Recalling your previous post on affirming vs disproving the fascist thesis, this certainly seems like one of, if not the most, affirming acts. A lot of people might immediately add “assuming it happens” to the previous statement, but I think we must stop doing that. This is what they want to do. Take them at their words if they are spouting fascist, unconstitutional garbage.
Yes. Exactly, John. Time to resist. Now only the Senate can execute a legal, constitutional check on these people. And they have only a month or so to do it and no sense of the importance of doing it. The Roman Senate didn’t fold until Caesar’s last dictatorship in 44BC, then lost the war against Caesar’s agents and lost the republic forever.
That’s the plan. His rallies with all the race baiting and American carnage talk, Project 2025, the ‘mass deportation’ convention platform…it’s NOT a secret. Miller’s fever dream of deciding who gets to be an American began in 2016 and now will finally come to pass. We knew about all of it when we went to the polls. (The first time and second time.) You betcha’ this is who we are.
Mr Anton bases his judgement on whether a judge were faithful to their oaths, which are to the Constitution, not on any reasonable reading of it but on a bet that a substantial number of citizens see Mr Trump as the living avatar of America…which if it were true meant that they unknowingly bear a lower opinion of the U.S. than does anyone on the non-radical Left.
What is the call to action for those of us who are looking for ways to resist? Where do we, can we, should we point our efforts now that Trump’s plans are starting to take shape and he has surrounded himself by all these minions? Sure, there’s the long game of “reforming” the Democratic coalition, but every time I think it can’t get worse it does! Interested in thoughts and suggestions.
Apologies if I've written this before, but: my twin fears are that I will do what seems meet—'chaining myself to the gates of the nearest detention camp' comes to mind—and that gets me and my wife imprisoned, pauperised, or dead , or that I will not do enough and have to live with that or put an end to myself.
There are organizations, like SIREN, that have been working on this stuff for a while, with lawyers on staff (and in their orbit). People who are serious about helping or resisting can start there.
How many times do we have to warn people what will happen only to have it come true? Human nature is to learn through experience, and sometimes that means learning the hard way, even if that has potentially devastating societal and individual consequences. Cassandra is an archetype, not a unique character.
I am incredibly cynical about this current moment, and like you, I'm searching for how to deal with it. If you want to be hopeful, I think we can be very grateful for our federalism at the current moment. If you live in a firmly blue state, then you have a lot more options to buttress the state and your practical, everyday life against Trump 2.0. If you live in a Republican controlled state or are dealing with an issue that unavoidably falls under federal authority, then I do not currently have any answers.
The trifecta Republicans just won makes many options inside the political system completely unavailable. My instincts point towards raising the costs for them to take such actions in other parts of life, but in a country in which a majority could not be persuaded (or bothered) to respond to such a blatantly racist and transparently fascist threat, I suspect that will be very hard to do, has no guarantee to even succeed in raising those costs, and will likely not come without potential personal risk.
So, bizarrely coincident with this election, I'm taking some time off from work. I was in the elevator talking with one of my colleagues who hadn't heard I was leaving. He immediately said "oh, are you getting deported now Trump's won?" (I'm a dual national: US/UK, white with a British accent). He was joking - a weird attempt at gallows humor I think? - but I have to admit that it's not a non-zero chance anymore.
This is an old desideratum: when I could last stand readings from the radical Right, c.2013C.E., it was a commonplace that all the immediately post-{Civil War} amendments were illegal, and some said the same of that amendment directing direct election of the Senate and so all U.S. law since.
Not to mention Grant’s sending the army into the old Confederacy to enforce the Constitution. When will the new administration do that—to expel “illegal” immigrants of course.
Am I one of them? Eventually yes. The last paragraph has been the dark presence sitting on my chest for two weeks. It's bad enough that it'll happen to marginalized populations first, but once you've established the activity, it's easy to shift the margin. I'm not near a targeted demographic at the moment but my political choices have already marked me as a domestic enemy by the man about to take office. And my job is largely funded by federal money so it'll be easy to cut that before they get to rounding up. But the answer to your last question for everybody is "Yes. Now or in the future."
It's cold comfort that the people who screamed the most about being rounded up into camps (see: Alex Jones), the military used against citizens, and tyranny were always full of shit and only cared whether they had the power when tyranny happened. When members of my family say, "We didn't vote for this," there will be some pleasure in answering, "Yes, you did." But I imagine that pleasure will be fleeting.
I'm retired military, spend time on military bases and see the troops.
I wonder how far Trump can push the military to carry out domestic round-ups or any other oppressive duties. Military officers trend conservative, but in the old Eisenhower way. By virtue of their duties and travel, they aren't usually narrow cultural chauvinists. The military is very diverse now, particularly with members from immigrant groups. An attack on birthright citizenship would be an attack on their families. Recruiting would get even more difficult.
