent judiciary as a bedrock of our checks and balances. We can see that the press has covered terrorist attacks fully. And I do not see either judges or reporters backing down. Quite the contrary.
But Mr. Trump is signaling how he will react in a time of crisis. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
--Dan Rather, 2/7/17
RE: Trump Is No Fascist - TeacherinExile - 02-07-2017
David Kaiser, with whom many of you are very familiar, was a frequent poster on this forum in the past. He has his own blog now, History Unfolding, which he periodically ties into Fourth Turning theory: http://historyunfolding.blogspot.com/
Almost a year ago, he penned a column for Time magazine that is germane to this thread: "Fascism Isn't Our Problem"
It begins this way--
As Donald Trump moves nearer and nearer to the Republican nomination, history is becoming more fashionable. The media are awash with comparisons between Trump and Hitler and Trump and Mussolini, and Google searches for those pairs of names turn up 45 million and 2 million hits, respectively. Detailed analyses of Trump’s relationship to Fascism have appeared in major online publications. An anti-Trump Republican PAC is standing up an ad campaign explicitly comparing the candidate to Hitler. Even Mike Godwin, the inventor of “Godwin’s Law”—that any prolonged argument on the internet will end in a comparison of one’s opponents to Hitler—has encouraged us to go ahead and make such comparisons, provided they are carefully thought out and historically sophisticated.
The comparisons are inevitable, but Trump is not Mussolini or Hitler. And, no matter what you think of him, he is not by any stretch of the imagination a genuine Fascist...
You can read further at this link: http://time.com/4271114/2016-fascism/
So let me pose a rhetorical question to anyone on this forum who deigns to answer: Why, when it comes to Donald Trump, are people reaching as never before for historical analogues? (I'm guilty, too.)