When Fascism Comes To America, It Will Be Wrapped in the Flag and Carrying a Cross
As Americans, we like to think that we would do the right thing when faced with fascism. In reality, we will likely fail at even recognizing it when it happens
Political authoritarianism typically involves weakening popular sovereignty, centralizing power, undercutting the rule of law, threatening fair elections, limiting freedom of speech, misusing state power to weaken political opposition, manipulating the criminal justice system, and eroding civil rights protections.
According to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of history at NYU and author of the book "Strongman," authoritarianism can be defined as follows:
"It's when the executive branch and the leader find ways to take away checks and balances," she said. "So they have a degree of power that they don't have in a democracy, and they find ways to take away the independence of the legislature and the independence of the judiciary."
When systemic checks and balances are weakened or obfuscated in any way, political leaders feel and become empowered to seize more control and engage in mis- or dis-information to mask their actions and intent. In the absence of controls, accountability and consequences, a sitting president can say and do almost anything they want, including stating outright lies. There is an old saying that if you repeat a lie often enough, even the liar starts to believe it.
When lying with impunity becomes condoned or accepted as part of our every day political process, then America has really begun to slide down the slippery slope into third-world status. It doesn't matter what side of the political aisle you favor; if you're a true American — and if you truly believe in this great nation of ours — you should be fighting against any candidate that subscribes to such an approach. You should be supporting honest, ethical people who have only one ideology in mind -- to serve this nation, protect the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and to be an honest, forthright delegate of the people who, with honesty and transparency, faithfully represent the will of the constituency that elected them.
This isn't about partisan politics. It's about humanism; it's about ethics; it's about morality; it's about electing leaders who exhibit good character - regardless of whether one is left or right-leaning. Independent of our particular political inclinations, we need honest, ethical, moral people of great character to lead this nation. Clearly, neither Donald Trump nor many of his right-wing adherents are those kind of people.
But the largest and most dangerous aspect of what is going on may not be the threat to our constitution. It's that an entire generation of Americans are being taught that it is OK to act like former president Trump did and does -- that they, like he, might believe that they will neither be held accountable nor be punished for espousing such ideologies or acting out in the absence of moral, character and ethical restraint. They are learning that respect the Rule of Law and the Constitution is only necessary when it seems to work in your favor. This kind of systemic indoctrination is evident, for example, when Donald Trump positions himself as a zealous advocate for his own personal free speech rights but offers a completely opposite viewpoint for those who would criticize him.
There are many who argue that we need to go back to historical American values. For generations, it was the responsibility of parents and religious organizations to help form the familial moral foundation and set the tone for what is -- and is not -- acceptable. But in 21st Century America, the church is allowing and even encouraging such behavior and actions. If anything, the Church has become more active in politics than at any time in our history.
When evangelical Christians believe that they are losing cultural influence and begin to face moral or political peril, they look for an opportunity to regain a measure of cultural and political power. And in the process of doing that, they are susceptible to authoritarian, anti-democratic politics.
https://politicaltheology.com/the-problem-of-authoritarian-reactionary-christianity%ef%bf%bc/
Some experts on political theology have stated that, when Jesus walked the earth, he challenged his disciples to love the marginalized, oppressed, and disenfranchised. Christian nationalism is the opposite of what the bible intones because it establishes religious superiority over others, which in turn hinders the missional mandate of the Gospel. Jesus said to humble oneself, not rise above others. Someone should pin that onto Donald Trumps elongated tie.
https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/endorsers#:~:text=When%20Jesus%20walked%20the%20earth,%2C%20not%20rise%20above%20others.%E2%80%9D
When Christianity mixes together with political ideology, religious teachings will always take a back seat to the political pragmatism of power and wealth. The history of Christian Nationalism hasn't been good and leaves enormous suffering in its wake.
