Fascism is creeping our way. I do not know what else to call it. Even here in Franklin County. And unless we recognize its characteristics, its history and its menace to our way of life, it could well overtake us.
Let’s be clear. Fascism is a form of government. It’s molded on far-right, authoritarian beliefs. It maintains power by being heavy-handed, quashing opposition and increasing its grip over day-to-day lives. It is Donald Trump’s ultimate goal.
Why would anyone want to live in a fascist state? Well, the answer depends on which end of the stick you’re holding. If it’s the short end, you can be mercilessly deprived of your rights … even your life. If it’s the other end, you can be thrust into a position of power, wealth and dominance over others.
Whenever I compare Adolf Hitler and the German fascists of the last century to Donald Trump and his followers in this century, my Republican friends go ballistic. “Here we go again,” they scream. “Donald Trump is no Adolf Hitler.” To which I say, “Not yet. And certainly not for a lack of trying.”
It seems like forever ago when Donald Trump was president and standing by while violent white nationalists rallied in Virginia. Or when he instigated the infamous Jan. 6 assault on Congress. That was just a taste of the stirring of the stew of American fascism.
And it’s not just Donald Trump. There are those in Congress, the courts, the state and local government and the populace — even among my friends — who strongly support fascist ideas.
They may call them conservative, but fascist they are. They exude overt racism, unhinged conspiracy ideas, the endorsement of violence against public figures and the winning of elections even on the basis of bare-faced lies and dirty tricks. There are so many of these people that the Republican party prostitutes itself to encourage and embrace them.
Take the recent primary election for Franklin County commissioner. There were four Republican candidates running for two seats. Two of the candidates were incumbents and two were newcomers.
One of the newbies was connected to both state Rep. Rob Kauffman and state Sen. Doug Mastriano — at least that is according to the brochure I received from this candidate. Further, he seemed to be a good guy, as I have done business with him over the years.
The problem came when phone calls were made by fellow Republicans blasting one of the incumbents, President Commissioner Dave Keller, and asking that Republicans not vote for him.
I have been in politics my entire life and worked on many campaigns. Making calls to soil a fellow Republican has never been a tactic that I would endorse. Rather, calling potential voters to state my candidate’s qualifications or positions is fair game, but making calls to blast another Republican is just wrong.
It is my understanding that those involved are all good Christians, active in their churches and present themselves as true believers. Yet their actions just don’t wash.
The point is that those willing to do whatever it takes to win an election and to be in charge might just as well be living in the U.S. during the 1930s, when the inklings of fascism were taking hold around the world before World War II. The lessons of those years should not be shoved aside. We should strive to avoid making the same mistakes again. Unfortunately, not everyone gets it.
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But as much as things change, nothing seems to change. The fans flaming fascism then are the fans flaming fascism today. Throw ethics out the window. Take control at any cost. Those different are the enemy. Wear Christianity on your sleeve, not in your heart.
In the 1930s there was a growth of Nazi organizations in the United States, as well as reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan and alt-right groups. That surge runs today in the actions and words of Donald Trump. At that time Donald Trump’s own father was apparently arrested at a rally in a full Ku Klux Klan outfit and regalia.
And how we may have forgotten that well-known Americans like Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh praised Adolf Hitler as “undoubtedly a great man.” Even Lindbergh’s wife published a book where she asserted that totalitarianism was “The Wave of the Future” and an “ultimately good conception of humanity.”
Of course, Jews and foreigners then served the same role for U.S. fascists that immigrants, Jews, Muslims, African Americans, Asian Americans, the poor, and other minorities serve today. These people were then and are now painted as a threat to America’s greatness.
As much as a year after the U.S. was bombed at Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entered World War II, Gallup polling showed that 1 in 6 Americans still thought Hitler was “doing the right thing” by massacring Jewish people, according to a 2017 Washington Post column written shortly after the white nationalist rally in Virginia.
About 1 in 5 of Americans were convinced that Jews were a “menace” and agreed with Germans exterminating them, the column states. Even the Catholic priest the Rev. Charles Coughlin on his radio show repeatedly honored Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. Coughlin said that Goebbels’ drive for racial purity was the right thing to do. Coughlin went so far as to form his own political party with his candidate receiving over 1 million votes.
Just like today, fascist voices were mainstream news networks, writers, communicators, powerful business people, religious leaders, influencers and elected officials. These people argue for the abolishing of our democracy. They are still fighting to stop “the ignorant, the uninformed, the liberals and the antisocial elements” from voting, as the Washington Post columnist stated.
This is true right here, right now, at home in Franklin County. We have now seen with our own eyes what some political leaders are willing to do to win an election and take control.
Even the Republican commissioners over the mountain in Fulton County spent big dollars without tax-payer approval to explore the lie that the presidential election was stolen, and continued to do so after the court ordered them to stop.
What do people using these tactics want? Certainly not responsible citizenship and inclusive governance. The seeming purpose is to lead Americans away from democracy and toward a government where Donald Trump and his supporters hold the long end of the stick.
Donald Trump promises to “Make America Great Again,” as though it is no longer as great as it was when we walked uphill both to and from school. Donald Trump feeds on a sense of white victimhood, emphasis on political correctness, distrust for education, experts and expertise, fear of Jews and elites, and a need to support law and order as long as it applies to others.
I fear that democracy and our way of life might be far more fragile than we believe.
Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Dickinson College graduate, Pennsylvania System Of Higher Education (PASSHE) Governor, Shippensburg University Trustee, and Chairman of eLynxx Solutions. The firm provides enterprise-level cloud-software for communicating, specifying, approving, procuring, producing, reporting and activities necessary to obtaining direct mail, packaging, promo, marketing and all other printing. He is a board member, campaign advisor, successful entrepreneur, published author and commentator. He can be reached at[email protected].
