Liberal Fascism: A Discussion


Liberal Fascism: A Discussion of the book by Jonah Goldberg

Intro and Chapter One

Jonah Goldberg repeatedly, almost ad nauseum, provides caveats that he is not calling any contemporary (liberal) figure a genocidal dictator, a Nazi, a murderer or a rascist.  I’m only going to say it once.  I’m reviewing the precepts contained in an important book.  If I think someone is a Nazi or Nazi-like, I won’t hesitate to say so.  However, it is not to be inferred from the following comments and I won’t waste my time responding to anyone who mistakenly sees themselves or their hero described herein.

Goldberg’s book was copyrighted in 2007 which means it was being written during the heart of the G.W. Bush years.  Mr. Obama had barely come on the scene and is only mentioned by name twice in the book.  Yet, Goldberg not only nails him cold, but the author’s comments are prescient as to the entire playbook of the leftist agenda.  I guess with Saul Alinski’s “Rules for Radicals” around it’s not so hard to pinpoint modern leftist political strateeegery (as Limbaugh puts it), but the accuracy of what came to pass only a few short months after the book’s release is uncanny.

Take this from page 14: “…liberalism today sees no realm of human life that is beyond significance…”, i.e. the post-Vietnam (in the U.S.) “everything is political” leftist meme.  As examples, he suggests further, “Sports, entertainment, your inner motives and outer appearance, all have political salience for liberal fascists.”  Almost a Nostradamian take on the Rush-NFL mess.

Obama is as predictable as the sunrise to Goldberg.  Later on in the same paragraph, he states, “…liberal fascists speak of a “Third Way” between right and left where all good things go together and all hard choices are “false choices”.  This is almost verbatim of Obama’s oft repeated accusation that we are dealing with “false dichotomies” when it comes to difficult trade-offs.

On page 15 Goldberg nails the left’s elevation of statism/fascism to the level of a secular religion complete with quasi-theological jargon.  Hillary’s “politics of meaning” and Obama’s “Hope and Change” are obvious examples.  If there were any doubts about this, Obama’s constant deification by the minion media and portrayal as some kind of latter day religious saint come to save us from ourselves should be enough to dispel it.

Speaking of syndicalism and the importance of Sorel’s myth-making as a means of motivating and captivating the masses, he again describes the NPR crowd with amazing accuracy.  From page 38 he reveals that “…a small cadre of professional intellectual radicals – who were prepared to reject compromise, parliamentary politics, and anything else that smacked of incremental reform – were indispensable to any revolutionary struggle.”  Does that sound eerily like the current playlist of healthcare reform, the stimulus package, cash for clunkers and everything else this administration is trying to cram down our throats without “compromise” or “incremental reform”?  It should.  It could easily be a contemporaneous description of Obama, Emanuel, Pelosi, Reid, et al in some sort of wild-eyed socialist planning session.

Moving on to page 43, Goldberg describes another favorite weapon in the libs arsenal of national self-destruction, “…its’ tendency to maintain a permanent sense of crisis.  Crisis is routinely identified as a core mechanism of fascism because it short-circuits debate and democratic deliberation.  Hence all fascistic movements commit considerable energy to prolonging a heightened state of emergency.”  Rahm Emanuel call your office.

Citing the program of Mussolini’s Fasci di Combattimento, page 46 looks like a talking points memo e-mailed from the DNC to its’ unholy minions yesterday.  Included are, briefly, enactment of a minimum wage, strict regulations on land use, a huge tax on capital, the nationalization of many industries, confiscation of the wealth of the church and on and on.  Coincidence?  Somehow I don’t think so.

Moving along to page 51, when describing the doctrinal Fascist economics which Mussolini was finally called upon to put on paper, that too had a strangely familiar and contemporary ring.  Goldberg states, “…it looked fairly recognizable as just another left-wing campaign to nationalize industry, or regulate it to the point where the distinction was hardly a difference.”  Pay close attention to this latter description.  It really doesn’t have to meet some lawyerly burden of proof to be a gubmint take-over, it only has to result in ultimate gubmint control.  You can call it “a co-op”, “ a single payer system”, “the public option” or “Santa Claus”, but if it results in gubmint control it really doesn’t matter, now does it?

What a huge indictment of modern day liberalism – and we’ve only covered the Intro and Chapter One of Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism.  One could conclude from this brief discourse that modern liberalism is far more deserving of the moniker “Fascist” than almost any brand of conservative.  Stay tuned next week for Chapter Two, “Adolph Hitler: Man of the Left”.      



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22 Comments Leave a comment

Am reading it BUT see my 08 Post here

reelman (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 5:05PM EST (link)

REMEMBER THIS 2008 BHO POST?

