So I think he’s better off in the proto-fascist category tbh but quibbling details aside it’s always worthwhile pulling people up on this because:
a) If Trump really is a fascist then what resistance did they mount against his administration while he was in power?
(Which belies their claim that they actually believe he is a fascist and/or that they are opposed to fascism; if Hitler comes to power tomorrow, are you going to write mean-spirited comments bodyshaming him on social media throughout the day and then rest easy in the knowledge that you did your best to resist fascism?)
b) If they are invoking history—and they are—then they deserve a crash course in the history of the twilight of the Weimar Republic:
Hitler wasn’t elected into power, he and his ministers were appointed to essentially all the levers of power in the Weimar Republic, so voting against Hitler wouldn’t have achieved anything.
The SPD formed a coalition with the Nazis and Von Hindenburg to establish a government, meaning that the party which was for all intents and purposes much further left than the Democrats are today not only failed to oppose Hitler’s rise to power but they actively facilitated it by being willingly complicit in it (see screenshot below).
Prior to the coalition government, the SPD held power in government and used that to crack down on the KPD and the paramilitary arms of the party while letting brownshirts run rampant across Germany, terrorising the people (especially Jewish people, queer people etc.)
So if their argument is that we need to learn from history to stop fascism, what lessons have they drawn from their investigation of history exactly?
To vote fascism out? To vote for the fascist-enabler party to prevent fascism from seizing power?
Liberals act like Trump winning would be “the end of democracy” and that voting Biden is our only chance to save it, but if you press them on this, or lurk their private spaces, and ask them specifically what they think Trump winning a second term will entail, they’ll usually cave and admit they think the basic institutions of the US government will likely survive another Trump term, he’ll just throw a bunch of wrenches in the works and do bad stuff. This r/neoliberal thread shows this, half the commenters are admitting a second Trump term would likely be the same as the first, the country will survive but Trump and his gang with do a bunch of shenanigans.
So they know they’re being hyperbolic. And it’s hurting them, people remember the Trump presidency and things are about the same now as they were then. Nobody is buying the histrionics. So why are they doing it? A more honest presentation of the situation, “hey another Trump term will suck, voting Biden is just basic harm reduction” would probably be more convincing to average voters, and why focus so much energy on the tiny minority of anti-electoralist leftists in the country? They’re totally shooting themselves in the foot here.
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If (any ranking politician in the imperial core) really is a fascist then what resistance did they mount against his administration while he was in power?
If it’s anything, there’s a case to be made that Hitler was often a hindrance to the Nazi party efforts and if he got taken out then he might have been replaced by someone more competent and effective. Idk enough to know the truth of that claim but I can see how it could be valid.
Then there’s all the usual criticisms that come with adventurism (shout out to the RadLib I’m in a discussion with elsewhere who said “Terrorism is based! That’s what we [anarchists] are all about!” - exactly the kind of mentality that had Ukrainian anarchists joining the front at the start of the civil war to oppose fascism and then turning around and joining the fascists - because they were better armed and better organised )
So what does that leave us with? It’s always the same answer - agitate, educate, organise.
Fascists, who aren’t of the street gang variety, are typically well organised and well supported. The only viable way of mounting a meaningful resistance to them is by having a strong party, a strong movement, and strong ties to the broader community.
It’s exceedingly unlikely that there will be a pivot point of history where you can personally stop fascism with a single act. Even more unlikely that you’ll be there at the right time, in the right place, with the right resources. Fascism is a systemic rot, not just the figurehead of a movement.
And it’s always worth considering that even if you happen to find yourself at a pivot point in history with the right resources, the chips aren’t necessarily going to fall in your favour - arguably the assassination attempt on Bolsonaro brought him mainstream attention and elevated his political career. Reagan polled markedly better after his assassination attempt. I’m not going to armchair quarterback history or anything but often there are unforeseen circumstances and unexpected consequences that come with drastic actions.
Oh, I’m not saying it’s is the only option. But that we are living in the Imperial Core, and any debate about whether or not our leader is fascist is just silly. The bad thing is happening, has been happening, and in many ways western leftists are no different than the s. That became very apparent with how quickly the left hopped on the anti-mask train (We do love our trains, folks.) Now ignoring the plight of immunocompromised as we’d been ignoring the plight of the global South and every other victim of class struggle most of us virtue signal about.
if it’s anything, there’s a case to be made that Hitler was often a hindrance to the Nazi party efforts and if he got taken out then he might have been replaced by someone more competent and effective.
I’ve heard many tales of this mythical “more competent and effective” fascist and to them I say “have you met a fascist?”
Fascists are extremely rational and effective and it’s why communism lost in the 21st century and the USSR collapsed. It’s why 20+ million soviet citizens were killed. Fascists fulfill their role very well, to crush the left and stabilize and reset bourgeois capitalist systems.
Fascists only seem stupid and incompetent if you listen to what they say literally and take them at their words. The things they say are absurd, but they are distractions and tools to further their aims - which they almost always achieve. Don’t underestimate the right.