Executives declaring emergencies to reach for powers outside of their ordinary remit is nothing new - Biden has done so to achieve (significantly less fascist-looking) policy aims. I have no doubt that Trump would ignore the law if he could, but whether Trump actually becomes a fascist in fact depends on whether he reaches for extralegal authority once stymied by the courts. Trump had four years to undo DACA and he could not even do that because when the courts said DACA recession was arbitrary and capricious he made a bunch of noise and then folded. I would consider the 14th Amendment question to be the bright line delineation as to whether Trump is actually fascist or just proto-fascist. Mass deportations of illegal immigrants would seem to be within the explicitly delegated statutory authority of 8 USC 1227.
Trump's thirst for power is not genuinely genocidal like Hitler's, nor does he genuinely believe himself the savior of the white race. He is at the end of the day simply a narcissist who wants everyone to tell him how great he is all the time. He was happy to publicly repudiate pro-life and Project 2025 positions when they proved unpopular with the American people - while Americans have mixed support for mass deportations - a whopping 47% (against 51%) want all (!) illegal immigrants deported [Gallup 7/12/2024], very few of them want Trump to denaturalize American citizens. What I expect is that he will make attempts to undo the 14th Amendment, have it thrown back in his faces by the courts, and go to the Stormfronters and say, "hey, I tried." Is that good? No. Is it an astonishing violation of constitutional norms? Yes. But is it fascist if he is just acting out destroying the Constitution for show, without any attempts to actually do so? I'm not sure. Certainly Hitler still would have been a fascist if he'd become a non-entity after the Beer Hall Putsch.
Per Arendt's Origins of Totalitarism, we can expect to see an ever expanding circle of blood poisoners as the mythical Golden Age doesn't return. The search for an external enemy never ends because the end goal isn't a state of being it's the eternal call to action.
Perhaps it's hysterics but I fully expect an invasion and occupation of northern Mexico at some point in order to stop the "poison" at it's source when deportation makes the economy worse. Perhaps we'll get some old school irredentism, a real "44'40" or fight" moment.
"...might furrow their brows and wonder aloud if this might not be the responsible move of a decisive statesman who has committed himself to deal with a national emergency. And so an exception is made. And then another. Then another. Then, either by dramatic coup or slow degradation, the state of exception becomes the rule."
Recalling your previous post on affirming vs disproving the fascist thesis, this certainly seems like one of, if not the most, affirming acts. A lot of people might immediately add “assuming it happens” to the previous statement, but I think we must stop doing that. This is what they want to do. Take them at their words if they are spouting fascist, unconstitutional garbage.
Yes. Exactly, John. Time to resist. Now only the Senate can execute a legal, constitutional check on these people. And they have only a month or so to do it and no sense of the importance of doing it. The Roman Senate didn’t fold until Caesar’s last dictatorship in 44BC, then lost the war against Caesar’s agents and lost the republic forever.
That’s the plan. His rallies with all the race baiting and American carnage talk, Project 2025, the ‘mass deportation’ convention platform…it’s NOT a secret. Miller’s fever dream of deciding who gets to be an American began in 2016 and now will finally come to pass. We knew about all of it when we went to the polls. (The first time and second time.) You betcha’ this is who we are.
Mr Anton bases his judgement on whether a judge were faithful to their oaths, which are to the Constitution, not on any reasonable reading of it but on a bet that a substantial number of citizens see Mr Trump as the living avatar of America…which if it were true meant that they unknowingly bear a lower opinion of the U.S. than does anyone on the non-radical Left.
What is the call to action for those of us who are looking for ways to resist? Where do we, can we, should we point our efforts now that Trump’s plans are starting to take shape and he has surrounded himself by all these minions? Sure, there’s the long game of “reforming” the Democratic coalition, but every time I think it can’t get worse it does! Interested in thoughts and suggestions.
I'm not sure. I'm not an activist or a politician. I'm just a writer. Maybe some of the commenters will have suggestions.
Apologies if I've written this before, but: my twin fears are that I will do what seems meet—'chaining myself to the gates of the nearest detention camp' comes to mind—and that gets me and my wife imprisoned, pauperised, or dead , or that I will not do enough and have to live with that or put an end to myself.
There are organizations, like SIREN, that have been working on this stuff for a while, with lawyers on staff (and in their orbit). People who are serious about helping or resisting can start there.
How many times do we have to warn people what will happen only to have it come true? Human nature is to learn through experience, and sometimes that means learning the hard way, even if that has potentially devastating societal and individual consequences. Cassandra is an archetype, not a unique character.
I am incredibly cynical about this current moment, and like you, I'm searching for how to deal with it. If you want to be hopeful, I think we can be very grateful for our federalism at the current moment. If you live in a firmly blue state, then you have a lot more options to buttress the state and your practical, everyday life against Trump 2.0. If you live in a Republican controlled state or are dealing with an issue that unavoidably falls under federal authority, then I do not currently have any answers.