XERXESONE.jpg

The cold angry radical surrounded by cold angry radicals…by June many Obama voters will be shocked and ashamed. Remember how well democrat Jimmah Carter (with demo congress) handled the economy? Well, look it up…a nitemare for our country. Do it now… before the “excuse train leaves the station”.

The most liberal administration in history will show you what secular socialism looks like…kooks on parade…the 57 million in the conservative resistance will watch…we warned you over and over these people are dangerous to any country… be very afraid…
now you will be scourged with radical socialism and its gonna hurt for a long long time.

==========
UPDATE JUNE 3.2009: Venezuela Chavez says ‘Comrade’ Obama more left-wing…

UPDATE OCTOBER 2009: The economic meltdown response is to want another “STIM” of borrowed megabillions. Current priorities are to reform pot laws and cry about Fox News. Tell us again that secular socialism is the way to go. Tell us. The nation is circling the drain and here we are…with J. Carter Obama and his band of arrogant kooks. The national scourging continues.

http://conservablogs.com/theconservativecrawfish

“Ignore what is said, watch what is done”
The problem is congress…is congress…
Secular Socialism is never the answer…
“This is where we hold them, this is where we fight”
The “reelman” in central Louisiana

Conservativecrawfish is a great site

Warrior (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 6:19PM EST (link)

And of course your comments were great then and spot on now.

My diary is a realization of the nascent effort begun last week to start a sort of online conservative book club on RS. I sent the file to the RS moderator hoping he could use it on the front page to start the discussion or at least remind him of it, but I received no reply. We had agreed last week to begin today with the intro and chapter one of Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg.

Maybe everybody is too busy. Thanks for your comment though. If more people understood the history of these kinds of movements, two things would happen:

1) Obama and the Dems would have to discard the matle of “fresh”, “new”, “progressive” and all that jazz and

2) they could never win another election — as liberals or progressives — because everyone would know them by their real name — fascists.

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

 
 

MORE PROOF..THEY DUNN IT

reelman (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 6:48PM EST (link)

LYING LEFTY DUNN IT

Imagine any national political figure saying that Mao was “one of their two favorite philosophers and one of the two they turned to most”…my God, what evidence democrat Anita Dunn is a kook secular socialist. Why not say Hitler, same thing without the WW2? Mao was THE biggest mass murderer EVER. Tens of millions died by his orders. Her high school audience did not know that? Maybe not these days.

Of course, being a sneaky slimy lying secular socialist…she (are you ready for this?)…says she got it from something she read that a Republican said!!! Like Lee Atwater was her philosophic guide! What a diaper full. You, being a dufus, are expected to realize this was said in
humor and from someone else.

Always remember the arrogant modern national democrat has no moral or ethical boundaries. Now it all makes sense.
Will CNN fact check her? You find that quote from Atwater yet? What does that tell you? Its that “no boundaries” thing again. Its what they do.

http://conservablogs.com/theconservativecrawfish

“Ignore what is said, watch what is done”
The problem is congress…is congress…
Secular Socialism is never the answer…
“This is where we hold them, this is where we fight”
The “reelman” in central Louisiana

 

I like your review

Joe Cor (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 6:52PM EST (link)

and think you have drawn excellent parallels between Goldberg’s book and the current actions by the left.

I was struck by how the Italian Fascists believed in the power of myth, and that even the truth of Marxism was secondary to its being a useful myth. That resonates with the left in this country on almost every issue, starting from Vietnam, to Anita Hill, to Florida 2000, to Iraq, to Global Warming, to the libeling of Rush. The myth is all-powerful to the left, and the myth must be clung to, even when the facts clearly fly in the myth’s face. When the myth is demonstrably false, it still represents some underlying truth, so the facts are irrelevant(Like made-up quotes attributed to Rush, or Dan Rather’s Memogate, or Anita Hill’s charges). Or, it can be utilized to mobilize the masses toward a greater good (like global warming mobilizing being a tool to create a planned economy) so it still has an underlying “truth.”

Perhaps this is one reason liberals are so hard to argue with. The myth is what is real to them, and the facts, to the extent that they dispel the myth, are irrelevant.

naw liberals are hard to argue with because

kyle8 (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 6:55PM EST (link)

they are stupid.

“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle

Or it could be that.. (LOL) nt

Warrior (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 7:04PM EST (link)

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

 

No - It's Because Deep-Down They're Evil (nt)

IJB Monday, October 19th at 7:25PM EST (link)
 

Joe, thanks for your kind words

Warrior (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 7:03PM EST (link)

and excellent points.

Octagenerian Castro wearing military style fatigues? Keeping the myth alive.

Cap and Trade legislation? Just mobilizing the myth as “a tool to create a planned economy” (or to milk the current one dry to pay for ever-increasing gubmint.)

Preach on my brother!