Evangelicals seem to have broadly chosen the company of Trump supporters who no longer embrace personal character in politics. In doing so, they have accepted moral turpitude as a virtue. In the place of integrity, they support the Trump movement and lend it a seemingly warped kind of authenticity and the unfiltered abuse, ignorance, egotism and bigotry that comes with it.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/09/mixing-christianity-with-nationalism-is-a-recipe-for-fascism.html
Today's right-wing Republican Party has become, now and for the foreseeable future, the Party of January 6th. Their tactics and strategy tend to operate in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Rule of Law and have resulted in openly supported insurrection. The Republican Party has embraced right-wing influence. It has become a party of pariah's, no longer representing fundamental American conservative values but, rather, expressing an extremist position that favors class warfare, the ultra-rich, racism, bigotry and, perhaps most importantly fascism.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/01/the-republican-party-is-now-the-party-of-january-6
As Sinclair Lewis, the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, warned us in his 1935 book "It Can't Happen Here" (Chapter 36): "the worst Fascists were they who disowned the word “Fascism” and preached enslavement to Capitalism under the style of Constitutional and Traditional Native American Liberty" Little did he know what was going to happen only 4 short years later -- and how correct he had been.
Many Americans who didn't live in that era tend to scoff at the idea of authoritative Nazism and fascism reestablishing a foothold in American society. But it has happened before — and, in historical terms, it wasn’t that long ago. In 1939 the American Nazi Party held a rally in Madison Square Garden, six and a half months before Adolf Hitler invaded Poland. More than 20,000 attendees raised Nazi salutes toward a 30-foot-tall portrait of George Washington that was flanked by swastikas. The event was organized by the German-American Bund (Federation) and was advertised on the arena’s marquee as a “Pro-American Rally”.
You're not reading a dystopian novel here - NOTHING about this is fictitious. It's history; it’s fact. It really happened. And it will happen again if we Americans are not vigilant -- if we listen to the right-wing propaganda and rhetoric -- and, most importantly, if we don't constantly question what we hear and fact check it.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/americans-hold-nazi-rally-in-madison-square-garden
While the video below is clearly partisan (prepared by the Lincoln Project), the underlying video footage that was used in the video is real and these events did, indeed, happen right here in our backyard in New York City in 1939! The video ends with a Jewish-American man named Isadore Greenbaum, who charged the stage in protest, being severely beaten and hauled away by a team of American Nazi’s and NYC policemen.
As Sinclair Lewis warned us some 90 years ago, don't EVER believe that "it can't happen here". IT IS HAPPENING HERE AGAIN, AND IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. We may still be in the early stages, but what we are hearing from our former president and his right-wing adherents is not at all dissimilar from what happened in 1939.
In January of 2021, Robert Paxton, who is a professor at Columbia University and the author of "The Anatomy of Fascism" embraced the idea of using the term "fascism" as a label for the policies and beliefs of former president Trump. In his book, he offered this definition of the movement:
"Fascism may be defined as 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. (p. 218)"
Keeping in mind what has been discussed above, I'd invite you to listen to this video clip from a recent Donald Trump speech in which, while discussing immigration, he attacked immigrants with rhetoric that was used by Nazi leader Adolph Hitler, stating that immigration is "poisoning the blood of our country”. They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world not just in South America… but all over the world they’re coming into our country from Africa, from Asia"
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1736113307319210375
Trump and his right-wing adherents have frequently identified their affinity for Viktor Orbán, the authoritarian ruler of Hungary, because they see his position as a defense of traditional society. But nobody should overlook that fact that Orbán was singularly responsible for overturning Hungary's democracy; indeed, he has routinely claimed that democracy weakens a nation. He has claimed that democracies are flawed because they allow immigration (Orbán refers to immigration as “a poison” that “poses a public security and terror risk”). He also condemns democracies because they require equal rights for women and LGBTQ+ individuals.
During the week of December 10th, 2023 we saw the next evolution of Orbán’s “illiberal” society. With the passage of Hungary's "protecting national sovereignty" law, a separate authority will be established to explore and monitor risks of political interference. However, according to analysts at the US State Department, the law "equips the Hungarian government with draconian tools that can be used to intimidate and punish those with views not shared by the ruling party." The US State Department went on to state that the legislation "could be used to subject Hungarian citizens, businesses, and organizations to intrusive investigations with no judicial oversight, even if they have had no contact with or support from a foreign government or foreign entity." Yet Trump continues to speak in glowing terms about Orbán and his authoritarian stranglehold on Hungary.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-says-hungarian-sovereignty-law-gives-draconian-tools-government-2023-12-20/
On November 11, 2023 in Claremont, New Hampshire, former president Trump used language that echoed Adolf Hitler in a speech, comparing his political opponents to "vermin". "We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country," he told a New Hampshire crowd. Trump continued with praise for Hungary's strongman leader: "The head of Hungary – very tough, strong guy – Viktor Orbán," Trump told the audience, adding approvingly, "He didn't allow millions of people to invade his country."