The trifecta Republicans just won makes many options inside the political system completely unavailable. My instincts point towards raising the costs for them to take such actions in other parts of life, but in a country in which a majority could not be persuaded (or bothered) to respond to such a blatantly racist and transparently fascist threat, I suspect that will be very hard to do, has no guarantee to even succeed in raising those costs, and will likely not come without potential personal risk.
So, bizarrely coincident with this election, I'm taking some time off from work. I was in the elevator talking with one of my colleagues who hadn't heard I was leaving. He immediately said "oh, are you getting deported now Trump's won?" (I'm a dual national: US/UK, white with a British accent). He was joking - a weird attempt at gallows humor I think? - but I have to admit that it's not a non-zero chance anymore.
This is an old desideratum: when I could last stand readings from the radical Right, c.2013C.E., it was a commonplace that all the immediately post-{Civil War} amendments were illegal, and some said the same of that amendment directing direct election of the Senate and so all U.S. law since.
Not to mention Grant’s sending the army into the old Confederacy to enforce the Constitution. When will the new administration do that—to expel “illegal” immigrants of course.
If they’re choosing citizens, it’ll be white male christians. That’s it.
Am I one of them? Eventually yes. The last paragraph has been the dark presence sitting on my chest for two weeks. It's bad enough that it'll happen to marginalized populations first, but once you've established the activity, it's easy to shift the margin. I'm not near a targeted demographic at the moment but my political choices have already marked me as a domestic enemy by the man about to take office. And my job is largely funded by federal money so it'll be easy to cut that before they get to rounding up. But the answer to your last question for everybody is "Yes. Now or in the future."
It's cold comfort that the people who screamed the most about being rounded up into camps (see: Alex Jones), the military used against citizens, and tyranny were always full of shit and only cared whether they had the power when tyranny happened. When members of my family say, "We didn't vote for this," there will be some pleasure in answering, "Yes, you did." But I imagine that pleasure will be fleeting.
So well written and clearly laid out. My worst fear for the future of America.
I'm retired military, spend time on military bases and see the troops.
I wonder how far Trump can push the military to carry out domestic round-ups or any other oppressive duties. Military officers trend conservative, but in the old Eisenhower way. By virtue of their duties and travel, they aren't usually narrow cultural chauvinists. The military is very diverse now, particularly with members from immigrant groups. An attack on birthright citizenship would be an attack on their families. Recruiting would get even more difficult.
Executives declaring emergencies to reach for powers outside of their ordinary remit is nothing new - Biden has done so to achieve (significantly less fascist-looking) policy aims. I have no doubt that Trump would ignore the law if he could, but whether Trump actually becomes a fascist in fact depends on whether he reaches for extralegal authority once stymied by the courts. Trump had four years to undo DACA and he could not even do that because when the courts said DACA recession was arbitrary and capricious he made a bunch of noise and then folded. I would consider the 14th Amendment question to be the bright line delineation as to whether Trump is actually fascist or just proto-fascist. Mass deportations of illegal immigrants would seem to be within the explicitly delegated statutory authority of 8 USC 1227.
Trump's thirst for power is not genuinely genocidal like Hitler's, nor does he genuinely believe himself the savior of the white race. He is at the end of the day simply a narcissist who wants everyone to tell him how great he is all the time. He was happy to publicly repudiate pro-life and Project 2025 positions when they proved unpopular with the American people - while Americans have mixed support for mass deportations - a whopping 47% (against 51%) want all (!) illegal immigrants deported [Gallup 7/12/2024], very few of them want Trump to denaturalize American citizens. What I expect is that he will make attempts to undo the 14th Amendment, have it thrown back in his faces by the courts, and go to the Stormfronters and say, "hey, I tried." Is that good? No. Is it an astonishing violation of constitutional norms? Yes. But is it fascist if he is just acting out destroying the Constitution for show, without any attempts to actually do so? I'm not sure. Certainly Hitler still would have been a fascist if he'd become a non-entity after the Beer Hall Putsch.
Per Arendt's Origins of Totalitarism, we can expect to see an ever expanding circle of blood poisoners as the mythical Golden Age doesn't return. The search for an external enemy never ends because the end goal isn't a state of being it's the eternal call to action.
Perhaps it's hysterics but I fully expect an invasion and occupation of northern Mexico at some point in order to stop the "poison" at it's source when deportation makes the economy worse. Perhaps we'll get some old school irredentism, a real "44'40" or fight" moment.
Very well said John.👍
And the beatings will continue until morale improves.
"...might furrow their brows and wonder aloud if this might not be the responsible move of a decisive statesman who has committed himself to deal with a national emergency. And so an exception is made. And then another. Then another. Then, either by dramatic coup or slow degradation, the state of exception becomes the rule."
American exceptionalism as filtered thru fascism.