Robert Reich: Maybe US mainstream media should begin using the term 'fascism'

Opinion
Maybe US mainstream media should begin using the term ‘fascism’
Robert Reich
My tweet about Ron DeSantis provoked outrage in rightwing media – perhaps it hit the nerve of the fascism now taking root in the Republican party?
‘If you’re seeking a presidential nomination in today’s GOP, there’s nothing like an accusation of fascism to rally Trump supporters.’
Wed 31 Aug 2022 06.00 EDT
Last modified on Wed 31 Aug 2022 10.57 EDT


I’ve been watching the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, for some time. Last Tuesday I tweeted: “Just wondering if ‘DeSantis’ is now officially a synonym for ‘fascist’.”

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He describes an America under assault by leftwing elites, who “want to delegitimize our founding institutions”.

He calls the state of Florida a “citadel of freedom” and says his job as governor is to fight critical race theory, “Faucian dystopia”, uncontrolled immigration, big tech, “leftwing oligarchs”, “Soros-funded prosecutors”, transgender athletes and the “corporate media”.

He charges – using a standard racist dog whistle – that “we’re not letting Florida cities burn down … In Florida, you’re not going to get a slap on the wrist. You are getting the inside of a jail cell.”

So, is it useful to characterize DeSantis’s combination of homophobia, transphobia, racism and misogyny, along with his efforts to control the public schools and universities and to intimidate the private sector (eg, Disney), as redolent of fascism?

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/31/ron-desantis-republican-party-fascism