SummerSnow
SummerSnow's JournalYes, 'What's going on??'
Fascism is about the most powerful epithet one can use but it fits with Donald Trump.
A historian explains why
FEDJA BURIC
03.11.2016•5:59 PM
Trump’s not Hitler, he’s Mussolini: How GOP anti-intellectualism created a modern fascist movement in America
In an interview with Slate, the historian of fascism Robert Paxton warns against describing Donald Trump as fascist because “it’s almost the most powerful epithet you can use.” But in this case, the shoe fits. And here is why.
Like Mussolini, Trump rails against intruders (Mexicans) and enemies (Muslims), mocks those perceived as weak, encourages a violent reckoning with those his followers perceive as the enemy within (the roughing up of protesters at his rallies), flouts the rules of civil political discourse (the Megyn Kelly menstruation spat), and promises to restore the nation to its greatness not by a series of policies, but by the force of his own personality (“I will be great for” fill in the blank).
To quote Paxton again, this time from his seminal "The Anatomy of Fascism": “Fascist leaders made no secret of having no program.” This explains why Trump supporters are not bothered by his ideological malleability and policy contradictions: He was pro-choice before he was pro-life; donated to politicians while now he rails against that practice; married three times and now embraces evangelical Christianity; is the embodiment of capitalism and yet promises to crack down on free trade. In the words of the Italian writer Umberto Eco, fascism was “a beehive of contradictions.” It bears noting that Mussolini was a socialist unionizer before becoming a fascist union buster, a journalist before cracking down on free press, a republican before becoming a monarchist.
Like Mussolini, Trump is dismissive of democratic institutions. He selfishly guards his image of a self-made outsider who will “dismantle the establishment” in the words of one of his supporters. That this includes cracking down on a free press by toughening libel laws, engaging in the ethnic cleansing of 11 million people (“illegals”), stripping away citizenship of those seen as illegitimate members of the nation (children of the “illegals”), and committing war crimes in the protection of the nation (killing the families of suspected terrorists) only enhances his stature among his supporters. The discrepancy between their love of America and these brutal and undemocratic methods does not bother them one iota. To borrow from Paxton again: “Fascism was an affair of the gut more than of the brain.” For Trump and his supporters, the struggle against “political correctness” in all its forms is more important than the fine print of the Constitution.
To be fair, there are many differences between Italian Fascism of interwar Europe and Trumpism of (soon to be) post-Obama America. For one, Mussolini was better read and more articulate than Trump. Starting out as a schoolteacher, the Italian Fascist read voraciously and was heavily influenced by the German and French philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Marie Guyau, respectively. I doubt Trump would know who either of these two people were. According to the Boston Globe, Trump speaks at the level of a fourth grader.....MORE AT LINK
https://www.salon.com/2016/03/11/trumps_not_hitler_hes_mussolini_how_gop_anti_intellectualism_created_a_modern_fascist_movement_in_america/
?imwidth=450
Mike Pence ...professional booty kisser
GET A ROOM ALREADY!
My Theory on Why Mike Pence Kisses Donald Trump’s, uh, Ring So Fulsomely
Ryan was bad, Hatch was worse, but Pence…OMG, it was embarrassing to watch. What is up with that?
MATT LEWIS
12.22.17 10:11 AM ET
By now, you’ve seen the adoration heaped upon President Donald Trump by members of his team and congressional leaders on Wednesday.
House Speaker Paul Ryan praised his “exquisite leadership, “and Senator Orrin Hatch declared that “one of the great privileges of my life [is] to stand here on the White House lawn with the president of the United States who I love and appreciate so much.” But nobody came close to reaching the level of obsequiousness that Vice President Mike Pence has mastered.
Upon viewing the tape, the most common response, once the gag reflex was suppressed, was to say “get a room!”
Seriously, it was so bad that Seth Meyers mocked it by comparing it to the scene from the movie Love Actually, where a would-be suitor shows up at a door with cue cards reading, “To me, you are perfect.”
This wasn’t an exaggeration. According to The Washington Post, “Pence offered 14 separate commendations for Trump in less than three minutes—math that works out to one every 12.5 seconds. And each bit of praise was addressed directly to Trump, who was seated directly across the table.” All the while, Trump sat there, chin held high like Il Duce. Dictionary.com seized the opportunity to teach us all what the word “sycophant” means. (“There’s a word for a person who would praise someone every 12 seconds.”)
To be sure, passing tax reform was a big accomplishment, and there’s nothing wrong with giving credit where it’s due, but at some point appreciation crosses the line and becomes adulation. Nobody knows quite where the line gets crossed, but like pornography, you know it when you see it.
*more at the link ....https://www.thedailybeast.com/my-theory-on-why-mike-pence-kisses-donald-trumps-uh-ring-so-fulsomely
World War 3 preparation: Russia moves HUGE missile defences onto North Korea border
RUSSIA has moved gnarly defence systems onto the North Korea border as World War 3 fears reach boiling point on the Korean peninsula.By DARREN HUNT
PUBLISHED: 13:55, Fri, Dec 22, 2017 | UPDATED: 13:56, Fri, Dec 22, 2017
Russia has reacted to North Korea’s increased nuclear and ballistic missile testing and has moved to the border.
Vladimir Putin has sent missile attack defences to its border with North Korea.
President Trump reached out to the Kremlin to do more to help put a stop to Kim Jong-un’s nuclear programme, but Russia accused the US of antagonising the rogue state.
In the footage, the huge systems can be seen being unveiled on the border with North Korea
Alexei Morokov, Commander of Air Defence regiment, said: “Regular S-400 air-defence complex is entering into service and putting on alert towards the Primorsky direction, where it will be fully staffed by the newest anti-aircraft system.
“Personnel of the regiment have made the big way since first training.”
The Triumph missile-defence system can detect objects from up to 600km away and engage a target at 400km.
The new defence systems are aimed at destroying aircrafts, ground targets and ballistic and cruise missiles.
* more at the link..........https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/895661/World-War-3-Russia-North-Korea-United-States-Donald-Trump-Vladimir-Putin-Kim-Jong-un
Difference between Obama/Biden relationship and Trump/Pence relationship...
Obama and Biden are friends. they respect each other, they treat each other as equals.
Trump and Pence are not friends, Trump makes fun of Pence, he does not respect him. Pence is subservient to Trump
&maxh=332&maxw=504
Profile Information
Member since: Mon Nov 26, 2012, 09:08 PMNumber of posts: 12,608
