Conservatism and Fascism Are Not the Same Thing

[Nevilledog]

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Charlie Sykes
@SykesCharlie
"The total conflation of conservative policy goals with authoritarianism is ill conceived and ultimately counterproductive to the goal of defending democracy and clearly understanding the threats it faces." @jonathanchait

Conservatism and Fascism Are Not the Same Thing
You can’t stop authoritarianism unless you understand it.
nymag.com
3:35 PM · Jan 3, 2022

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/conservatism-and-fascism-are-not-the-same-thing.html

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https://archive.fo/22tiv

The Republican evolution into an authoritarian party is the most important development of the current political era. The conservative movement has a long tradition of anti-democratic thought, which Donald Trump catalyzed and which has accelerated since he departed office into his movement’s defining ethos.

Hardly a day goes by without some horrifying new expression of the right’s contempt for democracy. Here is Republican senator Rand Paul defining a “stolen” election as “targeting and convincing potential voters to complete [ballots] in a legally valid way.” Here is conservative talk-show host Jesse Kelly warning, “When I take power, communists” — Kelly’s term for liberals — “will not be allowed to hold jobs. Their children won’t be allowed in schools.” Here is an essay in a conservative journal urging the right to openly celebrate January 6 “as our Storming of the Bastille … One side is prepared to do everything necessary to secure their political power, so the other side must be prepared to resist every step of the way with equal determination.”

Ideas like this are not representative of the Republican Party — at least not yet. What they represent is a fringe that is creeping closer and closer to control over the GOP and meeting less and less resistance.

It is vital to understand the interplay between authoritarian logic and standard-issue conservative politics. My long-standing contention is that the two overlap heavily — that is, rather than having descended suddenly in the form of Donald Trump’s hostile takeover of the party, right-wing authoritarianism grew out of the conservative movement organically. Trump articulated deep-seated fears that the conservative agenda could not prevail under liberal democratic conditions because the right would be outnumbered either economically (the takers would confiscate the wealth of the makers) or demographically. Conservatives turn to authoritarianism for the same reason communists turn to revolution: They don’t believe they can accomplish their policy goals democratically.

*snip*


I disagree that this authoritarian path is not representative of the Republican Party.

[Bev54]

1. Except these fascists themselves and the media continue to call them conservatives

Most of the time it is liberals that call out the difference, when the media or the politicians continue to call them conservatives.

[The Magistrate]

2. He's Come A Long Way, Ma'am

By some fluke I used to get his show on the radio though far from Milwaukee. A sort of junior-grade Limbaugh. Nothing he complains of wasn't helped along by him for years.

Conservatism as defined politically today recurs to one of two strands.

The first is the aristocratic principle, which by its very nature is authoritarian.

The second is the libertarian view that the sole proper employment of government is protection of property. So long as property is so distributed that a few have most of it, sooner or later this demands a government with authority to balk the natural drive for equity which animates most human beings. No democratic government will do this, an authoritarian government is required for it.

[Haggard Celine]

3. Since the majority of the GOP seems to support Trump and

Trump is an authoritarian, I'd say that authoritarians are in control of the Republican Party. Some of the GOP are simply afraid to stand up to Trump, but even if those Republicans don't support Trump in private, they're giving their party over to him.

[hatrack]

4. Except that in America today they pretty much are . . . .

These people ARE the Republican party today, Charlie, and whatever vestigal non-TFG conservatism that remains has no practical power either in GQP-controlled states or in Washington.

But by all means, keep on searching in the lightless basement for the black cat that isn't there.

[Caliman73]

5. That is true...

While both left and right movements can lead to authoritarianism only Conservatism leads to Fascism as Fascism is an inherently right wing movement. The Conservative movement has been courting more extreme elements of the right, including racists, White Nationalists, Religious fundamentalists, and others since the Nixon administration. Reagan explicitly courted religious extremists because Conservative policies (especially economic policies) do not work for the average American, no matter what their racial identity is. Conservatism is a top down movement that has a vision for America that lends itself much more to Fascism than any other movement.

[Thomas Hurt]

6. well, sure most conservatives try to sell the idea that fascism and communism are both leftist.

[Atticus]

7. I don't think it works that way.

You cannot---for DECADES---gleefully acceptance the money and support of fascists---and racists of all stripes---and misogynists---and religious bigots---and crazies just wanting to shoot someone---and then, when the "ship hits the sand", back away while insisting "That's not US!"

Not all conservatives are fascists, but all fascists insist they are conservatives. Makes ya go "Hm-m-m", don't it?