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An Open Letter to President Biden on Stopping Fascism [1]
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Date: 2023-03-17
American's most prominent fascist leader.
Background History
Both in America and globally, we are facing a second major world-wide wave of fascism. I’m quite sure our President recognizes this. But in looking back at both World War I and II, the dominant capitalist powers that aligned themselves against each other had no real willingness to understand their own role in causing these massive conflicts which cost a half billion human lives to crush, a truly staggering indictment of a capitalist system which knows only increasing the profit motive for the propertied classes as its moral and religious guiding light.
While we know that it never reached its socialist goals, the Bolshevik Revolution sent shock waves through the capitalist world after WWI, a world which had built massive wealth by both exploiting their own working classes and through massive colonial domination and exploitation of less developed countries in Africa and Asia.
There can be little doubt that intra-imperialist rivalries in Europe were the driving cause of WWI, rivalries which developed into a full-blown war and house of horrors, one which was only decided when the exhausted powers in Europe saw the United States, up until then untouched by the war, enter into it on the side of the Great Britain, assuring defeat for the Germany side and further destabilizing the Czarist Russian state.
Russia completely collapsed as a result of the first World War leading to the Bolshevik victory in Russia while Germany suffered a national humiliation at the Treaty of Versailles after being defeated. Setting the stage for the rise of international fascism after the global international capitalist system collapsed in 1929.
The goal of international fascism that rapidly developed in the 1930s was twofold, crush the rising tide of left-wing workers movements that had arisen and second, to build the dominant fascist countries into world powers that suppressed those workers movements both within the fascist nations and in the independence movements that arose in what became known as the third world.
Today’s Fascist Movements
Despite unheard of technological advancements, they have not been able to ameliorate the many negative consequences inherent under the capitalist system. Another opposing movement has been at play for some time in the Capitalist world. While propaganda against socialism has been mostly successful, the same progressive motivations and contradictions which drove the worker’s movement to oppose capitalist rule still exist, with opposition to the established order taking on a different impetus.
Coming from both segments of the better educated classes and from popular civil rights movements of the specially oppressed and impoverished classes, these progressive movements threaten “the divide to rule racial strategies” supported by many in the wealthier ruling capitalist circles and personified by 21st Century Republicanism, which has become synonymous with today’s fascist movement.
Why Fascism in the 30s failed in America
You might have wondered why America did not itself wind up backing fascism during the 1930s. While there are many reasons, perhaps number one was the actions and policies of FDR. While by no means a leftist of socialist himself, he was essentially smart enough to recognize the roll capitalist played in causing the Great Depression and was willing to stretch the limits of capitalist reform to keep the country from falling to its own version of Bolshevism. He was able to neutralize the fascist elements that were in place by thinking outside the box, eventually recognizing the power of organized labor so as to contain it within the Democratic capitalism system and keeping the masses on the side of government.
Such policies, updated for today’s realities, have not been followed today by the Democratic leadership, which will finally be addressed in the following open letter to the President.
An Open Letter to the President on Fascism
I’m old school in some ways, new school in others. I still like the medium of writing letters, it’s the next best thing to talking with a person.
On a positive note, you have pushed a number of very positive reforms and did not abandon Ukraine, an attack upon Europe and America, indirectly, ordered by one of the most authoritarian and fascist world leaders, Vladimir Putin. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Trump told Putin you’d do nothing to help Zelensky. I am, of course, both concerned and repulsed by any war with as many atrocities as this one, both for Ukraine and the reactivation of the cold war. But you were left little choice but to act in the matter. I also see that you are willing to act outside of the box. Much more of this is needed.
What is not needed is oil drilling in the artic. It will not be forgotten by environmentalist voters in 2024. It also reveals to me the undue influence of corporate oil interests on both parties.
I am absolutely sure that you are aware of the fascist dangers overtaking America and have a strategy to combat it. I wanted to share my own two cents as to the reasons why fascism initially triumphed in Germany and survived long enough to be responsible for the loss of tens of millions of lives, despite having a communist party larger than even the one in Russia at the time and a Social Democratic party that was larger than all others combined. Germany was also the most educated and industrialized country in Europe at the time, rivaling Great Britain. And was probably the least antisemitic of all the European countries. Yet if fell quite rapidly to control of the fascists, who were monsters in disguise as we later found out.
