American Fascism
Trump was a test run. He lacked critical qualities that would have allowed full-blown American fascism to be implemented. Donald J. Trump is utterly devoid of the traits that add up to leadership competence.
Recent fascist deity contender DeSantis lacks personal charisma. True evil cannot happen without all four criteria meeting in the center.
Doom comes when a Republican with all of the Venn chart qualities gets national attention, runs the gauntlet of sycophants and nincompoops successfully, gets the messaging right and stays consistent, and consolidates the destruction of institutions while securing the machinations needed to become a god-king in the USA.
Based on this Venn diagram, here is what I think is missing for a Republican fascist nation-state to emerge:
If you agree, please consider sharing.
Hmmm. Very interesting. We certainly need to identify these bad actors.
"Personal charisma" might be viewed differently than the provided definition. None of the candidates currently fit that. And DeSantis fails badly here.
But there is what I call "dark appeal". It's when a speaker stirs up long held resentments (bigotry) and conspiracy ideas. And it leads to a favorite human pass time: Blaming Others. Ironically, many (not all) "Christians" seem to enjoy and employ this as a passionate mission - as if directed by "God".
"The Socialists are going to take your money with high taxes!" or "The immigrants will take your jobs!" or "The libtards are killing babies!" Dark falsehoods that stir fear and anger and violence.
Maybe it should be called "religious conning" or "finding the devil"? Whatever...it's really appealing to the dark side of humanity.
I'm a big fan of Venn diagrams and that's a great one.
Many of your subscribers are savvy, intellectuals who write extremely well. So let me get this out of the way. I'm a idiot when it comes to political maneuvering. I just don't see the machinations until somebody hits me over the head. Please hold your fire.
Your diagram is a helpful (and terrifying) addition to what Greg Olear's "Prevail" hit me over the head with last Sunday. (See https://gregolear.substack.com/p/sunday-pages-down-the-shore?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email)
"... One of the many unpleasant consequences of Trump’s presidency was the willful politicization of entertainment. He wanted us to never not think of him. He wanted to infect our thoughts, so we could have no respite. He wanted no safe spaces, anywhere, ever. Our guard was up, always. This is why he bitched and moaned about NFL players kneeling during the anthem. This is why he dispensed his valet…er, his veep, Mike Pence…to baseball games and Broadway musicals. It was strategic. He denied us the luxury of peace and quiet we spoiled Americans take for granted. You know, like strongmen do."
I honestly thought the Trumpeter was just being an a$$. Machiavelli would have eaten me alive.