Pat Egenberger: Trump’s plan straight out of the fascism textbook

The Trump administration shares many of the characteristics of fascist regimes as studied by Lawrence Britt. Here are a few:

▪ Powerful and continuing nationalism (“America first!”);

▪ Disdain for the recognition of human rights (“Lock her up!”);

▪ Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause (Mexicans, Muslims);

▪ Supremacy of the military (increasing military budget even when we already spend more than the next eight nations combined);

▪ Rampant sexism ( “Grab ‘em by the p----”).

▪ Controlled of mass media (Everything Trump doesn’t like is labeled fake news).

▪ Obsession with national security (“Build the wall…”).

▪ Intertwining religion and government (Christianity is favored in many ways over other religions).

▪ Corporate power protected (“Tax cuts for already wealthy, powerful corporations; rolling back consumer protections).

▪ Labor’s power suppressed (so-called right-to-work laws; restricting rights to organize).

▪ Disdain for intellectuals and the arts (cutting funding for the arts; disdaining facts).

▪ Obsession with crime and punishment (Increasing penalties for drug possession; getting “tough on crime” though it’s decreasing).

▪ Rampant cronyism and corruption (Putting members of family in the cabinet).

▪ Fraudulent elections (Russian meddling, voter suppression).

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Pat Egenberger: Trump’s plan straight out of the fascism textbook."