"Strongman" conjures up Stalin, Pol Pot, the absolute monarchs of old and ancient Europe
and even, dare I say the name? Adolf Hitler.
America is the very antithesis of this. No, we *don't* want a strongman. We don't want a
President strong enough to dictate to Congress and the Courts. We don't want anybody
strong enough to upset the checks and balances of power that were built into our system of
government from its earliest days to its most recent. We certainly don't want anybody
against whom the military is unwilling to work.
"Cancel culture is the judge and jury of speech. The most tragic part is that the left is
guilty of the fascism they always charge. The more free speech the sooner we find the
truth." - Matt Schlapp, chairman, ACU (who in 2020 formally disinvited Mitt Romney to
speak because of his anti Trump views).
The trouble with that statement is that it uses "fascist" incorrectly, as if it were a
swear word. The left is hardly fascist and anyone who claims it is, doesn't know what
fascist means any more than Mr Schlapp does.
Fascism, by definition, is a far right ideology in much the same way Socialism is a far
left ideology. Iow, fascism is to Republicans as Socialism is to Democrats. Understanding
this is essential to understanding the current mess American politics is in.
There are Republicans who are clearly racists whether they'll admit it or not and there
are Democrats who think free tampons in men's rooms are a perfectly normal thing for a
society to provide. Both of these are extreme, even radical positions that cannot be
reconciled with each other.
Notably, the more extreme the positions, the deeper and more powerful the hypocrisy. The
difference between the parties is that the GOP is more likely to embrace the farthest
reaches of the right very broadly and in greater numbers. Democrats have slightly fewer
extremists and are more interested in moderating to achieve important goals. The right is
more likely to use violence as a tool for change which is also a hallmark of fascism and
other right wing ideologies.
Swill