Further on in his speech, Trump referred to himself as "a very proud election denier" — not only holding on to his "Big Lie" theory despite overwhelming evidence against it, but seeking to embellish it and making it a Clarion call for his supporters.
More recently, Trump called for the termination of the Constitution in a post on his Truth Social platform. He cited his continual, yet baseless, claims of widespread election fraud in the last presidential election, stating,
“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution”.
His reckless and rash comments, which would have been a clear violation of the oath he took when he became president to defend and protect the Constitution, was noted by Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who stated: “Donald Trump advocates for the annulment of ‘all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution’ to overturn the 2020 election. This was his stance on 1/6 and continues to be his stance today. It is undeniable that Trump is an adversary of the Constitution.”
Trump’s claims that he was acting in accordance with his presidential authority are in complete denial of evidence already available from his own personal behavior and actions. For instance, there is a recording of a phone call in which he asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 votes to help him overturn Biden’s victory in a critical swing state. And recently, the Detroit News reported on a recorded call in which Trump urged two Michigan county officials not to certify election results from Detroit in 2020.
Trump frequently makes authoritarian gestures — and it's not slowing down; rather, it's ramping up. One would think that such comments by a former president would immediately draw broad condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats. But that isn't happening. The Republican stance on his comments has been mute, at best.
Authoritarianism has always been a key undertone in Trump's right-wing political activities. But Donald Trump is not the only person or group who has embraced and/or echoed this authoritarian ideology. I recently published an article that dissects and discusses the Heritage Foundation's “Project 2025” roadmap. In that article, I pointed out how authoritarianism is broadly projected throughout the GOP's new playbook. And that playbook is deeply embedded in the Trump 2024 presidential campaign tactics and rhetoric.
Project 2025: Is the New Conservative Promise really just a fascist manifesto?
In today's American society, the loudest voices represent the drumbeat that is shifting our politic environment in the direction of Viktor Orbán's illiberalism and down the road toward the authoritarian variant of fascism entertained by Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
Sinclair Lewis' dystopian novel from 1935 addressed how difficult it can be to sort out what to do in moments of swift political upheaval and social change. As Americans, we probably all would like to think that we would do the right thing when fascism reestablishes a foothold in America. In reality, as a nation, we are failing to even recognize that it is happening all around us. And that is because authoritarianism and fascism are always veiled behind social and political issues that people are passionate about and like to argue over.
This is precisely why that old saying remains so poignant today:
When Fascism Comes To America, It Will Be Wrapped in the Flag and Carrying a Cross.
[Post-publication Note: I published this article on the rise of fascism in the US about three months ago. But, on April 6, 2024, president Trump published something truly astonishing and extraordinary on his Truth Social platform. In the Trump-sponsored video, our former president tries to convince viewers of his virtues (it’s in the video title). But the message is not at all about virtues. The video starts with a command. It states that, even if you can't stand Trump, you must get behind him. There is no attempt to convince voters that they should care about his conservative values, whether he is a good role model for children, whether he defends and protects the Constitution and the Rule of Law, or even that he is honest, ethical, moral and of good character (which, he clearly is not). The entire production is about waging a war — largely against other Americans — and the video proposes that only Trump knows how to win it. What is truly remarkable is that the entire video smacks of WWII era fascist indoctrination! Yet many Americans seem to ignorantly feed on this kind of propaganda, and their predisposition to do that is the reason that the rest of us need to be vigilant and vocal about the rise of fascism in the United States. It’s here now. It has been asleep (or, at lease restrained) in America for a long time. But it’s now fully awake and an ever-present danger to our country and our form of government.
Video released by former president Trump on Truth Social on April 6, 2024]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/column-2023-was-the-year-i-started-believing-in-the-horseshoe-theory-of-politics/ar-AA1m2PGS?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=ad954b4352be45ea9f9eba94bec2253d&ei=99
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/26/politics/trump-christmas-rant/index.html
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sinclair-lewis-on-fascism/