Reading notes

Clear-eyed and articulate, as usual:

The Rise of Pseudo Fascism
Part 1: The Morphing of the Conservative Movement

When trying to make sense of the seemingly inextricable political morass into which we’ve descended, one of the real keys to understanding our situation is realizing that conservatism and the “conservative movement” are in fact two entirely different things.

Conservatism, like liberalism, is not a dogmatic philosophy, but rather a style of thought, an approach to politics or life in general. It stresses the status quo and traditional values, and is typified by a resistance to change. …

Indeed: there is much in true conservative thought that I respect.

The “conservative movement,” however, is a decidedly dogmatic political movement that demands obeisance to its main tenets (and exiles those who dissent) and a distinctly defined agenda. …

Certainly, one only needs review the current state of affairs to recognize that the “conservative movement” — especially as embodied by the Bush administration — has wandered far astray from its original values. Just how “conservative” is it, after all, to run up record budget deficits? To make the nation bleed jobs? To invade another nation under false pretenses? To run roughshod over states’ rights? To impose a radical unilateralist approach to foreign policy? To undermine privacy rights and the constitutional balance of power? To quanitifably worsen the environment, while ignoring the realities of global warming? …

What’s become clear as this election year has progressed — and especially in the wake of the Republican National Convention — is the actual shape of this fresh beast.

Call it Pseudo Fascism. Or, if you like, Fascism Lite. Happy-Face Fascism. Postmodern Fascism. But there is little doubt anymore why the shape of the “conservative movement” in the 21st century is so familiar and disturbing: Its architecture, its entire structure, has morphed into a not-so-faint hologram of 20th-century fascism.

Of course that’s what it is. I have not the words to describe why; it’s my gut that knows. David, OTOH, is well equipped with words and reasoning to shed much light. Thanks, David.

I like best the way Hal puts what the conservative movement is doing:

The most lavishly funded, most cynical, most sophisticated political campaign in human history [is] out trolling for fools. I pray to God it doesn’t catch you.

The fishing’s damn good in my neighborhood if yard signs are an indication. It’s creepy to me that many of my neighbors are swallowing hook, line, and sinker.

But I think even one B/C yard sign is too many given the evidence before us — and because my solar plexus identifies each one I walk past as calling down a curse on that household, which is probably not what the homeowner intended. So maybe I’m overreacting. On the upside, most of my neighbors are undeclared.

I pray to God it doesn’t catch them.

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A similar, oddly non-fishing analogy from Peter comes to mind: him who roams like a roaring lion looking for ones to devour. The advice: be sober and alert; resist.

The weird and wonderful thing about this election as I see it is Kerry is actually the more conservative choice, hewing as he does to sane governing principles long embraced by true conservatives, whereas the Bush folks are now off the map entirely. Hence the rise of thinking like that at Republicans for Kerry, an excellent example, I think, of actually being sober and alert.

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2004-09-29 update:
David’s Part 2 is now available, The Architecture of Fascism.

I like commenter Bolo’s interpretation of David’s work as

He’s saying that the conservative movement is walking a very dangerous line right now that could possibly take it down the path toward fascism. He isn’t saying that conservatives are fascists, but that many of the ideas of the conservative movement could feed into a genuine fascist movement.

Today’s conservatives are feeding this movement without quite realizing what it is they’re getting in return. If they’re not careful, it’ll blow up in all our faces.

Indeed. I just never, ever foresaw that as many people as have could fall into the “without quite realizing” category. That this many people in my community even now sport B/C bumper stickers and yard signs has forever changed my perception of where I live. It’s been one of the creepiest, saddest eye-opening experiences of my life.

In particular, these essentially one-character white-on-black W stickers keep blurring into swastikas in my mind’s eye, which is probably not what their bearers intend. I have this recurring dream that many in the next five weeks will realize that a vote for four more years of insane, ungodly radicalism is not worth its cost, then utter “Oh God, what have I done?” then frantically start removing all these symbols of ineffective and unsustainable arrogance.

That would be divine intervention from the God I know.

I even dream it has a name: The Great Redeeming of 2004.

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The Rise of Pseudo Fascism:

• Part 1. The Morphing of the Conservative Movement
• Part 2. The Architecture of Fascism
• Part 3. The Pseudo-Fascist Campaign
• Part 4. The Apocalyptic One-Party State
• Part 5. Warfare By Other Means
• <more to come>

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