No, It’s Not Fascism
Recently Whole Foods CEO John Mackey raised eyebrows when he referred to the Affordable Care Act as “fascist economics,” a comment for which he later expressed regret. Mackey wasn’t the first person to use that word, of course. Indeed, over the past four years, it’s been more common to hear people on the right describe President Obama’s policies as “fascistic” than as “communist,” although some seem to use the terms interchangeably, which is ironic considering that the two systems once fought a bitter war against each other. Michael Ledeen, though, reminds his fellow conservatives of what fascism actually means:
There are many varieties of fascism, but the principal elements are:
- A single party dictatorship, headed by a charismatic leader.
- A politics of enthusiasm, involving the masses in ritual public celebration, and direct exchanges between the leader and his followers en masse.
- Hypernationalism, or, in the Nazi case, racism, based on the claim that the nation or race is unique, superior, and entitled to play a major role in world affairs.
- The aforementioned “corporate state” in which private property is legitimate, but the state dictates its proper use.
Fascism was created by the generation that fought, and died in historically unprecedented numbers, in the First World War. It was very much a war ideology: the post-war world, they insisted, must not be governed by the effete and corrupt ruling classes of the past, but by those who had demonstrated courage and virtue in the trenches. The elevation of war heroes to national leadership was seen as a guarantee that future generations would be shaped by the best the nation (or, in the case of the Third Reich, the race) could offer, and they vowed to fight, and destroy, those who had opposed the war, and sapped the nation’s virility thereafter.
As they extended their control over their countries, the fascists bragged of having created a new polity, a totalitarian state that controlled everything and everybody. Fascists’ heroic virtues were incarnated in a charismatic leader. Mussolini’s mass appeal was remarkable — you can see it in the monster crowds that gathered under his balcony in Piazza Venezia — as was Hitler’s, and that of others, from Romania to Spain (the charismatic leader there was not Franco, but Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder of the Falange). It was common to speak of such leaders as “men of destiny,” world-historical individuals who had imposed their will on history and would reshape the world.
It’s hard to imagine our current leaders speaking in this sort of language. The very idea of bringing war heroes to domestic power is anathema to them. President Obama ran on a promise to end our involvement in Middle East wars, and, in his Second Inaugural Address, boasted of fulfilling his pledge. Fascists don’t change the world by “leading from behind.” They take charge in front of the troops.
Nor is there much in the way of hypernationalism in our current crop of leaders. We’ve rarely had much in the way of traditional nationalism in America; we’re patriots, we celebrate the American dream, but we don’t believe in a unique “people” or “race,” destined to impose its will on the rest of the world.
No doubt there are American political activists who would like their side to totally dominate the country’s affairs, as we can hear in recent calls for Obama to “destroy” the Republican Party once and for all. But it is hard to imagine a mass movement in this country based on an open call for a totalitarian state.
Charismatic leaders are not unique to fascism, and we have had many political leaders, including Obama, who are inspirational orators and who produce crowd behavior — such as the “jumpers” who rallied to Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign — that is reminiscent of the fascist masses. But we are a long way from the cult of personality that dominated Italy and Germany in the fascist epoch.
Ledeen is, of course, correct. Conservatives who accuse Obama of “fascism” typically latch on to one element, his public charisma and the fact that, even after four years of a weak economy, long term unemployment and disappointments about unmet campaign promises, he still remains highly popular, most especially among his core supporters. But, that’s not fascism. We’ve had President’s like that — FDR, JFK, Ronald Reagan — and they weren’t fascists either. When conservatives apply the label of fascism to things such as this, they demonstrate not only that they are being highly, indeed irrationally, partisan, but they’re also insulting the memory of the people who have actually lived and suffered under fascist regimes. Applying to simple political disagreements in a democratic republic displays a detachment from reality that should cause one to doubt anything else the user has to say.
Well said.
I like when conservatives use the word “fascism” to describe Obama. It’s a pretty clear signal that the person talking is an idiot, and should be ignored.
Here, here.
Or is it; Hear, Hear.
Fascism, for lots of folks, just means something they don’t like.
There are things about our country where I can see a faint resemblence (militaristic “patriotism” + corporatism), but this is easily taken too far by people who don’t really know what they’re talking about.
Similarly, you get people accusing bog-standard American liberals of communism (e.g., Florack). They see, at most, a faint echo and blow it up such that their neighbor is a Stalinist. Oy.
The 14 defining characteristics of fascism. I think it’s pretty clear to see where certain political parties fall.
Quite right. It’s as silly when either side does it (and has been done more by the left than the right in my political lifetime).
The reason Republicans call Obama “fascist” has nothing to do with O’s policies and popularity.
It’s because it’s the word hippies used to call Nixon.
And yes, the hippies were wrong, too. But “fascism” became the stand-in for “everything we hate about the current government.”
And because lefties once called a right winger a fascist, now the righties get to call Obama the same thing.
It’s like when JayTeanian calls Democrats racists for policies that help minorities. He doesn’t really know what the word means, or he doesn’t care — it was thrown at his side once, so he’s hurling it back.
