Thread of What Is Fascism And Is Donald Trump A Fascist

The “kneel before Zod” approach is closer to how Trump thought the job would be than most folks understood at the time https://t.co/dIYrXEeyGi

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 14, 2017

I still can't believe that clip exists, it sends chills down my spine just thinking of it

she is 100% one of those reality show contestants whose villainy was actually maybe underplayed.

This thread hasn't been updated in a while. I guess the question is moot now, isn't it?

the answer is yes

If 'Trumpism' is a thing, if Trump was trying to be a fascist leader, then his project has pretty much failed completely by now. The Luther Strange fiasco might have been the final nail in the coffin.

Of course, Steve Bannon is still out there, trying to create a new wave for 2018 with people like Roy Moore, so it's not as if fascism in America has been defeated. But 'Trumpism'? That's pretty much over, and has left a semi-senile twitter-feed in charge of a country. IMO.

― Frederik B, Saturday, November 4, 2017 6:26 PM (eight months ago)

That's our Freddie.

in the sense that Trumpism is comprised of a single characteristic - fealty to Trump - it definitely has a short shelf-life. once he isn't around to win elections it's not like he's left any kind of coherent ideology behind him that the GOP is going to follow.

The man will go down as one of the greatest con artists in history. Its breathtaking.

that his marks were among the greatest suckers is more breathtaking

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was taking a decades-long piss all over the American educational system. A fact is just an opinion uttered with more indignance and volume.

I disagree that Trumpism will go away when he does, because it's not really about fealty to him specifically, it's about the fascist qualities that he represents--that "our guy" can and should violate any laws/rules/norms/mores towards the end of empowering "our side" (conservative white people). The Right-Wing Authoritarian personality demands that there always be a single powerful face on this fascist impulse, but I think you'd be surprised at how flexible the fascist-voting (i.e. Republican) base could transfer all of that energy to someone else if Fox News told them to.

It's the "we've always been at war with eastasia" thing. Because their entire ideology is characterized by dishonesty and bad-faith, even the most militant 'pedes could easily wake up tomorrow, get the new talking points, and start shouting about how they've always loathed Trump and they're 100% behind the new guy.

that "our guy" can and should violate any laws/rules/norms/mores towards the end of empowering "our side" (conservative white people)

this is standard GOP operating procedure going back as far as I can remember and is independent of Trump (and reflective of a much deeper problem in the american polis) - it can't be accurately called Trumpism, because it predates him.

they've always loathed Trump and they're 100% behind the new guy

exhibit A: Dubya

ie someone the GOP backed to the hilt, broke laws for, violated norms, followed into the abyss of military and economic disaster - then promptly completely disavowed as if it never happened and none of them were complicit

Yeah, that's just it, I think "Trumpism" is just a word for the fully-unveiled Right. Among many other functions, the authoritarian leader serves as a ready-made scapegoat

The Good Germans can let their very intentional ignorance absolve them, and let the face of their party take the blame

The fucker's military chopper escort just flew over my flat. Only time in my life I've regretted not keep an RPG in the spare room...

i think it's likely the key difference with Trump vs virtually anyone else in the GOP who might wind up in the WH is that he feels no shame about his bigotries and revels in them, and his core feeds off it and it encourages them. Even a vile fucker like Pence, for all the damage he'd be capable of politically, would never do the kind of damage DJT has done in that regard. I'm not saying no one else at present it out there who is capable of it, i mean now that they see it works it's entirely possible it would work again, but I think Trump is somewhat singular in that aspect. a combination of his image and his personality and his complete gleeful sociopathy and deep stupidity. i'm not saying the GOP isn't full of people like this, i'm just saying Trump may possibly be the only one for whom completely going all-in on it works for him.

nothing we don't already know but

https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000006154922/fascism-leaders-america-trump.html

https://www.nytimes.com/video/opin--

nope

it's just a professor talking about how donald trump is a fascist

on a video

sitting on a chair

Yes

TRUMP: "Media and academic institutions push flat-out assaults on our histories, traditions, and values." #wut pic.twitter.com/UCQtkcHgWJ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 24, 2019

man fuck this guy and fuck all his enablers and toadies. forever.

All his children (and Jared) look kind of low grade horrified/sick of it all, or am I just hopefully projecting?

man it must be super hard to read the teleprompter when you're zonked out of your mind on pills

that is something else

is Miller the only guy from the OG trump team that’s still in the tent?

I mean besides the idiot kids

didn't know they stacked shit that high iirc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKZGIvLQD9I

He does sound completely stoned, doesnt he? WTF is going on?

ivanka’s probably just rethinking the whole nipple thing from yesterday and jared is thinking about playing spies

it's v interesting that he leads with "faceless" as his skin melts over his eyes

I had not been aware of “the trump prophecy.” Thank you i guess xp

Wow, I hadn't seen any of his 'speech' until just now. He looks and sounds genuinely unwell. I think this is the first time I've seriously thought (rather than simply hoped) he might not survive four years as president. If I'd seen that in real time, I might've questioned whether he'd even survive his stint at the podium.

He was up the whole night tweeting and whatever. I don’t think he’s actually sick—just burnt.

This guy sadly seems like he’s got longevity.

stamina, never wasted a single calorie on exercise

honestly, I’d believe that he’s mostly fueled on overcooked steaks and diet cokes

having had an emotional teetotaler grandpa who was always a bit incoherent but prone to rambling, it makes sense

If I'd seen that in real time, I might've questioned whether he'd even survive his stint at the podium.

For a month or so I've been torn bcz I want him to be the nominee, and tank & take the entire alt-right project down in flames, but I don't have confidence he'll be capable / functional through the primaries.

I’d endorse either of those things but I think they’re both too optimistic.

reagan had alzheimer's and his cabinet and personal staff managed to keep it under wraps, even though reagan's public appearances gave everyone some pretty obvious clues that he was losing it. of course, the media dutifully underplayed it.

Trump’s been a regressive caricature of what a cynic thinks a rich man’s internal life looks like for his entire adult life and his public appearances have yet to contradict that impression.

He could just stammer something about a guy, you know, maybe he’s *vague gesture implying racist trope* and *something about a job or money* and maybe glower a few times and still pull off a debate

Hell, I watched all of the Trump/Clinton debates and while he made no actual points or policy rebuttals he definitely won at least one when his entire rejoinder was to point to his planted audience member after being told he was a bad person to say “yeah but your husband too”

i'd rather have another republican candidate in 2020. i think it's hard to oppose someone like this, who has sucked the whole country into his narcissistic vortex.

Reagan's public persona (afai could t) was generally mollifying, so the coverup worked with that. Trump's preferred attitude is to attack and disparage, and he lashes out blindly when he feels threatened; the more he realises he's not capable, the more he tries to compensate through flailing, to less effect.

If there was nothing in his way and his enablers were were in charge, he might possibly make it through the debates. He's driven away dozens of enablers, is flipping out more & more, and is getting so obviously impaired (see how he was barely propping himself up at a twisted angle during the morning's mogadon press conference) that in six months the American news media might be starting to think about tentatively pointing it out.

(Also seems to me that either his compensatory speed-etc regimen isn't working as well, or his drug pipeline has recently been affected by the staff turnover.)

I don’t think most people pay much attention and supporters generally think throwing clouds of flak in the air is his strategy and the apparent pivots and randomness are just how you keep opponents from acting

many xxxps but i know of the trump prophecy only because it is the lowest user-rated film on a site i frequent