This is such an important observation - and it points to a failure among some who categorically reject the idea of fascism in the present-day U.S. to adapt their analysis to the specific conditions of 21st century America.
https://twitter.com/lionel_trolling/status/1393179930918273024
There are many strands of the debate over whether or not what we’re seeing on the Trumpist / Far Right can adequately be described as “fascism.” Many of the prevailing arguments are based on a comparison to fascism’s rise in the European interwar period.
One prominent argument holds that fascism can only arise in response to the threat of a Far Left takeover that ultimately compels the Center-Right to make common cause with the fascists. This is indeed what enabled Mussolini and Hitler to take power.
The version of the argument that @lionel_trolling rightfully criticizes basically states that the Far Left “threat” has to mirror exactly the kind that emerged in early 1920s Italy or late Weimar Germany - or else it can’t be fascism.
And, according to this interpretation, as there are no successful communist parties in America today, no general strikes, and the streets aren’t dominated by battles between communists and stormtroopers, it can’t be fascism.
But as @lionel_trolling notes, in the minds of the American Right, there is a radical Left that presents an acute threat - and this bizarro version of “the Left” dominates the collective imaginary far beyond the hardcore Trumpists and well into the conservative mainstream.
After all, Republican attempts to erect one-party minority rule in the states are explicitly based on the idea that Democrats represent a radically “Un-American” project, making them not just political opponents, but illegitimate actors that must be defeated.
Let’s also remember that in the rightwing imagination, the ascent of the radical “Left” to the highest levels of power already happened: when Obama became president. A socialist, Un-American “Other” in the White House - a shock and personal offence to many on the right.
So even if you hold that fascism necessitates the presence of an ascending Far Left, if you adopt the model to the specific conditions and circumstances of 21st century America, it’s certainly conceivable that the current situation qualifies.
I don’t have a strong position in the “Is it fascism?” debate - mostly because it’s not clear to me that the “fascism” concept contributes much analytically: Does it really help us to understand what is happening on the Right and how to contextualize it in American history?
But some of the “Can’t be fascism” arguments don’t hold up very well, in my opinion, and the idea that there is no radical “Left” seems to rely on an overly rigid definition of what qualifies as “the Left” and might not pay enough attention to what is happening on the Right.
Finally, if you’re interested in the whole fascism question, I highly recommend this episode of the @KnowYrEnemyPod: An in-depth, highly nuanced examination of the debate, making similar arguments to the ones I laid out - and many more - in much more thorough, convincing fashion.
https://twitter.com/KnowYrEnemyPod/status/1351577989306310660
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