Trump’s not Hitler, he’s Mussolini: How GOP anti-intellectualism created a modern fascist movement i

[applegrove]

Trump’s not Hitler, he’s Mussolini: How GOP anti-intellectualism created a modern fascist movement in America

by Fedja Buric at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/11/trumps_not_hitler_hes_mussolini_how_gop_anti_intellectualism_created_a_modern_fascist_movement_in_america/

"SNIP.............



Like Mussolini, Trump rails against intruders (Mexicans) and enemies (Muslims), mocks those perceived as weak, encourages a violent reckoning with those his followers perceive as the enemy within (the roughing up of protesters at his rallies), flouts the rules of civil political discourse (the Megyn Kelly menstruation spat), and promises to restore the nation to its greatness not by a series of policies, but by the force of his own personality (“I will be great for” fill in the blank).

To quote Paxton again, this time from his seminal “The Anatomy of Fascism”: “Fascist leaders made no secret of having no program.” This explains why Trump supporters are not bothered by his ideological malleability and policy contradictions: He was pro-choice before he was pro-life; donated to politicians while now he rails against that practice; married three times and now embraces evangelical Christianity; is the embodiment of capitalism and yet promises to crack down on free trade. In the words of the Italian writer Umberto Eco, fascism was “a beehive of contradictions.” It bears noting that Mussolini was a socialist unionizer before becoming a fascist union buster, a journalist before cracking down on free press, a republican before becoming a monarchist.

Like Mussolini, Trump is dismissive of democratic institutions. He selfishly guards his image of a self-made outsider who will “dismantle the establishment” in the words of one of his supporters. That this includes cracking down on a free press by toughening libel laws, engaging in the ethnic cleansing of 11 million people (“illegals”), stripping away citizenship of those seen as illegitimate members of the nation (children of the “illegals”), and committing war crimes in the protection of the nation (killing the families of suspected terrorists) only enhances his stature among his supporters. The discrepancy between their love of America and these brutal and undemocratic methods does not bother them one iota. To borrow from Paxton again: “Fascism was an affair of the gut more than of the brain.” For Trump and his supporters, the struggle against “political correctness” in all its forms is more important than the fine print of the Constitution.

To be fair, there are many differences between Italian Fascism of interwar Europe and Trumpism of (soon to be) post-Obama America. For one, Mussolini was better read and more articulate than Trump. Starting out as a schoolteacher, the Italian Fascist read voraciously and was heavily influenced by the German and French philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Marie Guyau, respectively. I doubt Trump would know who either of these two people were. According to the Boston Globe, Trump speaks at the level of a fourth grader.



...............SNIP"

[malaise]

1. Then more of us should be reading Gramsci

Remember though both were Fascists

[SummerSnow]

2. Good article.

[malthaussen]

3. Potato, pahtahto.

Doubt Mussolini would have exterminated seven million Jews, Gypsies, Gays, and others. He was not insane, whereas Hitler arguably was. As for Trump... is narcissism insanity? Depends on your definition, but he obviously has it in insane quantity.

-- Mal

[madinmaryland]

4. Wait, what??? I thought Moosilini was going to be his Veep...

[applegrove]

5. Mooselini! LOL!

[DemocraticSocialist8]

6. Salon always delivers good articles...thanks

[applegrove]

7. Yes it is one of my go to sites.

[Albertoo]

8. More Salon crap. Trump is a RW populist, period.

The traits listed in the article do not define fascists, they define RW populists.

..rails against intruders (Mexicans) and enemies (Muslims), mocks those perceived as weak, flouts the rules of civil political discourse

The key distinction between RW populist and authoritarian/fascist/nazi is the use of proactive violence. Mussolini had journalists beaten, the SA attacked small businesses held by Jews, the like.

Trump has not -as of today- encouraged violence against political opponents. As for the roughing up of protesters at his rallies, it works both ways: those protesters were forcing themselves into a political rally they disagreed with, it certainly "flouts the rules of civil political discourse".

Let's not cry wolf.