NeoCon or NeoFascist?

The fascist label is frequently applied to any conservative political opposition and often loosely applied to different ideological perspectives – see Islamo-fascism. It has event been applied to the progressive left by the NeoCon fiction writer Jonah Goldberg.[1] The radical NeoCon Republican Party under Bush II, DeLay, Rove, now and hopefully short-lived McCain and Palin, and their wrong-wing allies is fundamentally different from classical conservative or even the anti-conservatism of early neo-conservatism. The dominant voice and brand of the Bush II government and the radical Republican Party and their wrong-wing allies can prudently can be labeled neo-fascist and incipiently fascist. America’s home-grown fascist hate groups as the various Klans, skinheads, militias, and Christian identity organizations have increased by over 50% to exceed 900 organizations during the Bush II years.[2] This number is in addition to the “main-stream” religious wrong fundamentalist hate groups and extremist organizations such as the National Rifle Association that have reared their ugly heads during this election season. Bush II, McCain-Palin, and the Current Republican Party have provided a congenial environment.

The Bush-Chaney radical Republican Party is fascist because it satisfies fascism’s historical criteria and standards. The Italian scholar Emilio Gentile defined fascism as:[3]

A mass movement, that combines different classes but is prevalently of the middle classes, which sees itself as having a mission of national regeneration, is in a state of war with its adversaries and seeks a monopoly of power by using terror, parliamentary tactics and compromise to create a new regime, destroying democracy (p. A19).

The current radical Republican Party is heavily white and middle-class party on a mission of national moral and social regeneration (the cultural wars). It sees America as in a state of perpetual war at home and abroad (the cultural wars, ”if your not with us, you’re against us,” and the perpetual war on terrorism). It demonizing the domestic liberal opposition as well as foreign enemies (“the axis of evil”), labeling critics of policies as “unpatriotic”[4] and likening dissert to treason. The radical Republicans hungers for a monopoly of power (Patriots Acts I and II, extremely radical judicial nominations). The radical Republican government stifles debate and promotes a one party state and government. The Republicans rammed legislation through the House when it had the majority without hearing. Its principal strategist, if not ideologue, Rove views the two-party system as antiquated and the Republicans should end it. The radical Republicans tried to make Bush II a charismatic leader (the ‘mission accomplished” staging on the aircraft carrier and other strong leader or ‘decider’ shenanigans). It failure was not due to a lack of effort, but because of laughable raw material. The radical Republicans hope to more successful with a geriatric John McCain and a trashy Sarah Palin.
The generally agreed upon characteristics and criteria for a fascist political ideology are:[5]
1. the rejection of both liberalism and socialism – The Bush II Republican Party has not only rejected socialism and liberalism, it has made liberalism an obscenity.

2. the primacy of the nation over the rights of the individual – Bush II nationalism with the its prevailing conception of Patriotism and embodied in the Patriots’ Act and related legislation and the Constitutional mis-named War on Terrorism has made individual rights, privacy, and habeas corpus archaic, warrantless spying, Telecoms immunity in spying on citizens, torture and extraordinary renditions, anointing of state sanctioned religious sects with Charitable Choice and Faith-based funding to selected religions.

3. demonizing the nation’s enemies (Axis of Evil, the Evil, and if not with us, then against US, the French Chocolate Makers, Islamo-Fascism, etc).

4. the elimination of domestic dissent and creation of a one-party system (Rove’s Permanent Republican Majority, The Supreme Court and the 2000 Florida election).

5. the dominant rule of a charismatic leader (If don’t stand with Bush, then you unpatriotic and giving aid and confront to the enemies, and the president as commander-in-chief, the Imperial Presidency and efforts to make Bush II a charismatic leader, holding that criticism of God’s chosen Bush II in time of war is treason). Unfortunately they picked an a-charismatic gelding ride.).

6. appeals to emotion and myth rather than reason (Re-doing of responsibility for 9-11, American history with America a Christian Nation, God’s chosen nation). Racism constitutes a part of their jingoistic patriotism.

7. glorification of violence on behalf of a national cause (Bush II doctrine of Preemption and First Strike as justification of Iraqi war, death penalty, anti-immigration efforts).

8. the mobilization and militarization of civil society (Department of Homeland Security, the terrorist risk alert levels, America in perpetual war).[6]
9. expansionist foreign policy intended to promote national greatness (The American Century doctrine).

The Radical Republicans’ brand of fascism maybe their choice as Colin Powell asserts. However, when they want to impose it on America through a McCain - Palin administration, it is our choice. Make the truly conservative, patriotic choice, America

[1] Although passed by Goldberg as nonfiction, a cursory review of (2008) Liberal Fascist: Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning. (NY: Doubleday) indicated it’s doubtlessly a fantasy.
[2] See Southern Poverty Law Center data.
[3] Stille, A. (2003, September 13). The latest obscenity has seven letters. The New York Times, pp. A17, A19.
[4] For example see Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann on MSNBC’s Hardball, and the need to determine who in the House and Senate are “pro-American or anti-American” as defined by Bachmann.
[5] For a discussion of fascism and nationalism see: Griffins, R. (1993). The nature of fascism. London, UK: Routledge., Mann, M. (2004). Fascist. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press., Smith, A. D. (1995). Nations and nationalism in a global era. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
[6] Naturally the common people don’t want war, but after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attached, and then denounce the pacifists for [a] lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country. Quote attributed to Herman Goering, Air Reich-Marshall, last Chancellor, and political heir to Hitler at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials at end of WW II.

McCain for President?

