Let Me Allay Your Fears. Republicans Aren’t Fascists, You’re Just Crazy =D

by John Hawkins | October 25, 2004 11:29 pm

After reading through a series called “The Rise of Pseudo Fascism[1]” on a lefty blog called Orcinus, I wanted to give a relatively short and sweet response to the idea that Conservatives are “pseudo-Fascists” or desire some sort of Fascist state.

Usually, I just point out how crazy that idea is and leave it at that. And indeed a lot of the people who think conservatives are Fascists wannabes are…well…lunatics.

But, it goes deeper than that.

There are also plenty of liberals out there who believe that conservatives are just evil people and if it’s eeeeeevvviiillllll, they believe right-wingers are into it. So Fascism? Sure. Are conservatives wannabe Nazis? Oh yeah. Election rigging? Sure. If there are charges made against conservatives, there are plenty of libs who will buy into it no matter how outlandish it is.

Then there’s another group of lefties out there who understand that Liberalism is very unpopular in America and that if libs are going to win on the national level, they often have to PRETEND to be conservatives. Just look at John Kerry talking how he’s really going to go after the terrorists, doing speeches on his “faith”, and running around doing his hunting photo-ops. But let’s face it, if the choice is between a “pseudo-conservative lib” and a real conservative, the leftie pretenders are usually going to lose. Hence their need to demonize real conservatives as “Fascists” or “Nazis”. If ya can’t beat ’em, make people think that you’re OK and that they’re monsters.

But, let’s not dodge the question: are conservatives “Fascists,” “pseudo-Fascists,” “Fascist-wannabes,” or anything similar?

Of course not.

Conservatives simply believe our ideology is better for the rich, the poor, men, women, minorities, immigrants, you name it, and the country in general than Liberalism, Libertarianism, Communism, Socialism, etc. In our view, a conservative philosophy is a big part of what made this country great and will continue to make it successful.

Furthermore, may I add that although Conservatism has had a resurgence, particularly since Reagan came into office, the country is much less conservative than it was at one time. If you look at the things that really define conservatism (not Republicanism) today, fiscal responsibility, small government, traditional values, a strict reading of the Constitution, and hawkish foreign policy, past conservatives like Jefferson, Washington, & Teddy Roosevelt are FAR TO THE RIGHT of big name conservatives like Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, William F. Buckley. So for example, to say that Ronald Reagan was a Fascist, but that someone John Adams isn’t is logically inconsistent. Heck, even “liberal icons” like Truman and FDR have far more in common with conservatives than liberals on national security and social issues (although of course, the same can’t be said about their views on the role of government).

In fact, the only thing the modern conservative movement truly shares with Fascism is a love of patriotic symbolism that has been around since the founding. Yeah, conservatives like to wave a flag just like Fascists do, but conservatives were waving that same flag when we turned the tide in WW1, smashed Fascists in Nazis in WW2, and followed Reagan to victory during the Cold War. Maybe that sort of open love of country rubs some people the wrong way, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s their problem.

So do conservatives want a dictatorship, do they favor government censorship of liberal views, do they want a centralized economy, or would they support throwing liberals in camps? The answer is quite obviously “no”. “Conservative fascism” is pure fantasy, just a boogeyman that exists in the minds of some liberals…

Endnotes:
  1. The Rise of Pseudo Fascism: http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2004_10_17_dneiwert_archive.html#109755467135245579

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