This ship was last seen leaving port with Jonah Goldberg on board.
Well I found this article to be both facist and communist. This must be were all the Reds meet to stir up the working leaches against The Job Creators. Rabble rousers, the lot of you.
Does “fascist economics” = “fascism?” And FYI the fact that fascists and communists fought each other is a red herring and adds no real irony to what’s not even from the get-go ironic. Hitler hated the Bolsheviks because they mainly were slavs (racial issues) and because they were competitors for a state-centered economy, upon which the economic underpinnings of national socialism were based. They might not literally be coterminous systems, but they’re not too far apart. Speaking of which, communists have fought other communists; doesn’t mean they were any different. Pol Pot’s Cambodia vs. Ho Chi Mihn’s Vietnam.
But that’s all nitpicking and only is because today I have too much time to kill.
That aside, obviously someone has to be the sober adult at the table, so when a guy like Mackey engages in needless hyperbole it adds nothing of value, especially given the nature of the media-academe cabal and the inevitable high dudgeon mode reactions. Besides, Obamacare slightly is less fascist than it is socialist, although at various levels those are indeed flip sides of the same coin.
Ultimately if I had to label Obama I would say “cunning, skilled, ruthless and somewhat lucky politician,” and if I had to label Obamacare I would say “arguably the worst and ironically the most self-defeating piece of federal legislation in history.”
I agree with Orwell: fascism is a term that has become completely meaningless. It’s just an epithet, hurled against people you don’t like.
The literal meaning is just a political group. “Fascist economics” means whatever people think it means.
BTW, I’ve always found it somewhat ironic that the people who attack Obama as fascistic typically belong to the Cult of Reagan with a devotion that… wait for it… borders on fascistic.
@Dave Schuler and, as has been pointed out numerous times, Johan Goldberg’s contribution to the topic provides one of the best demonstrations of Orwell’s point.
some seem to use the terms interchangeably, which is ironic considering that the two systems once fought a bitter war against each other.
Indeed, Mussolini’s movement was directly and explicitly in opposition to the socialists.
Dimwitted people are frequently duped by those who find them useful into thinking that the Nazis, and therefore fascism, is actually socialist in nature because of the presence of the word “socialist” in the party’s full name. It’s false, revisionist history meant to tar modern liberals as Nazis, and it is employed on the right with astonishing frequency.
My guess is while he may be a good CEO, but his knowledge of history and politics is shallow at best, and his knowledge of current policy such as the ACA is atrocious, gleaned wholly no doubt from right wing propaganda. Mackey should shut his mouth and worry about opening new stores that sell overpriced packaging that may or may not contain food and organic produce at three times the price of the local farmers market.
@Tsar Nicholas:
Obamacare slightly is less fascist than it is socialist, although at various levels those are indeed flip sides of the same coin.
Ladies and gentlemen, a perfect example of the dimwitted dupes of which I speak.
@mantis:
As has been pointed out before, this sort of logic is akin to suggesting that looking at The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) or Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) will tell us something important about how democracies should function (or that either can serve as a definitive link between Communism and Democracy or Fascism and Democracy).
Someone needs to explain to me how a program (not an entitlement) that pushes 30M new customers to private sector companies is socialist or fascist.
My wife grew up in Franco’s Spain (born 1959) She could teach us all a few things about Fascism.
@Tsar Nicholas:
Yeah, forget about the Fugitive Slave Act and all those other ones, definitely the worst legislation is the one enacted to help the uninsured and bring down health care costs. For sure.
Tsar, do you ever first say out loud or look in a mirror before you write this drivel? If you did, you might discover how utterly idiotic you sound and look.
@C. Clavin:
They could call it “corporate cronyism” but they don’t. Why is that?
@OzarkHillbilly:
Because lefties call it that, and they are against whatever lefties are saying, updated daily.
What’s hilarious to me about this is that Obama is not that charismatic. Bill Clinton? Now there’s charisma. I’ve been in rooms with Clinton and every eye turns to him as if by magic. But Obama, while charming on a personal level, has a pretty cool public persona. He really doesn’t possess much in the way of fiery charisma.
Once again, Republicans see only what’s in their imagination and not what exists in reality.
No superdestroyer to tell us that this is exactly where we’re heading? For shame …
Goldberg’s “Liberal Fascism” is the best argument for a mandatory theses defense, coupled with the use of the guillotine if the so-called “researcher” doesn’t make it. Goldberg doesn’t even know German or Italian, and thinks that he’s produced a scholarly work on Fascism? Please.
@Rob in CT:
DOOOHHHHH! Of course! They are in favor of all things corporate!
Yeah, that’s absolutely my impression too. I’ve never really gotten claims (left or right) that he’s particularly gifted with charisma. He’s a successful politician despite his CHA rating, IMO. He rolled something like a 15 there.
@Rob in CT:
I wonder what the unit of measure for charisma is? The rasputin? 1 rasputin = 10 decirasputins = 100 centirasputins = 1,000 microsputins? If Bill Clinton is 9 decirasputins does that make Mitt Romney 5 microrasputins?