So I think he’s better off in the proto-fascist category tbh but quibbling details aside it’s always worthwhile pulling people up on this because:
a) If Trump really is a fascist then what resistance did they mount against his administration while he was in power?
(Which belies their claim that they actually believe he is a fascist and/or that they are opposed to fascism; if Hitler comes to power tomorrow, are you going to write mean-spirited comments bodyshaming him on social media throughout the day and then rest easy in the knowledge that you did your best to resist fascism?)
b) If they are invoking history—and they are—then they deserve a crash course in the history of the twilight of the Weimar Republic:
Hitler wasn’t elected into power, he and his ministers were appointed to essentially all the levers of power in the Weimar Republic, so voting against Hitler wouldn’t have achieved anything.
The SPD formed a coalition with the Nazis and Von Hindenburg to establish a government, meaning that the party which was for all intents and purposes much further left than the Democrats are today not only failed to oppose Hitler’s rise to power but they actively facilitated it by being willingly complicit in it (see screenshot below).
Prior to the coalition government, the SPD held power in government and used that to crack down on the KPD and the paramilitary arms of the party while letting brownshirts run rampant across Germany, terrorising the people (especially Jewish people, queer people etc.)
So if their argument is that we need to learn from history to stop fascism, what lessons have they drawn from their investigation of history exactly?
To vote fascism out? To vote for the fascist-enabler party to prevent fascism from seizing power?
These people are deeply unserious.
Liberals act like Trump winning would be “the end of democracy” and that voting Biden is our only chance to save it, but if you press them on this, or lurk their private spaces, and ask them specifically what they think Trump winning a second term will entail, they’ll usually cave and admit they think the basic institutions of the US government will likely survive another Trump term, he’ll just throw a bunch of wrenches in the works and do bad stuff. This r/neoliberal thread shows this, half the commenters are admitting a second Trump term would likely be the same as the first, the country will survive but Trump and his gang with do a bunch of shenanigans.
So they know they’re being hyperbolic. And it’s hurting them, people remember the Trump presidency and things are about the same now as they were then. Nobody is buying the histrionics. So why are they doing it? A more honest presentation of the situation, “hey another Trump term will suck, voting Biden is just basic harm reduction” would probably be more convincing to average voters, and why focus so much energy on the tiny minority of anti-electoralist leftists in the country? They’re totally shooting themselves in the foot here.
A Reddit link was detected in your comment. Here are links to the same location on Teddit and Libreddit, which are Reddit frontends that protect your privacy.
If it’s anything, there’s a case to be made that Hitler was often a hindrance to the Nazi party efforts and if he got taken out then he might have been replaced by someone more competent and effective. Idk enough to know the truth of that claim but I can see how it could be valid.
Then there’s all the usual criticisms that come with adventurism (shout out to the RadLib I’m in a discussion with elsewhere who said “Terrorism is based! That’s what we [anarchists] are all about!” - exactly the kind of mentality that had Ukrainian anarchists joining the front at the start of the civil war to oppose fascism and then turning around and joining the fascists - because they were better armed and better organised
)
So what does that leave us with? It’s always the same answer - agitate, educate, organise.
Fascists, who aren’t of the street gang variety, are typically well organised and well supported. The only viable way of mounting a meaningful resistance to them is by having a strong party, a strong movement, and strong ties to the broader community.
It’s exceedingly unlikely that there will be a pivot point of history where you can personally stop fascism with a single act. Even more unlikely that you’ll be there at the right time, in the right place, with the right resources. Fascism is a systemic rot, not just the figurehead of a movement.
And it’s always worth considering that even if you happen to find yourself at a pivot point in history with the right resources, the chips aren’t necessarily going to fall in your favour - arguably the assassination attempt on Bolsonaro brought him mainstream attention and elevated his political career. Reagan polled markedly better after his assassination attempt. I’m not going to armchair quarterback history or anything but often there are unforeseen circumstances and unexpected consequences that come with drastic actions.
Oh, I’m not saying it’s
is the only option. But that we are living in the Imperial Core, and any debate about whether or not our leader is fascist is just silly. The bad thing is happening, has been happening, and in many ways western leftists are no different than the 
s. That became very apparent with how quickly the left hopped on the anti-mask train (We do love our trains, folks.) Now ignoring the plight of immunocompromised as we’d been ignoring the plight of the global South and every other victim of class struggle most of us virtue signal about.
I’ve heard many tales of this mythical “more competent and effective” fascist and to them I say “have you met a fascist?”
Fascists are extremely rational and effective and it’s why communism lost in the 21st century and the USSR collapsed. It’s why 20+ million soviet citizens were killed. Fascists fulfill their role very well, to crush the left and stabilize and reset bourgeois capitalist systems.
Fascists only seem stupid and incompetent if you listen to what they say literally and take them at their words. The things they say are absurd, but they are distractions and tools to further their aims - which they almost always achieve. Don’t underestimate the right.
fair
I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration by Anonymous
Robert Mueller
Mike Pence
Ruthkanda