The GOP was sowing seeds of fascism and violence long before Trump

The GOP was sowing seeds of fascism and violence long before Trump
If you think that these violent elements of Trump’s base will leave with him, you haven’t been paying attention.

Jan. 13, 2021, 11:49 AM EST
By Dean Obeidallah, MSNBC Opinion Columnist


"Fascism" is a word we tend to throw around often, and often with little regard to its true definition. But in the case of President Donald Trump and for parts of the GOP, it applies not hyperbolically, but accurately.

At its essence, fascism — while exhibiting other characteristics, such as attacking democratic institutions and stirring up anger — employs undemocratic methods, especially violence, to acquire and retain power. At the moment, an American fascist movement that uses violence to acquire and hold on to power is no longer a hypothetical; it is already underway.

This is why the siege of our nation's Capitol by Trump supporters to prevent the congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory cannot be dismissed as a one-off. These events are just a show of coming attractions.

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First, experts have documented that the Republican Party in recent years has increasingly rejected democratic norms and embraced autocratic tactics to wield power. An October study by V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden warned that the GOP had already been moving in that direction pre-Trump, but it said that under Trump, with "the disrespect of political opponents" and "the encouragement of violence," the GOP now more closely resembles authoritarian ruling parties like Hungary's Fidesz and Turkey's AKP. ................(more)

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/gop-was-sowing-seeds-fascism-violence-long-trump-n1253970?