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Judith Swink (CA)'s avatar

"Authoritarians do their best to get us to feel that it is hopeless to resist, ...." Made me think of the Borg in Star Trek: Resistance is futile.

Glen Brown's avatar

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent legislation to Congress in 1938 to create a commission to investigate the concentrated corporate power with a message that contained the prophetic warning “ownership of Government by a group, or by another controlling power, is fascism” President Roosevelt knew Mussolini’s fascism was based on corporate power. In fact, Mussolini’s PhD thesis was on the subject of corporate State. Mussolini would be impressed by the Fascism of today's Corporate America. Mussolini would have advised the DNC "watch out for that Bernie Sanders he is the greatest danger to corporate fascism; you are best to find someone like Obama who charismatically talks about change but follows the policies of Bush. Your status quo has corporate fascism with a tight control. Biden is no serious threat to shaking that up. He was made by us and has proven loyal for decades. Let him play around a bit. It looks good. The oligarchs have firm control of every major industry and both political parties. What ensures the corporate grip is that most Americans buy the myths of corporatism. Even your left-wing measures success on the GDP produced by huge corporations with a consumerism that wiped out civic engagement. You were able to privatize-commercialize just about every space in America because Americans became passive consumers of goods made cheap by huge corporations. Less than one percent of Americans are involved in civic projects. They stare at their screens and let off stream. Now, if the American people followed the guide of Ralph Nader’s concise book Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier Than We Think, then corporate fascism would have a very serious threat! But I don’t think you have to worry about that, American’s are staring at their screens living in a virtual world captivated by a virtual reality TV Star. Well done, America!"

Susan Linehan's avatar

For perhaps the first time in history, a witch hunt has found an actual witch. One hopes that our American version of kindling is going to pile up well.

The ironic thing is that those folks supporting trump are of a mind with those who actually believed witches of the past existed, and supported witch hunts as the righteous thing to do.

Glen Brown's avatar

George liked this commentary but does he see how the corporate DNC blocked Sanders fight against corporate fascism.

Tom Timberman's avatar

An old friend asked me yesterday, if I've learned anything from the past 8 years of Trump and MAGA? I had to think for a moment, and then it came to me. I now understand how Hitler took over and ruled a sopohisticated, educated country.

Glen Brown's avatar

correction- Corporate DNC actually preferred a President Trump to a President SANDERS.

Glen Brown's avatar

Yes, for sure! But corporate democrats like Obama and the Corporate media-even MSNBC dismissed Bernie as a populist-a radical. Obama was the antithesis of Bernie. The DNC is run by corporate elites.

Obama's selling of hope and change but offering status quo led to the distrust and anger that fed Trump. Without Corporate controlled politics Bernie would have been elected. Corporate DNC actually preferred a President Trump to a President Biden. Corporate America fears most-redistribution of concentrated wealth!! Until the corporate fascism is dealt with, we will have different versions of true populists like Trump.

Brian's avatar

Asserting the rule of law in the face of hatred and violence is what will be necessary. That’s where the buck will stop.

Michael Rose's avatar

As I read this, I was reminded of the NRA & 2A advocates who say we can’t take their guns when guns are the leading cause of death across the country. We need to pry the guns out of their cold, dead hands so we aren’t all killed fighting for democracy!

GeorgeC's avatar

Thank you for a very informative, and while scary, I think hopeful discussion.

Ian Mark Sirota's avatar

Well, this was certainly a sobering and depressing read.

Glen Brown's avatar

America governed by corporate interests is fascism. It’s a fascism that reduced choice and citizenship to be consumers of corporate goods. The fascism of Trump is the reactionary response of those who's interest s were not served by corporate fascism's concentrated wealth. Corporate fascism caused Trump. Until we get at corporate control of both American political parties America will be left with corporate fascism. Bernie Sanders fight was against corporate fascism. Corporate America labelled him as a populist. And America bought that corporate lie. Shame on America.

Mike Morilak's avatar

Agree mostly, but I'm not sure about America buying into the corporate populism lie. Bernie had Ms. Clinton on the ropes for the 2016 nomination; the DNC put their thumb on the scale to give it to Hilary. If Bernie had run against rump, Bernie would have beaten him (and January 6th would have taken place in 2017 instead of 2021).

John Harris's avatar

The Party Of The Don

And MagAmerica First jerked and stalled

It's Base Agenda ..No Check at All

The Economy hobbled . .becuz It's

Just a local squabble! . and The Left with

a "Churchill" really a NeoNazi! operator naively Enthralled ..

# And His Savvy Czar Star Pal . .

David Sea's avatar

Speaking of polarization, America is not “polarized” as much as it's been “pulled apart” by right-wing factions. The fans at a Yankees vs Red Sox game are divided. Both teams have legitimacy.

Post 9/11, when Americans of all shapes, sizes, stripes and colors flew the flag in solidarity, right-wing coalitions joined forces to tell impressionable Americans “stories” intended to pull them away from the mainstream.

So many joined them, nearly half the country in fact, that it would seem America has become “polarized.”

But poll those who support right-wing “policies” to learn that many of their opinions are largely based on mis- and disinformation.

America is not a polarized country. America has had a large portion of herself pulled away by those with bad faith intentions. America has been “contaminated.”

To declare her polarized lends legitimacy to both sides. One side largely based on untruths could hardly be considered a legitimate equal.