“When there is no hope, people either run, or allow themselves to be killed without a fight.”
Eric Hoffer, THE TRUE BELIEVER
Almost since the 2020 election ended, the news media have been flooded with polls, studies, and reports predicting Donald Trump’s reelection, no matter what he—or the opposition—does. Despite economic improvements after the pandemic; the insurrection at the Capitol; an unpopular decision by the rightwing Supreme Court, followed by states outlawing abortion; and a MAGA Congress that expends enormous energy doing nothing; the news tells us constantly that Americans are so unhappy with the Biden administration, they are either eager to bring back the chaos of the Trump years, or indifferent enough to let it happen. MAGA true believers march as to war, confident of their invincibility. Shall we who stand for democracy just hopelessly surrender to fascism’s inevitable triumph, betray our friends to the Thought Police, and learn to love Big Brother?
Democracy does have the right to commit suicide, but why do the news media pitch hopelessness? Of course, purveyors of ultra-rightwing “news” actually have high hopes about American fascism. And naturally, big business media promote politicians who favor lower taxes and weaker regulations, and who oppose labor unions—although MAGA’s corporate backers (again blinded by greed concerning the actual dangers) should look more closely at whom will rule Trump’s America: not them. What astonishes me is the mainstream media’s continuous reporting of the general dissatisfaction with the status quo, among all ages and ethnic groups, without seriously delving into the sources of the national malaise. Mainstream pundits act as if their only responsibilities are to report events; not to protect a free press, which Trump blatantly intends to eliminate. Only leftwing news outlets remain to hold the mainstream, by reporting, analyzing and seeking to understand verifiable news. But even liberal pundits seem to be whistling past the graveyard, constantly reminding audiences that early polls have often been wrong, and that much can change in the coming months of an election year. Though they act cheerful, they seem scared.
It looks like a healthy fear. Trump has promised that if elected, he intends to eliminate his opposition. He says he will be a dictator on “Day One.” Has anybody ever heard of a dictator who relinquished power after the first day? Then he claims he was only joking; but jokes are supposed to be funny. He threatens revenge upon those who dare to oppose him, which is at least half the country. He openly intends to turn the entire government and military into institutions loyal only to himself, following French King Louis XIV, who boasted: “I am the state.” While Trump’s promoters disavow his declared intentions (apparently trying to sell his pathological lying as one of his greatest assets) many in his base actually support his dictatorship. We should remember that Hitler laid out exactly what he intended to do in MEIN KAMPF, and most observers refused to believe he meant it.
While polls show Trump ahead of Biden, they also show Americans favor Biden’s economic policies. Though Americans overwhelmingly favor legal abortion, polls show that majorities prefer Trump, who appointed three of the Supreme Court Justices who voided constitutional protections for abortions. Though the voters are clearly tired of the clownish hijinks of congressional Republicans, Trump, their obvious leader, still leads in the polls. Can America’s political schizophrenia be explained?
Pundits blame inflation, especially regarding necessities such as food, housing and fuel, for Trump’s high poll numbers. Then they glance over the fact that the Biden administration is trying, with some success, to lower inflation, while getting almost no cooperation from Republicans in Congress. While Biden’s policies are gradually making life better for average Americans, many of those same Americans are still ready to vote for politicians who intend to retrench the pro-corporate policies that have, for the past half century, made life tougher for working people. Is there a national obsession with ignoring facts?
Perceived chaos at the Southern border stokes American angst. By constantly promoting his wall, Trump has convinced many Americans to overlook the fact that the wall was no more effective a deterrent than other halfway solutions we have tried. News outlets report Trump’s immigration rants, but fail to examine the reasons for the global diaspora, or to discuss solutions that could really work. Trump even suggested invading Mexico (which should inform all thinking Americans that he is not mentally stable) yet pundits report and move on. Trump will pitch another ratings-boosting rant tomorrow. Gotta play the game, right?
Though concerns about economic insecurity and border chaos make excuses for fascism’s popularity, they fail to explain it. Still, the MAGA true believers have made up their minds to support Trump’s promised fascism. Millions of Americans are dissatisfied enough with current affairs to entertain throwing out the entire American system, to see what Trump might come up with to replace it. Millions, feeling hopeless about their lives, intend to do nothing. Fascism has a real chance of winning. A healthy fear is justified.
Natural reactions to fear are either to fight or flee. There is no safe haven, should fascism take hold in our free country. New Zealand is far too small to take in the eighty-plus million Americans who voted for Biden in 2020. Nor can we hide by swallowing our pride, pretending to change our ways, and trying to adapt to a new order. Fascists have never been known to forgive and forget. Our only choice is to fight. We need to fight intelligently, for our democratic culture’s life. And, we need to fight now.
Of course, we would be insane to fight MAGA true believers on their own terms, with violence. They collect most of the guns in this country, and many have shown ample eagerness to use them. Besides, violence cannot accomplish our aims. Gandhi in India, and King in America, showed how peaceful resistance can bring about real social change. Now, India and America are threatened with resurgent plutocracy and oligarchy, because many citizens in both countries have become complacent, while those who need to dominate others never stop seeking power. While I hope for the best in India, my concern is for a reawakening of democracy in the United States. Now the rightwing attacks us for being “woke.” We are more malleable when we sleep. Fighting individually is also hopeless. Fascists like to gang up, and we can only resist them by fighting this battle we are all in, together. One way is to help influential, well-run organizations (ACLU, SPLC, Common Cause, and similar groups) that have the resources and skills necessary to combat fascism in America. Supporters of these groups are hopeful, because they stay involved, promoting democracy. We are not alone.
Above everything, we need to vote. MAGA leaders want us to feel so hopeless we will sit out the next election, securing fascism’s victory. We have the congressional Republican circus now because millions who voted in 2020 stayed home in 2022. Still, in the 2020 election, over a hundred million eligible voters did not vote. We need to support organizations that can and will reach them. Anyone who can vote deserves to see how necessary it is to vote—no matter how many hardships officials in MAGA states might build against exercising our democratic rights. Right-wing true believers, feeling certain of victory, will vote. Bottom line, the election (the only poll that counts) depends on who votes. Will we?