@Rob in CT:
Don’t tell anyone, especially Tsar, but I got word from the Central Committee yesterday that our next big collectivist campaign will be to prohibit people from jumping off bridges.
@Dave Schuler: I think we’ve got to go to the picorasputin level for Romney….maybe even the femto level….
@grumpy realist:
Well, one can think whatever one likes…
@Dave Schuler:
This concept may be your greatest contribution to political science. Stephen should weigh in. This could be a thing.
Oh? That’s so nice of them to give you extra computer time while they’re cleaning your padded cell…
i wonder if the sandal wearing granola heads will rebel against whole foods? nah, too much good food there!
@Rafer Janders: I think you are defining charisma too narrowly. Charisma doesn’t have to be “fiery”–and even you must realize that, otherwise your use of the phrase “fiery charisma” would be redundant. Charisma is simply a quality of having a kind of magnetic appeal to others. The kind of awe-inspired reaction to Obama after his 2004 convention speech and throughout his first presidential campaign suggests charisma, whether you were able to see it or not.
@Kylopod:
Absolutely. But Obama doesn’t have that.
Not really, because (a) it wasn’t really that “awe-inspired”, and (b) it suggests a fascination with the concept of the first African-American politician to have a shot at the presidency as much as it did with Obama as a person. He’s appealing, affable, charming, lots of things — but he’s not very charismatic. People are not drawn to him on a personal level the way they are with genuinely charismatic individuals.
Seems like a good excuse to pull out one of my favorite quotes. Sinclair Lewis: “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”
@bill:
Every true “sandal wearing granola head” is a locavore who at best reluctantly shops at Trader Joe’s and avoids Whole Paycheck, which is always full of yuppies.
You know, the real, actual, authentic 1933-1945 fascism was horrific, and in no way compares to our political culture today. That may come as news to about 100 million Americans.
Sometime in the not-so-distant future, a lot of otherwise smart and (presumably) sensible people (like John Mackey), are going to look back and (hopefully, but not likely) be ashamed and embarrassed that they characterized Obama and/or his policies as “fascist.” Historians are going document just how unhinged about half the country became upon the election of our first Black President.
@bill:
Bill, the 70’s ended a few decades ago, update your stereotypes. Your stereotypical 70s being could not afford Whole Foods.
@C. Clavin:
Okay, I’m here to help: It’s fascist because the Black President proposed it.
@Dave Schuler:
Dave, you and Nate Silver should collaborate on this. Present a paper at the American Political Science Association.
And on the other end of the political scale, there’s a GOP Representative accusing Obama of following the Soviet Constitution.
When I think of a charismatic politician I think of Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagen, not so much Obama.
Following on to Rob in CT, I’m not at all disappointed with the lower charisma roll when it was made up by the pairing of a tremendous INT roll and lawful-good alignment. The man is effective.
@Tsar Nicholas:
Twenty-two dislikes. Hmm… I wonder if we knee-jerk negate any and every thing Tsar Nic says. I’d have to agree with his assessment of the ACA. I, personally, would rather see a public, taxpayer-paid healthcare option, not the health insurance option that is the ACA. Will it bring in more people under the insurance umbrella? Sure, by pseudo-force. But all this does, really, is fill the coffers of the insurance companies, greedy bastards that they are.
I know TN says some disagreeable things a lot of the time. But I’m not so sure this one rates 22 thumbs down.
@dennis:
I know TN says some disagreeable things a lot of the time. But I’m not so sure this one rates 22 thumbs down.
So give him a thumbs up then.
Personally, even though I don’t pay any attention to the comment ratings, I would not be giving a gold star to someone who writes something this amazingly stupid:
Besides, Obamacare slightly is less fascist than it is socialist, although at various levels those are indeed flip sides of the same coin.
YMMV
@Eric the OTB Lurker: I was thinking Smoot-Hawley belonged in there somewhere, too.
@mantis:
Maybe I don’t clarify myself well. I believe the ACA is better than status quo, but I also believe we can and should have done better by adopting universal healthcare. I was also wondering if we knee-jerk disagree with people just because of who they are, without considering if they have a valid point. Granted, TN does have history . . .
I was tortured for almost 3 years by the FBI and their friends only
because 85 years old man, Roland, H Sibens(chicago)now he is 88, convinced them that I
am a terrorist. I was tortured for working on my prosthetic legs in
the basement. I done absolutely nothing illegal or wrong. They thought
that in theory it is possible to hide bomb in them. They saw an
opportunity to get famous, so they were trying to torture me till I
sign their insane story. They tortured me using more than 100
different torturing methods and trust to me waterboarding is not how
they torture nowadays. I dont know where to find justice.
I think that after 9/11 things got out of control. Freedom fighters
became tyrants. In 1945, most Germans had an opportunity to learn about Nazis death
camps. I hope that one day American citizens will get chance to learn about people
like me, who were tortured with no reason for years.
@Gustopher: So Obama’s NDAA and drone strikes aren’t fascistic?