Is America Flirting With Fascism?

[Dover]

Mark Seddon on November 3, 2010, 1:32 PM

To watch from afar as the drama of the US mid term elections unfolded as a Brit who has lived in America, likes America and likes Americans, is deeply frustrating. At one level there is puzzlement, at another there is deep concern and still at another there is a feeling that to comment is to intrude on family business, and I am not of the family. I recall a British newspaper, The Guardian, clumsily intervening some years ago, urging Americans to vote for Democrats in swing Congressional districts that that paper’s pointy heads had decided would call the election. Not surprisingly, this was exploited to the hilt by the Republicans – and that was before the Tea Party. After all, who wants a bunch of Brits sticking their oars in two centuries on since the Red Coats were marched into the sea?

That said the perversity on show in recent weeks begs a whole series of questions. Questions that are being asked by many of America’s friends in the World, who are now fearful that the country harbours a form of raucous corporate fascism that is feeding from the resentment of a section of middle America that is losing its sense of identity and purpose. These questions – and they are asked in a genuine spirit of inquiry so as to attempt to understand what is happening in America – may seem starkly obvious to some. The answers could provide ammunition for those who really do hold to the mission of the founding fathers;

..cont'd

http://bigthink.com/ideas/24795



To me it seems more like America is looking the other way while we're all being raped. Numbed by a sense of powerlessness and victimization. Can you say mass denial?

[joeybee12]

1. Flirting? Hell, we're in bed, clothes are off, lube is out....

and so on...

[StandingInLeftField]

4. What lube?

[joeybee12]

30. Yeah, make it as difficult and painful as possible...nt

[steve2470]

9. your comment made me laugh out loud at home...

although the truth of it is NOT funny at all.

[joeybee12]

36. Yeah, I know...it's almost too true to be funny...n/t

[indepat]

47. The truth is we have not been flirting with fascism: we've been having serial raucous unsafe sex

with fascism for decades, thanks imo to a wholly corrupt and mendacious Congress and successive administrations who have been solely beholden to the lobbyists rather than to we the people: the proof is in the legislative pudding they've cooked for us. ;)

[cleanhippie]

2. Flirting? No. Its a full on courtship at this point.

And unless we wake up, we will find ourselves married to it.

[Greyhound]

5. +01

:thumbsup:

[Dover]

6. Married? They're not interested in any kind of partnership. We've accepted the only role they're

interested in....willing concubines (better known as the faceless consumer).
No power sharing involved.

[midnight]

16. Faceless consumer that is in debt without a chance of a bailout......

[DearAbby]

3. We passed that line some time ago

Citizens united, and Citizenship for corporations.

[DefenseLawyer]

7. When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag

and carrying the cross.- Sinclair Lewis, 1935

[ej510]

8. We're swimming in it.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

10. Flirting? We're blowing fascism under the table before dessert

[lapislzi]

17. ROFL

We had our panties off after the first course.

:rofl:

[FiveGoodMen]

11. Way past flirting.

Already having that post-coital cigarette.

[DirkGently]

12. That's about it, in a nutshell. Our "populists" believe corporations, not government, protect them.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

13. Flirting? It has married it, knocked it up and had several

offspring with it. And they are growing up and having more...sort of like when you overfeed tribbles.

[kenny blankenship]

14. The situation is dismaying, but who is the Great Leader figure on whom the nation is fixated?

Aqua Buddha? Orange Boner? I don't see these two or any known GOP peers as inspiring a popular swoon.

So far, our national Man Crush To Be has yet to step out of our dreams and onto the political dance floor.

Look for a General to come out of retirement maybe.

Maybe I'm being sexist by not including Quitterella, but I think most of the country understands she's a two bit grifter by now. Not the sort of figure on whom one pins one's hopes for a Great National Renewal through Purifying Struggle.

[matt819]

15. Fuck No.

We're way past that.

We're the frog, and the fucking water has been rapidly boiling for quite some time now.

Or, Thank you, sir, may I have some more?

[Nite Owl]

18. We're way past the flirting stage

and already a raging love affair.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Yes... a very american form of fascism

it is here... enjoy.

[laughingliberal]

20. We passed flirting long ago. It's been full speed ahead for a while, now. nt

[SweetieD]

21. We aren't flirting, We're engaged to it.

[McCamy Taylor]

22. Flirting? The baby shower is next week.

[dkofos]

23. Flirting??

We've had it since the coup of 2000.

[Kennah]

24. We've been penetrated, we are getting stroked ...

... and both last night and today we are told "Lie back and enjoy it."

[CommonSensePLZ]

25. Republican argument: "It's wrong when (democrats do it/it's for democrats)"

[alanquatermass]

26. Hope to CHRIST you're wrong...

-- cuz if you're not, we're screwed.