Fascist movements typically arise rapidly and can fall just as rapidly, but only after devouring human lives as if they were snowflakes in a Winter blizzard. Standard analysis blames both the effects of the Great Depression and the reaction to the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles for Hitler’s victory. And while they were indeed major factors, there was another fatal weakness that sealed Democracy’s doom in Germany.
A Lack of Unity Sealed the Deal
There was a shocking lack of unity of purpose and joint actions between the non-fascist center, social democrats, the independent left, socialists and the communists which left the path to fascism wide open. Even though the police were under the control of the Social Democrats, they were amazingly ordered to avoid confrontation with Hitler’s thugs. None of the groups opposed to fascism were open to compromise or joint action against the fascists.
I can understand your reluctance to engage in an all-out civil war with the fascists, but they, along with the corporate media’s help in concealing their true nature, barely failed in Trump’s coup attempt on January 6th. If they gain control of the presidency, they will surely launch a bloody purge in all governmental, Congressional and military institutions. And not one major plot leader, including Trump, has yet to suffer any consequences.
White Supremacy: the Source of American Fascism
It’s also important to look behind the MAGA movement and both understand how they came into being, and who controls and finances them. MAGA is the culmination of decades of political ignorance and alienation implanted in large segments of the white population. Which for decades were exposed to racially targeted anti-government propaganda and listened to the Republicans preach than any gains for oppressed minorities was due to liberal Democratic governments and at the expense of their white privileges. This was not taken nearly as seriously as it should have, especially since the Republicans openly renounced bipartisanship and demonized, in many cases all to successfully, the Democrats and the notion of Democratic government.
Who Finances Fascism?
Truth be told, most capitalist sectors are only interested in preserving Democracy if they are able to be the main influence as to government policies as it related to their interests. Which of course you know. Behind the fascist movement is the issue of which classes control the government’s economic policies. The MAGA movement was financed by many in the same capitalist classes your Party pledges open loyalty to.
As illusionary and false as the politics and promises made by the fascists are, they are being swallowed hook line and sinker by millions of Americans. The 60s — 80s represented a social movement for progress, it showed the good side of America and challenged injustice, the madness in Vietnam and the whopper level lies that flowed from governments on both sides of the aisle. We have a counter revolution under way which embraces all that is bad and criminal in America.
Whatever the economic system is called, there is always going to be a struggle to humanize it, as industrial as well as agricultural labor involves exploitation and underpaid workers to assure profits, the heroin of the capitalist world. Capitalism survives and depends on both privilege and exploitation; it does not know right from wrong or care about it. It is only the mass movements for progress that can force upon it a sense of humanity and morality.
Red Baiting
Poster from the 1930s.
Every time the Republicans insist Democrats are socialists, statements from the leadership have repeatedly bowed down and issued boiler-plate red baiting tirades either condemning socialism and even democratic socialism while they instead swear allegiance to the capitalism system.
Going as far as equating “free” enterprise with freedom itself and capitalism with democracy. Progressive members of your Party are profoundly disappointed every time we hear the same red baiting mantra repeated.
The New Deal era made many compromises in this regard, and introduced reforms that could have been labeled “socialist” according to the true meaning of the word. And in fact, were social reforms. Socialism may have failed in many instances to replace capitalism, but theses failures do not justify accepting the many failures and horrors which can be laid at the doorstep of capitalism as necessary evils we should tolerate for the greater good.
It’s time to expand the Democratic Party and accept ideas, class policies and practices that can accomplish what capitalism alone cannot and will never do on its own. To wage a greatly expanded campaign against both black and white poverty and global warming and find the resources to finance them and the industries and jobs that are sorely needed to support these goals. Failure to do so along with historic white supremacy and racism has led to the MAGA movement and allowed the Republicans to consistently avoid having to take responsibility for their crimes and lies.
MAGA only has worked as much as it has because the Republicans disguised it in such a bizarre way that it was believed by some to be a new movement, one that embraces their biases and motivates them. And Trump is admittedly a good snake oil salesman.
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