Opinion: Stop Attacking Each Other As Fascists and Socialists (Part 2)
Are Republicans Fascists?
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As I wrote in Part 1 of these two columns, the cynical use by partisans of explosive language that delivers the shock value craved by the drama-seeking media and that grabs the attention of voters is further fueling political polarization.
The inflammatory attacks by politicians and pundits against their opponents could fill a book, but these columns specifically address the irresponsible and misleading use of “fascism” and “socialism.” This second column will address attacks against Republicans.
Let’s be clear again: The overwhelming number of Democrats are not socialists, and the overwhelming number of Republicans are not fascists or semi-fascists.
That’s not to say that those extremist philosophies are absent from our two major parties. Plenty of worrying signs exist. Some true fascists populate the right, and real socialists are present on the left, despite denials from the respective sides.
However, we have reached a point where partisans irresponsibly use those terms to accuse those they disagree with of anti-American positions those “opponents” don’t hold and aren’t advocating.
As someone who writes columns under the rubric of “A View from the Center,” I have repeatedly been targeted by accusations of being both a fascist and a socialist.
Even though my columns are focused on highlighting how a majority of Americans agree on much more than they disagree (and using polls on individual issues to prove it), the extremes insist on portraying the other side as evil. And they go further, aiming their wrath at moderates, whom they infuriatingly accuse of being puppets of their enemies.
What Is Fascism?
Fascism, according to Merriam Webster, is “a political philosophy, movement, or regime … that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.”
Less formally, MW also defines it as “a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control.”
Fascism must be understood in the context of those definitions. It should not be used as all-purpose term to accuse those one disagrees with. Fascism has a specific meaning that should not be made irrelevant by overly facile name-calling.
Are MAGA Republicans fascists?
According to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, “MAGA Republicans” are fascists. She claimed that if you look at what they “have done and you look at the definition of fascism and you think about what they’re doing in attacking our democracy … that is what that is.” Not exactly.
Her comments followed President Biden’s attack against former President Trump and the “MAGA philosophy,” which he slammed as “semi-fascism.”
Trump’s behavior on certain levels was and continues to be reprehensible and often anti-democratic. His plans to declare victory even if he lost; his involvement in inspiring the 1/6 attack; his refusal to act to stop the riot at the Capitol; his desire to seize voting machines; his efforts to strong-arm local officials into swaying the election in his favor; and his ongoing divorce from reality in denying he lost are just some examples.
Is that enough to call him a fascist? Historically, no, as a Boston University professor discusses in an interview you can read here.
But let’s look at the definition of fascism. Did Trump exalt “nation and often race” above the individual? That’s arguable. His MAGA policies push an “America First” stance; he has made racist statements; he has at times failed to condemn white-supremacist groups; at other times he has embraced them; and the America he longs for seems to be that of a whiter, “Leave It to Beaver” country of the past. However, Trump’s rhetoric greatly focused on the rights and freedoms of the individual (except when it came to abortion and people who are LGBTQ).
Did he stand for “a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader”? Arguable again. Yes, he had and has autocratic tendencies, which might make him fit under MW’s second, less complete meaning of fascism. But was he a dictatorial leader? Not even close. Even in moments where he appeared to want to act as a dictator, American laws and institutions prevented him from doing so. Would he have liked a centralized government? Possibly, but his party, the GOP, stands for a smaller federal government with more power vested in the states.
Did he implement “severe economic and social regimentation”? Economic inequality increased under Trump, but it also did under former President Obama and now under President Biden. I don’t see how Trump can be accused of taking “severe” action on this.
Was he responsible for the “forcible suppression of opposition”? In specific and very limited instances he favored it, with the 1/6 riot standing as the ultimate example. However, he did not use the power of the government for that purpose. Instead, he inspired some of his most extreme supporters like the truly fascistic QAnon, to do so. Also, even though he verbally attacked the 2020 racial protests, the federal government did little to crack down on the protests that turned into major riots. Much was made about Trump being militaristic, but it never reached beyond rhetoric, and the Department of Defense repeatedly pushed back on his most outlandish schemes.
Most important, despite his unforgivable efforts to undermine the democratic process, he begrudgingly allowed the American republic to move on with the transfer of power to his successor.
So, while Trump and MAGA Republicans display some fascistic tendencies, it’s an exaggeration to call most of them fascists.
Are Other Republicans Fascists?
Sen. Josh Hawley, Tucker Carlson, and others on the right responded to Biden’s accusations of MAGA “semi-fascism” by immediately escalating the issue. They met hyperbole with more hyperbole, claiming that Biden’s remarks were "effectively a declaration of war against half the country."
Despite Tucker’s protestations to the contrary, true MAGA Republicans who deny the validity of the 2020 election and who are open to political violence such as what we saw on 1/6 constitute a minority of the GOP and a far smaller part of the country than the “half” claimed. Analysis has shown that this minority could represent as few as 10% of American adults.
While Biden and most other top Democrats have often been careful not to brand all Republicans as fascists, limiting their comments to MAGA Republicans, there’s a long history of Democrats calling Republicans fascists.
Biden has gone down that road, claiming that the GOP was “dominated, driven, and intimidated by Trump,” damning the whole party by association.
He has a point, as evidenced by estimates that 60% of Americans will have an election denier on the ballot in the midterms.
Even then, it’s a major leap to imply that all these Republicans are fascists or semi-fascists. While few have had the moral courage of the so-called “Impeachment 10” Republicans, most of whom sacrificed their careers to vote for Trump’s impeachment, Establishment Republicans have never been fascists. When push comes to shove, they will not stand with any attempt by MAGA World to reject the American constitutional system.
Are there far-right extremist groups in the U.S.?
Of course, there are, and they easily outnumber far-left radical groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified hundreds of them. On Oct. 6, 2020, Trump’s Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf wrote a letter accompanying a Homeland Threat Assessment where he said he was ‘particularly concerned about white supremacist violent extremists who have been exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, targeted attacks in recent years.”
The Counter Extremist Project has amply documented groups that ascribe to far-right-extremism, clearly explaining how most of them deserve to be called fascists because of their neo-Nazi policies.
Conclusion
Four final points: First, I have little doubt that the political opportunists who have hitched their wagons to former President Trump will move away from Trumpian beliefs as soon as He Who Must Not Be Criticized ceases to be a political force.
Second, using “fascism” in any discussion automatically raises the specter of Hitler and Nazism. Anyone who uses it without strong substantiation is violating “Godwin’s law” which maintains that anyone who uses a comparison to Hitler or a Nazi automatically loses an online debate. That should be extended to all political discourse.
Third, it is fair to point out that the true socialists in the Democratic party, while influential, do no hold comparable power to the MAGA Republicans and the election deniers in the GOP.
Fourth, a great irony is that those furious about Biden’s “semi-fascism” comments conveniently forget that Trump used this “F-word” himself to attack his opponents. In 2020, Trump claimed Democrats were trying to destroy the country with “left-wing fascism.”
Finally, behavior and statements that are anti-American and even evil must be understood as such and condemned in any debate. But the condemnations cannot fall into the trap of becoming as inflammatory and irresponsible as the statements they are meant to criticize.
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Cover photo: Activists protest Trump administration policies, including moves to overturn the 2020 election, at the Trump International Hotel on Nov. 21, 2020, in New York City. One sign compares Trump moves to fascism. (Joana Toro/Getty Images)