I do take comfort, though, in the fact that the MSM remains firmly on the side of the Democrats (and therefore the angels). After all, the country's major newspapers like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times -- although owned by Big Business -- always (and perhaps inexplicably) seem to endorse the Dems around election time. Example: With the exception of the Wall Street Journal, every major U.S. newspaper came out and supported Obama in 2008 (thank goodness!)

[Horse with no Name]

27. You have got to be kidding me????

Ohhhh the alleged librul media bias! Gotcha!:puke:

[alanquatermass]

28. Well, I certainly could be wrong, Horse...

-- I am wrong a LOT (just ask my wife! LOL!) -- although I pray to God I'm right because we progressives need all the help we can get these days (especially after yesterday!) -- but didn't the major newspapers' editorial pages mostly come out in FAVOR of Obama?

I thought they did. In fact, I remember thinking they were showing uncommon good sense during the last election cycle.

It may be worth a quick web search in order to confirm this (which I will try to get to in a few minutes)

Best,

Alan

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. you are right insofar as the endorsement

of Obama, only because Bush was THAT bad.

Otherwise it is the CORPORATE media.

[alanquatermass]

34. Ha! You're right! Bush turned out to be a goddamn abomination, Nadin...

-- but even BEFORE he took office and mired us in two unpopular wars and tanked the American economy, didn't most U.S. newspapers still support Al Gore in '00? Pretty sure they did.

In fact, a quick search of the internet turned up this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_endorsements_in_United_States_presidential_elections

Now granted, this table was found on Wikipedia, but I suspect its compilation of Presidential endorsements over the last three election cycles is still pretty accurate, and -- as you can see -- the ratio of Democratic to Republican endorsements by the major U.S. newspapers seems to be roughly 4:1.

I take great comfort in this, because politics tends to flow downstream from culture, and the moment we lose the MSM we're fucked.

(And again, I am allowing for the possibility of being very, VERY wrong here -- as I often am!)

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. The drumbeat was against Gore

constant...

And a few ahem creative lies, such as Gore invented the Internet.

Watch if you can coverage of the race.

[alanquatermass]

38. Will do!

Thanks!

[Blue_Tires]

29. ttt

[MissMarple]

32. Well, it's not the first damn time. Now, I may be a bit fuzzy on this, but...

in the later 1800's the government helped bust, quite literally, union organizing, then we had some populism, then some muck raking, then some progressivism as with Teddy R., followed by blow back, then more progressivism ie.the New Deal, and more blow back, and a bit more progressivism with LBJ followed by a LOT of blow back. They hated 1964. We limped along with Nixon, yes, he had a progressive bone in his body, as did, quite honestly, Reagan. OK, Reagan had just a little one, a pinky finger's worth. Now, we have this fine mess. I am really tired of cleaning up after these guys and paying for their megabuck fortunes. Making a lot of money and greed will always be with us. We do benefit from it, but this is way over the top stupid, and it is killing our country. And the gopper corporatists don't give a good god damn.

[Desertrose]

33. Flirting? If only....sigh.

We are already the abused spouse.

[bobbolink]

37. Flirting is not the "F" word I would use in this instance.

[katnapped]

39. Oh and believe it

They plan on taking action on what's in that photo.

Just not the way we'd like....

[Naturyl]

40. Everyone has already said the obvious.

Flirting? No, that was decades ago. We're on third base and sliding toward home.

[Stinky The Clown]

41. We've crossed the line

[donheld]

42. someone is slow on the uptake?

[opihimoimoi]

43. its well on its way.....very close.....we still got a tiny window left....

[Safetykitten]

44. Madge: "You're soaking in it!"

[Nye Bevan]

45. Actually, that's more the case in the UK than the USA.

It was voters in the UK who elected the openly racist, Holocaust-denying Nick Griffin to the European Parliament.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Griffin

He has referred to the Holocaust as the "Holohoax" and has advocated deportation of non-whites from the UK. Even the most rabidly insane Tea-Partier looks like a moderate compared to this guy.

[Rex]

46. No but it sure does like stupid people!

I've never seen such a fascination with totally worthless human beings and shitstains of all stripes and magnitude! I can only surmise that said shitbags got into their million dollar positions with help from other shitbags...but I know most were elected by...sigh...poor people.

How can poor people vote to kill themselves off the evolutionary chain? Keep watchin...

[GeorgeGist]

48. Surely you jest ...

Americans WON their holocaust before Fascism had a name.

[elleng]

49. 'America' is not flirting; fascists are flirting.

Its a big country, and the 'noise' comes only from a few.