My fellow Conservative and all American Patriots, the time is rapidly approaching when collectively we decide who will take over and hopefully cleans up the mess made by Bush II and his radical administration. Bush II’s heir-designate is John McCain. John, I can call him John since he claims to be ‘my friend,’ peddles that he is a maverick, an iconoclast, and a change agent with independent judgment. A cursory examination of biography doesn’t reveal a change agent or maverick but a fairly privileged person and prosaic politician.
Major Life Accomplishments

John’s major life accomplishments, briefly sketched, as they are few, are:
- Son and grandson of US Navy admirals,
- Educated solely at government expense,
- Always had government health care except for his Hanoi years,
- US Navy pilot shot down after approximately 20 hours of combat,
- POW for five and a half years,
- Navy lobbyist and a John Tower and Phil Gramm disciple and drinking buddy,
- Retired as Captain in 1981,
- Divorced his first wife, 1980
- Married very rich second within four months of divorce,
- With the help of new rich wife’s money and connections elected to the House of Representatives in 1982 and the Senate in 1986 from Arizona having never lived there prior to campaign,
- Obtained Republican nomination for President of United States 2008 after loosing it in 2000 by supplicating to the radical wrong wing of the GOP.

This is hardly a maverick’s biography or presidential one.

Real World Experience

Let’s look little closer at John’s military experience as it is the cornerstone of his foreign policy approach and political career. He is a creature of the military and the government. He is not their finest work. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy near the bottom of his class. He went on to serve as a naval aviator, but was shot down after only 20 hours of combat flying. His time as a POW was honorably served according to John, although he has asked the Viet Namese government not to release the records. His lineage may have had some influence on his medal array. John spent the last years of his service lobbying for the navy and partying with Gramm and Towers. He attained the rank of Captain (ret) after his 22 years of naval service but not admiral despite being the son and grandson of admirals. He never had executive experience or strategic commands in the Navy. John’s commands were always operational or ‘just following orders given by someone else’ commands.

John remained in government and at the public trough after the military. He served in the House of Representatives for two terms and as a Senator since 1986. The government has been his employer since his academy days. His ties to Arizona prior to his election to the House were tenuous. They consisted of his rich wife Cindy Lou and her family’s political connections. They have been enough to buy a legislative career in government. His over a quarter century as a career politician has been notable for a lack of accomplishment other than staying in office. The four things that come to mind most readily are his 90% plus voting record with the radical Bush II regime, Keating 5, McCain-Feingold, and a short-lived effort to obtain more rational immigration policies. He’s now trying to disown all four accomplishments. John has flipped to the wrong and completely dark side. So much for John’s straight talking maverick image.

John self-claimed and self-promoting foreign policy experience primarily consists of his time in Viet Nam at the Hanoi Hilton. He has not had responsibility to develop or manage any significant foreign policy legislation nor engage in any diplomacy. He has little international knowledge as exemplifies by not knowing the difference between a Sunni and Shite (and probably Iran and Iraq unless Joe Lieberman whispers it in his ear). His approach to global disagreements is simplistic and militaristic (bomb, bomb Iran). John can’t keep allies and enemies straight in his mind. John, is Spain with troops in Afghanistan and a member of NATO an ally? Why won’t you talk with them? His judgment on the ‘surge’ (a troop increase in the Green Zone) largely comes from a peaceful market walk surrounded by American solders with a helicopter shield overhead. These protections are not generally available to an Iraqi civilian dodging fire from Blackwater mercenaries or militants.

Recapitulating John’s Qualifications

After a lifetime spent at the governmental trough, John now champions private enterprise, tight federal budgets, corporate deregulation, and rugged individualism. He flaunts his experience without any noteworthy managerial or executive experience. Age does not equal experience other than the experience of surviving to old age. His significant legislative accomplishment, other than being one of the Keating 5, is limited to McCain-Feingold[1]. This is also his primary ‘maverick’ qualification. Like being a ‘legend in his own mind,’ he a maverick with his mouth rather than his votes. Remind me other than McCain-Feingold when he successfully took on the Republican leadership.

John’s economic experience is Keating 5 and marrying a rich wife. A success rate of .500 wouldn’t be bad in baseball but hardly qualifies him as a change agent or to be President. His direct foreign policy experience consists of Viet Nam, surviving as a POW, and tourism at taxpayers’ expense. Again, not presidential.

We won’t talk about his cynical selection of Sarah Palin as his VP. Sarah deserves more space than we have here. Suffice to say, it is an insult to all True Conservative American Patriots. We will save his embrace of the radical wrong, especially the Christian wrong’s agenda, after his 2000 failed presidential nomination bid for a later blog. He now talks the Christian wrong’s talk but hasn’t personally walked their walk.[2]
John is not the brightest bulb in the Senate. He is a rather dim and perhaps a nearly burnt out bulb. He had the bad fortune to be a POW and the ability to parlay it into a successful political career with the help of rich and well-connected wife. These are his significant accomplishments and he works it, being a POW not the rich wife, into every public address, lest we forget it. It does not qualify John for the Presidency. Give him a medal for it– the greatful nation gave him many medals. Give him PTS therapy and a pension. Again, this was done. But don’t reward him with the presidency. He can’t handle it. He appears to need more therapy now. His presidency will be four more years of radical Bush II policies. Unlike John at the Hanoi Hilton, we can’t survive four more years of radical Bush II NeoFascist policies.[3]
[1] Don’t bring up the lobbying hearings on Jack Abamoff as a public good. Abramoff was eliminated as a competitor to McCain’s lobbyist cronies. See his campaign staff makeup. .
[2] For a preview of his approach to the walk and probable approach to the Christian wrong’s “values,” see Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
[3] A forthcoming blog will establish that the contemporary radical Republican Party is NeoFascist in its ideology and policies.