THE DUOPOLY WATCH | Steven
Jonas, MD, MPH
Editor’s note: Wherein the
author posits an important question for the American left: is Trump a genuine
fascist, a proto-fascist or some other type of authoritarian? Is Trump’s
following chiefly composed of racists? And, finally, is a racist identical to a
fascist, and does it matter in the current situation? And finally, isn’t the
Clintonian wing of the Democratic party equally ready to implement fascism as a
“solution” to the structural crisis of global capitalism? If so, what’s the
difference? Depending on the answer, anti-fascists can tailor their responses.
Here’s Dr. Jonas’ analysis.
Looking back through my
files, I have discovered that I have been writing about Trump, Trumpism, and
the Trumpites for quite some time, going back to the old, independent,
BuzzFlash in a column that
appeared on April 28, 2011. In
this column, I am briefly reviewing my Trump columns that have appeared here
on The Greanville Post, under my general heading “The Duopoly
Watch.” Not too many observers, including myself, thought he could win
the Presidency. But hindsight is 20/20.
Now, given the strength of
his combination of bringing out into the open the Repubs.’ traditional racism,
Islamophobia, xenophobia, and misogyny, and the many weaknesses
of the Democratic Party and its candidate, it seems that is was almost inevitable. So,
this column presents something of a time-line following the development of
Trumpism along, to the present, where we face the imposition of a 21st century
form of fascism on our nation. That its putative leader was elected
by a minority of the voting public, just as Hitler was (indirectly in that
case), is no accident.
“Trump — Racist —
Revisited,” was published on
August 18, 2015. I began that column thusly:
“Over four years ago, on BuzzFlash, I published a column on Donald
Trump entitled ‘Yes, Trump is a blowhard,’ and no he doesn’t have any
real programs to offer that would have a chance of solving
the problems he likes to list (some real; some imagined. His new
[old by Repub. standards] ‘immigration’ policy is a bad joke [see
below]). But like just about every other political commentator on our
side round, I still find it irresistible to launch broadsides at him.”
2. The next column, on
Oct. 2, 2015, was “Hair Trump or
Herr Trump?” At the beginning of
that one I noted that: “The Web is suddenly crawling with images of Trump as
Hitler — the idea has apparently caught on. To what extent this is the weight
of the establishment attempting to quash Trump as an unwelcome messenger is
anybody’s guess at this time.” The column explores the historical
similarities, as they were apparent in Trump’s case at the time, between
himself and his movement and Hitler’s, and the differences as well.
3. On Armistice Day (now
called Veterans’ Day), 2015, I began a discussion of “Fascism in the 21st
Century, considering, in
Part I, “Briefly, Its 20th Century
Background.” In that column I presented my own, brief definition of
the term, drawn from my
own work, (see esp. Appendix II of The
15% Solution), and of course many other sources. It is:
“A politico-economic system in which there is: total executive branch control
of both the legislative and administrative powers of government; no independent
judiciary; no Constitution that embodies a Rule of Law standing above the
people who run the government and the executive, legislative and judicial
bodies through which they do so; no inherent personal rights or liberties;
a single national ideology that first demonizes and then criminalizes all
political, religious, and ideological opposition to it; the massive and regular
use of hate, fear, racial and religious prejudice, the Big Lie technique, mob
psychology, mob actions and ultimately individual and collective violence
to achieve political and economic ends; a capitalist/corporate economy;
with the ruling economic class’ domination of economic, fiscal, and
regulatory policy.”
Click here for the full article.
Source: The
Greanville Post
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