This just in: Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of radical authoritarian ultranationalism, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and control of industry and commerce, which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.
That sounds way more familiar than it should. The question of the day is “How did we get here?”
The following is my own recipe for Fascist Pie
Ingredients…
- 1 Cup of sifted, unlimited, anonymous, campaign contributions
- 2 Handfuls of a gullible population
- 1 tablespoon of greed
- 1/2 Pound of propaganda machine
- A dash of racism
- 1 stick of Russia funded NRA
- 3 chopped Evangelicals
- A dash of anti-fact
- 1 Orange (comb-over is optional)
Mix all of these together and them plop them into an oven set on “FEAR”. Cook for one decade.
In short…you can’t make a pie with just an orange. There are a lot of reasons we are becoming a Fascist nation and only one of them is named Trump.
Unlimited campaign contributions are probably the main ingredients here. However, all this money would have no impact if we didn’t have a political party that willingly takes the bribes and then does the bidding of those that paid them, instead of those that voted for them. This is a symbiotic relationship. Citizens United would not exist without the Republican Party and they would not exist without unlimited finances from special interests.
Greed tells the Koch brothers that they need more money. Greed of Republicans make them willing to take Koch money to pass a tax law that harms our economy. Greed makes Republicans take Russian money, via the NRA, and then not address gun control
Racism, along with Evangelicals are the special spices of this mix. Both want America to return to some imagined White, Christian nation. They don’t know it but they are acting as if a White, Christian, Fascist nation is what they prefer.
To keep the population at bay, they must be fed a steady diet of “don’t look behind that curtain in the corner.” Fox News and the NRA provide this mis-direction. For example: If there is a mass shooting by a white guy…”send thoughts and prayers”. If there is a mass shooting by a non-white then “Terrorism strikes the homeland.” This sustains the racist and evangelical votes. Trump tariffs are starting to hurt the economy so, let’s do a show about an ugly dog contest at a county fair.
Gullibility is hard to under-estimate. Here are 2 examples. (1)George Bush is president and the gas prices are high. Fox News reports that the president has no control over gas prices. Then, Obama is president and gas prices are high. Now Fox News reports that these high prices are the president’s fault. (2) Obama, the candidate, said he would meet with North Korea without preconditions. Fox News blasted relentlessly for this. Trump then says the same thing and Fox News praises him as a man of action. In both of these instances, the gullible watched Fox News and nodded in agreement.
Note: If you have not read 1984 in the last 10 years, I recommend you have another go at it.
The orange, Trump, is the cherry on top of the pie. That pie would exist without him but it would not be nearly as perfect. Trump is without shame. He has a complete disregard for any facts that don’t suit him. For example, right now, his new plan is to act as if Russia did interfere but what they really want is for Democrats to win. Now, in front of the world, Putin said in Helsinki that he wanted Trump to win. Today, the White House transcripts and video of Putin saying that have be wiped clean of Putin’s statement. We all saw it but Trump is acting like it never happened. Fox News will back him up on this and the gullible will nod in agreement.
The result is a big fat heaping of Fascism Pie. If you don’t like it and would prefer something else…then change the ingredients. Vote in November.
Time to save the world.
Up, up and away…
Jim
