I’m pretty convinced that the Republican think tanks that issues the scripts to their troll like elected officials gets it handed down to them by some pretty clever, if notorious, mental health and marketing experts. Their standing advantage is that they, and others before them, have exploited the seeds of racism and white supremacy, both in fact and propaganda deed, for centuries.
It has been and remains of course the primary class and ideological division in America since even before the writing of our Constitution. While often challenged, it has shamefully never been eliminated, which is one reason why it goes through ebbs and flows and resurfaces from time to time with a vengeance.
When doing political work, racism always manages to resurface, and no organizer worth his or her salt should forget it.
Republican propaganda is most effective on individuals who are submissive to authority figures and accept what their told to be “gospel truth”. There’s an old off-color joke about Arian supremacy infected Nazi Germany from the French that instead of all of the expense of the Maginot Line, they just should have erected signs in German at the border that said, “Crossing is Verboten.” Every society, fascist or not, has these types of individuals.
This is on some level what we are actually seeing today. Some Americans today are misinformed and misled because they have not learned the value in figuring out the political system, how it works and why it’s corrupted. They just rely on those who pander to them and their already mistaken or biased ideas with no expectation for any representation behind sharing their prejudices and petty jealousies. They are alienated by their own ignorances and jump at the chance to follow someone who spouts rhetoric that jibes with their own beliefs and biases. Trump, it must be admitted, did not invent white supremacy, he just learned how to communicate it in a way they are more used to hearing it.
The Economic “Truth” Behind Republican Racism
The other, less obvious to many of us, is that racist (now fascist) strategy and psychology needs “an enemy” which can be demonized. The Republicans have countered with a psychological strategy that Trump is infamous for. Fascism has two targets to create levels of fear strong enough to drive many towards accepting their draconian program. One of course is racism, which is historically always available to them. It’s other driving force is the canard that Democratic rule will void their perceived white skinned privileges.
Large numbers of whites are comforted, even pacified, by the belief that they are better off than black people and other people of color. It is also factual and true. Statistically, the median estimated total wealth of an average white family is 8 to 10 times that of the average black, some sources estimate the gap much higher. Although much more for some, much less for others. It’s also worth noting that net worth has apparently stagnated since 2010 for both groups and never spiked for blacks the way it did for whites. So, it’s quite accurate to say that white supremacy has a material basis. Another psychological tactic, also used by other authoritarians and fascists, is to pin on the enemy the faults and transgressions that you yourself commit. Trump’s calling everything “fake news” to cover his own lies was a calculated move which I doubt he came up with all by himself.
Republican Racism and the Democratic Party
Republican racism is projected onto the Democratic Party as well, which many whites have long falsely seen as a vehicle for helping blacks, not whites. Thus, in the eyes of many Trumpers the Republican Party is the “White People’s Party, and the Democratic Party is one for “the blacks.” That is how they are demonizing the Democrats. Another key difference between America and Nazi Germany was that Hitler, in his fascistic authoritarian way, forced enough changes on the capitalist system to actually improve conditions for most depression-impoverished Germans for a time, excepting of course for Jews and those not on his Arian supremacist list. The Republicans and Trump have done virtually nothing positive whereas everything they say and do is negative and causes harm.
Is There a Way out of This Mess?
As far as the mass appeal of fascism in the masses, is there also a long-term antidote and mass psychology to counteract it? One short termed one is a landslide for the Democrats in November if that hopefully occurs. We should rejoice but not rest our laurels should that occur. Our enemies have almost infinite resources, no shame or decency and will continue to work even harder to destroy democracy under the banner of white supremacy. I do not believe there is presently an apparatus/political party or organization with the funds that can do it alone, or with the desire or will to make breaking the back of white supremacy a priority.
Black Activism Sparks Progress
We have, of course, seen courageous activism against white supremacy accompanied by political movements, more recently in the earlier days of the Black Muslims, the Civil and Voter Rights Movement led by MLK, the emergence of a movement against white supremacy led briefly by former black Muslim Malcom X, and even the Black Panthers. But they were doomed by the counterweights of both white supremacy and even government sponsored repression including COINTELPRO and outright assassinations. Today, there are too many smaller black organizations to mention here, but they currently lack enough unity, funds or focus to break onto the national scale, except for one.
Black Life Matters and the Anti-Trump Demos of 2020
There is of course Black Life Matters, a target of the white supremacist forces, and an organization with has tremendous potential. So far, they have carefully limited their politics to gain and preserve a national presence. Not as true for those coming out for their demonstrations, which we saw blanket the country in 2020 raising a broader spectrum of issues and including frequent merging of large numbers of white mostly anti-Trump inspired forces.
The individuals and groups that joined actions called by Black Life Matters in 2020 during a national pandemic represent some of the best anti-fascist strategies available. And it should be remembered helped propel Joe Biden into the presidency. As much as we want and need a Democratic victory in the Fall at this point, they are is not a suitable structure to create or lead the type of mass movement we need.
Is Capitalist Reform Still Possible?
The Democratic Party is, of course, not a mass organization. It also openly endorses unbridled profit driven market capitalism as synonymous with freedom and has denied the desirability of any other governing system. The priority for profits generated by our capitalist system and the accompanying business models deployed have created and fueled many of the “unsolvable” problems we face, including many elements in the capitalist hierarchy behind the fascist movement.
Stands to reason that this makes the Democratic Party hard-pressed to become a reliable source for fundamental political change and reform where it’s needed most given current leadership. This is not to downplay Biden’s recent progressive moves, but the Party has not expressed any interest publicly in much-needed major reform. Even if they tried to do a 180-degree shift and support such reform, they do not have a sufficient media, mass apparatus, or enough public support to get out such a message. And right now, the media leans R & R, right and Republican, and not just Fox News type stations.
Which Way the Democratic Party?
Mass pressure is needed at some point to precipitate needed changes in the Democratic leadership. There are many progressive groups and individuals in the Party, but not at the highest levels of power.
No one expects them to be able to declare an end to the capitalist system itself, but to recognize a strong measure of popular regulation and reform are required to break the back of the current fascism movement and the socially irresponsible tendencies inherent in Wall Street and the overall capitalist system. Tendencies which have placed democracy and the planet on life support, and which have impoverished millions of both white and black Americans. [E]