The Donald. Always using bluster to manipulate people. And sadly, he seems to be succeeding.
I've always looked at Trump as a schlocky real estate promoter who has turned his last name into a brand name. The problem with the brand is that it depends on people to believe it has value, instead of carefully looking at the merchandise itself. And that's where the big fraud starts to surface.
My father has subscribed to the cult of Trump. My dad is a WW2 veteran, and he has seen generations of American politicians betray the country. These politicians say one thing, then do another - and the people never hold them accountable, as they blindly trusted the words of the ruling elite. My dad has always been a cynic. When asked why he votes out the incumbent, he responds that it is time to let a new crook get his piece of the action. So when Trump says, "Let's make America Great Again!", my dad buys that line hook, line and sinker - as he believes that this country needs to be fixed, and he has given up on the ruling elite either being willing or able to do this.
Let's look at Trump with a critical eye. Umberto Eco has noted 14 points of Fascism. Citing an analysis on the Blue Virginia website it appears that Trump (and other GOP candidates) meet Eco's definition of a Fascist.
1. "The first feature of Ur-Fascism is the cult of tradition...As a consequence, there can be no advancement of learning. Truth has been already spelled out once and for all, and we can only keep interpreting its obscure message." (Right, and according to Trump, all he needs to do is snap his fingers and bring us all back to that mythological time prior to when America stopped being "great.")
2. "Traditionalism implies the rejection of modernism." (Science denial is rampant in the 2016 Republican presidential field, certainly with Trump.)
3. "Irrationalism also depends on the cult of action for action's sake." (Listen to Trump's speeches, they're extremely short on specifics or actual plans, extremely long on taking action -- even if the specified action would be extremely harmful, dangerous, crazy, whatever.)
4. "No syncretistic faith can withstand analytical criticism... For Ur-Fascism, disagreement is treason." (If you don't agree with Trump, you're in idiot, probably a Communist, etc.)
5. "Ur-Fascism grows up and seeks for consensus by exploiting and exacerbating the natural fear of difference. The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus UrFascism is racist by definition." (Xenophobia - immigrant bashing, Muslim bashing, etc. - is rampant in the rhetoric of Trump and other 2016 Republican presidential contenders.)
6. "Ur-Fascism derives from individual or social frustration. That is why one of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups." (No question that a lot of people are frustrated right now, for economic and other reasons. The problem is that they're often pointing their fingers at the wrong causes for their distress, and demagogues like Trump are stoking that.)
7. "...at the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged. The easiest way to solve the plot is the appeal to xenophobia." (Again, that's Trump to a "T," including his hyper-militarism, the answer to everything being to kill it, deport it, bomb the crap out of it, etc.)
8. "The followers must feel humiliated by the ostentatious wealth and force of their enemies." (In this case, I wouldn't say "wealth" as much as "force," such as in the case of ISIS.)
9. "For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is lived for struggle." (Not sure if this one fits exactly, but I haven't thought it through fully. Your thoughts?)
10. "Ur-Fascism can only advocate a popular elitism. Every citizen belongs to the best people of the world, the members of the party are the best among the citizens, every citizen can (or ought to) become a member of the party." (Yep, that's Trump, American Exceptionalism and breast-thumping ultra-nationalism to the nth degree. Because WE ARE THE GREATEST...well, that is, when he makes us "great again!" Heh.)
11. "The Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to die. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to death." (Not sure Trump's "impatient to die," but he certainly seems eager to send other people to fight and die.)
12. " Since both permanent war and heroism are difficult games to play, the Ur-Fascist transfers his will to power to sexual matters. This is the origin of machismo (which implies both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality). Since even sex is a difficult game to play, the UrFascist hero tends to play with weapons – doing so becomes an ersatz phallic exercise." (Definitely note the strong streaks of homophobia and misogyny in the right-wing "base." Also note their extreme discomfort with other sexual identities, such as transgenderism, as well as with men not being tough or macho enough (e.g., Trump's criticisms of "JEB" Bush as "low energy."). And of course, they loooove their guns, the bigger and badder the better!)
13. "For Ur-Fascism, however, individuals as individuals have no rights, and the People is conceived as a quality, a monolithic entity expressing the Common Will. Since no large quantity of human beings can have a common will, the Leader pretends to be their interpreter." (Yep, that's Trump.)
14. " Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak. Newspeak was invented by Orwell, in 1984, as the official language of Ingsoc, English Socialism. But elements of Ur-Fascism are common to different forms of dictatorship. All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning. " (Listen to Trump speak; he sounds like he has about a 3rd-grade vocabulary. Bunch of utter garbage, no complex or critical reasoning in evidence, definite "Newspeak" tendencies.)
Trump wants to control his message, and even the true conservatives in his party are getting fed up with his antics. Recently, he wanted to talk over Joe Scarborough on "Morning Joe", and the host cut to a commercial instead of letting Trump run Joe's show. It's about damned time that people start treating Trump for the troublemaker that he is, and chase him out of the GOP.
With all that being said, I want to play with fire, and I hope that Trump is the GOP candidate. Why, you might ask? GOP strategists have noted that a Trump nomination might cause many GOP loyalists to stay home on Election Day and allow for a Democrat to be elected, possibly enabling the Democrats to regain control of the Senate. Am I comfortable with the risk that this Fascist might actually win and gain power? Absolutely not. But if both the GOP and America as a whole can't see Trump for the danger he is to our society, than America deserves the trouble it will get if Trump is elected.
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