The way I think about it is that the country has been on a particular path leading up to this confluence of things that make it possible. The GOP has played the long game in response to nixon by establishing right wing media (am radio, fox news, etc) to ramp up the coordinated brainwashing. The right has also stacked the courts and gerrymandered their asses off to stay in power and gain more. And they have attacked education for decades as well. They’ve also been stoking nationalism and religion for some time.
Corporate ownership of News Media has consolidated to just a few companies due to the dismantling of antitrust laws over the last several decades.
Protection against money in politics has been eroded making all that possible as well as allowing regulatory capture and the citizens united ruling etc.
And that’s some of the reason for the '08 collapse and subsequent wealth transfer from middle and bottom to the top. that plus offshoring of the 90s - 00s and other factors have left a lot of people in rough shape economically.
That sets the stage for desperate people to seek a populist leader and one of em who is a particularly talented grifter stepped up. If it wasn’t him it would have been someone eventually.
Meanwhile Democrats have become beholden to corporations and the rich, drifting centrist or center right. Our voting mechanisms ensures a two party system. So the only ones in leadership available to counter fascism are exactly the types that are least affected by fascism and they’re more motivated to side with capitalists. And more than a few capitalists tend to side with fascists.
All the cautionary tales about fascism have been useless. Because those tales focus on the end game instead of the lead up.
If we want to prevent fascism rising elsewhere, they need to fight the things that set the stage for fascism to rise decades later. (The various things mentioned above).
The more I think about it the more I suspect de-regulating capitalism might be the main thing that can lead to fascism. Hell maybe it inevitably leads down that path idk.
It’s so frustrating.
The way I think about it is that the country has been on a particular path leading up to this confluence of things that make it possible. The GOP has played the long game in response to nixon by establishing right wing media (am radio, fox news, etc) to ramp up the coordinated brainwashing. The right has also stacked the courts and gerrymandered their asses off to stay in power and gain more. And they have attacked education for decades as well. They’ve also been stoking nationalism and religion for some time.
Corporate ownership of News Media has consolidated to just a few companies due to the dismantling of antitrust laws over the last several decades.
Protection against money in politics has been eroded making all that possible as well as allowing regulatory capture and the citizens united ruling etc.
And that’s some of the reason for the '08 collapse and subsequent wealth transfer from middle and bottom to the top. that plus offshoring of the 90s - 00s and other factors have left a lot of people in rough shape economically.
That sets the stage for desperate people to seek a populist leader and one of em who is a particularly talented grifter stepped up. If it wasn’t him it would have been someone eventually.
Meanwhile Democrats have become beholden to corporations and the rich, drifting centrist or center right. Our voting mechanisms ensures a two party system. So the only ones in leadership available to counter fascism are exactly the types that are least affected by fascism and they’re more motivated to side with capitalists. And more than a few capitalists tend to side with fascists.
All the cautionary tales about fascism have been useless. Because those tales focus on the end game instead of the lead up.
If we want to prevent fascism rising elsewhere, they need to fight the things that set the stage for fascism to rise decades later. (The various things mentioned above).
The more I think about it the more I suspect de-regulating capitalism might be the main thing that can lead to fascism. Hell maybe it inevitably leads down that path idk.
This guy has been paying attention!