Fascist to the core
Rather late in the day, we’re having the “Trump is a genuine fascist” conversation.
(Well of course he is. It’s not as if there’s some high bar to being one. It doesn’t require erudition or physical fitness. He’s every inch a fascist, and it’s all right there on the surface where we can see it.)
John Kelly, a former four-star Marine general and former chief of staff to former President Donald Trump, hammered his old boss in a stunningly public fashion on Tuesday — just two weeks before Election Day.
Kelly, who had previously refrained from discussing his time in the White House so openly, said in expansive interviews with The New York Times that Trump’s discussion of using the military against the “enemy within” — who, in Trump’s words, included Democratic foes — pushed him to come forward. His comments come after several other prominent former administration officials, including those with military experience, expressed concern about Trump’s fitness for office.
“And I think this issue of using the military on — to go after — American citizens is one of those things I think is a very, very bad thing — even to say it for political purposes to get elected — I think it’s a very, very bad thing, let alone actually doing it,” Kelly said.
The former general held nothing back, arguing that Trump could fit the bill of a “fascist.”
“Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” he told The Times.
Quite. What’s in there that doesn’t fit Trump?
Mark Milley, a retired Army general and former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump, told journalist Bob Woodward that Trump is a “fascist to the core.”
“He is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person to this country,” he said.
And of course not just this one. If he gets in again he’ll be a danger to many other countries. Ukraine is obviously high on the list.
It’s remarkable how many Republicans and former members of the Trump administration have come out and said he’s incompetent, unstable, unserious, racist, misogynistic, authoritarian, fascist, dangerous. And it’s incredible that so many of his supporters dismiss all criticism of Trump as coming from “the libs”. Cheney, Pence, Milley, Kelly, even sometimes McConnell–these are not “left-wing socialist lunatics”. Any self-respecting Republican who truly cares about their country and their party should be voting for Vice President Harris, or at least writing in someone else’s name.
Oh good. Featured in the Nee York Times. The congregation of the First HyperBaptist 60,000 sf “Worship Center” down at the fourth interchange will certainly see this and change their vote! As will the Hatfields and McCoys down at the Toad Liquor General Store in Alabama. And the CEO in the glassy box in the local Innovation Business Park cares only about the forthcoming tax cuts.
This kind of stuff is just talking to the already convinced. (People who, I might note, also believe multiply convicted rapists can “realize” they are really truly a “woman” (TWAW, no?) and be housed in women’s prisons. Or that it is “Colonial Inpwrialust Math” to teach that 2*2=4)
He’s gonna win. Easily. Americans ultimately won’t vote for a black immigrant WOMAN for president
Except ‘we’ aren’t having that conversation. No major newspaper put that story on the front page of their print editions. Fox, Newsmax, the rightwing social media sphere? If they mention it at all it will be to disparage and deflect, if not outright lie.
The US has always had a significant plurality of the population that were authoritarian leaning. Since the 30’s a lot of those have been openly fascist when socially acceptable and quietly so when it wasn’t.
This moment I think is the high water mark (so far) of that movement. If Harris wins (everything crossed) the question will be how you’re all going to live together?
While I’ll admit to a lot of uncertainty, the idea that he’s gonna win easily (assuming he does) is ludicrous. The Wokies might think that the US is more racist and misogynist than ever, but he absolutely cannot win the popular vote. For governance purposes that doesn’t really matter, but it greatly over estimates the bigotry per capita of this large, diverse country.
100% agree this moves the needle not much at all amongst the “gas was slightly cheaper four years ago” set (which are the only people that need convincing or that can be convinced).
From the linked abcnews piece:
Trump, (formerly Drumpf and aka Captain Bonespurs) is following in the footsteps of Adolf Hitler, who likewise blamed everyone but himself when things went pear-shaped. ‘Heil Drumpf’ somehow fall short of a fit to his political ambition, but ‘Heil Trump’ would work just fine.