The Danger of Fascism in the United States
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 9 May 2016
John Scales Avery – TRANSCEND Media Service
The Indiana primary election, which took place on May 3, 2016, produced two results, one of which was hopeful, and the other, profoundly worrying. Bernie Sanders wakened hopes for restoration of democracy in the US with a resounding win over the political oligarchy’s candidate, Hillary Clinton. The other result gave rise to fears of fascism. Donald Trump won the Republican primary by a large majority. Ted Cruz dropped out of the race, and the Republican leadership declared Trump to be their party’s presidential candidate.
There is a real danger that Donald Trump, who is not only xenophobic, racist and hatemongering, but also misogynistic, wildly erratic and manifestly unqualified for the post, could be elected to the US Presidency in November. It could happen in the following way. If the Democratic Party’s establishment succeeds in making Hillary Clinton their candidate, young voters and independents could become disillusioned. Without their support Hillary could lose to Trump.
By contrast, every recent public opinion poll shows that Bernie Sanders, the idealist and reformer, would win massively in a presidential race with Trump.
http://sourceplanet.net/politics/trump-vs-sanders-sanders-wins-in-every-poll/
It is impossible to listen to Donald Trump’s speeches without being reminded of the fascist dictators who took control of Europe in the 1930’s. His rhetoric is especially similar to that of Mussolini, who promised to “make Italy great again”, just as it was under the Roman Empire. In my opinion, it is correct to call Trump a fascist.
One wonders, however, whether Hillary Clinton might not also be called a fascist. She is in favor of the attempted US domination of the world through military force, and she is in favor of the US corporate oligarchy. Perhaps choosing between Hillary and Donald is like choosing which form of cancer is better for you.
In the 1930’s, when Hitler, Mussolini and Franco came to power in Europe, they did so against the background of serious economic stress which made voters desperate to find leaders who promised salvation. Today too, economic stress forms the background for a drift towards fascism. This is not only true in the United States, but also in Europe, where an influx of refugees from war and climate change has produced xenophobia and racism.
Just as the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930’s led to an all-destroying world war, so too today the threat of fascism is also a threat that all that we love will perish in a catastrophic global war, which today would be a thermonuclear inferno. We all have a responsibility to work with dedication to avoid this threat. One of the most important things that we can do is to support the campaign of Bernie Sanders in every way possible, by financial contributions, social media posts, articles in the alternative media, telephone calls, conversations with friends, lobbying of superdeligates, and every other way that we can think of.
The threat of fascism is real. We must join hands and work with courage and dedication to avoid it.
Some suggestions for further reading
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44584.htm
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/35896-sanders-dnc-chair-clash-over-democratic-party-inclusivity
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/opinion/its-donald-trumps-party-now.html?_r=0
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/04/bernie-sanders-wins-indiana-and-political-debate
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/04/5-reasons-bernie-sanders-wins-big-cruz-dropout
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/35914-tv-is-donald-s-free-trump-card-to-stoke-racism
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/04/climate-change-is-corroding-our-values-says-naomi-klein
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/05/noam-chomsky-predicted-rise-trump-six-years-ago
http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/why-bernie-sanders-is-staying-in-the-race
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John Scales Avery, Ph.D., who was part of a group that shared the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize for their work in organizing the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, is a member of the TRANSCEND Network and Associate Professor Emeritus at the H.C. Ørsted Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He is chairman of both the Danish National Pugwash Group and the Danish Peace Academy and received his training in theoretical physics and theoretical chemistry at M.I.T., the University of Chicago and the University of London. He is the author of numerous books and articles both on scientific topics and on broader social questions. His most recent book is Civilization’s Crisis in the 21st Century (pdf).
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 9 May 2016.
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