It would, of course, be naive to think that we are not in a moment of profound danger – MAGA is a fascist movement, and America is, in fact, at a dark turning point in its history.
We are all grieving, and we are all devastated in our own way and for our own reasons. We will go through a period of introspection that will, at times, more resemble finger pointing. Some of this is an earnest attempt to cope and some of it is opportunism expressing itself.
In my mind, coping must begin with the acceptance of two competing truths:
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First, we are not to “blame” for what has happened. The path to fascism began when the GOP decided that its own voters were stepping stones to power rather than constituents. It continued when instead of focusing its energy and efforts on common challenges, it directed all of its strength against large swaths of American society and the foundations of democracy itself. We have fought at every turn to stop this, at times with notable successes. Morality, decency, and civic virtue must be present on all corners of the political universe for democracy to survive – there must be a universal orientation towards the common good, even if there is disagreement as to what that common good is.
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Second, we must acknowledge that there are significant portions of American society that are not hyper-radicalized fascists, yet do not understand the danger of fascism in the way that we understand it. Although our intentions, principles, and vision were the correct ones, the practical expression of our ideals in terms of messaging and execution did not accomplish the practical objective of mobilizing enough voters to our side. If we get another chance at this, we must develop messages, strategies, and means of communication that persuade persuadable voters.
There are many smart voices out there that believe that all is lost. They may be right – we cannot face this moment if we are not willing to at least entertain the possibility that this narrative will end with mass executions and tyranny.
That said, I believe that there are compelling reasons that all is not lost, and that fascism may not succeed in the United States. They are:
1.The United States is much more racially/ethnically diverse than was Germany, making the isolation and persecution of minorities more challenging.
2. Major civil liberties are codified in the Bill of Rights, supported by centuries of case law. Many who voted for Trump or failed to vote value these rights.
3. The Federal system greatly increases the likelihood of institutionalized resistance at the state level and allows for the creation of practical, alternative paths forward.
4. Unlike Germany, Italy, Russia, or Hungary, the United States has a well established democratic tradition. Democracy was very new in these other states when it fell or had never been present at all.
5. The United States has living, credible former presidents and senior leaders. Individually and collectively, they have considerable experience, talent, and communication skills.
6. We have a large, well-organized, and well-financed opposition. We did many, many things well this cycle and have many resources at our disposal.
7. Other major democracies are our allies; the revanchism and irredentist motivations present in Weimar Germany are not present here. Germany had been vanquished in WWI by the world’s biggest democracies, a fact that helped discredit democracy.
8. Modern technology makes it easier to capture and share abuses of power. It also makes it easier to communicate and organize in ways that were not possible in the 1930’s.
9. Trump is old, stupid, and in severe cognitive decline.There is no hiding this.
10. Demographically, the US is becoming less white and less religious – its central marks of identity ignore the heterogeneity of American society.
11. Trump’s policies will be economically ruinous for people and companies alike.This has a way of capturing people’s attention.
12. We have experience with Trump and the authoritarian playbook; we know their plans in advance and can prepare.
13. Many major, and popular, celebrities oppose Trump, and jailing or murdering them would be politically untenable.
14. Trump personally has no ambitions beyond himself; he’s not an ideologue or a self-styled “thinker”. He’s also unfocused and easily distracted.
15. The GOP often devolves into disorganization and infighting. They are evil, but not smart. They are also constrained at every turn by their need to deny reality.
16. Even though the media has largely failed to rise to the occasion, there are many serious journalists in this country.
17. If Trump dies or is incapacitated, his successor is unlikely to have the same cachet and party support. Considerable energy will be consumed by those trying to seize the mantle of his authority. Nobody is going to defer to VD Vance.
18. The military is largely independent and apolitical at the command level, and the rank and file is often nonwhite.
19. We are facing neither a credible external or internal threat for fascists to use as a foil. Although Trump has tried to portray us as communists, we are not, and his protestations do not actually make us such.
20. The writings of the founding fathers and our national heroes are at direct odds with Trump; he cannot credibly claim to be their spiritual successor. Knowledge of and monuments to these are literally all across America. There is a great deal of history that will be very difficult to erase.
Deal with your grief, and then figure out how to get back in this fight. They might as well have to work for it.