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

 
 

Well, when I studied economics, and politics

Leopard1996 (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 7:06PM EST (link)

Facism, communism, nazism, socialism, is all different sides of the same coin. All of those ism’s call for a strong central government to control and limit individual freedoms.

“The accumluated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout, “Save Us!”….and I’ll look down and whisper, “No”…The Watchmen

You nailed it Leopard

Warrior (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 8:29PM EST (link)

And it’s all done in the name of John Stuart Mills’ “Greater good.”

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

I hope starting with some of these gubanatorial elections

Leopard1996 (Diary) Tuesday, October 20th at 6:53PM EST (link)

That these politicians learn that the greater good is leave us the hell alone.

“The accumluated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout, “Save Us!”….and I’ll look down and whisper, “No”…The Watchmen

HA! You got that right! nt

Warrior (Diary) Wednesday, October 21st at 10:32AM EST (link)

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

 
 
 
 

You nailed it, Warrior

newsentinel (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 7:23PM EST (link)

Goldberg was prophetic. As I read his introduction I felt as though I was reading today’s newspapers. I confess that I had a hard time writing my thoughts on Liberal Facism. But you made it look easy. Well done, Warrior.

Thanks Newsent

Warrior (Diary) Monday, October 19th at 8:33PM EST (link)

Sorry, my weary mind accidentally used your title in my response above to Leopard. It’s hard holding down a full time job and fighting off the fascists at the same time…

And thanks again for the accolades. If I have a few fresh synapses available, I can usually cull out the more relevant points…

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

 
 

Keep up the discussion

Elizabeth (Diary) Tuesday, October 20th at 9:29AM EST (link)

Hi Warrior,

Thanks for getting this discussion rolling. I’m about 2/3 of the way through the book and would love to discuss it. Unfortunately, I’m buried in work at the moment, so can’t say much for now. However, keep going with blogging the next several chapters and I’ll try to jump in more later.

Thanks again!

“‘You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,’ said Aslan. ‘And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.’” — C.S. Lewis’ “Prince Caspian”

"Elizabeth, it's the big one, call the doctor!"

Warrior (Diary) Tuesday, October 20th at 10:01AM EST (link)

Sorry, I couldn’t resist a little Fred Sanford.

Thank you for your kind remarks. I have already read the book, but I am re-reading it to be prepared for the discussion.

Unfortunately, it never came. I tried to alert the RS moderator, but he was too busy. Conservatives leaders do have important business to which we must attend, like getting conservatives in and liberals out.

Anyway, I guess I’m stuck with it for now. I will continue to post each Monday on the next chapter or chapters, depending on their length and/or relative importance.

In the meantime, I look forward to your comments and thanks again…

P.S. I love C.S. Lewis. It would be fun to review “The Screwtape Letters” and enlightening, too.

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

"...to which THEY must attend..." nt

Warrior (Diary) Tuesday, October 20th at 10:02AM EST (link)

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

 
 
 

Nice review Warrior.

The_Gadfly (Diary) Wednesday, October 21st at 9:05PM EST (link)

I’ll be working from memory for anything I post as the copy that was loaned to me by a friend has subsequently been loaned to another friend. I was reading it in the middle of the campaign and noting the same thing: even though the book couldn’t have been written in anticipation of The Big 0, it described his positions and desired courses of action perfectly.

I’m pretty sure that like everybody else, Goldberg was expecting Hillary to be the nominee. But as I said last year, it had come down to a choice between a Socialist, a Marxist, and a Democrat, so I would reluctantly vote for the Democrat and take some (very little) solace in the fact that there was an ‘R’ after his name on the ballot. Since the differentiating a Socialist from a Marxist from a Fascist proper (as opposed to the merely slanderous description routinely applied to conservatives) is largely a philosophical exercise on par with deciding how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, in laying out the case against the “uniquely American brand” of fascism that has been the Progressive movement since at least the 1920s, the descriptions, methodologies, and goals Goldberg describes will always describe a Democrat administration.

It was also in the middle of reading this book that I came to the realization that the real solution to our current problem is to drop to our knees and pray. We aren’t fighting against The Big 0, or his administration. We aren’t fighting against something that happened over the last decade. What is extending its cold hand toward us is a power and a movement that have been gathering strength and momentum for more than 80 years. Yes, we must man the ramparts to defend The Republic, but only the power of God can stop the forces which have inexorably been moving against us all that time.

Chilling, Gadfly

Warrior (Diary) Thursday, October 22nd at 6:53PM EST (link)

but I’m afraid, quite true. Much of our country’s population has been reduced to “Sheeple” by an endless array of excuses, hand-outs and entitlements. Very few seem able to grasp the simplest concepts, e.g. the gubmint has no business setting salaries, owning car companies, “providing” health insurance, etc, etc.

And thanks for your encomia regarding the review…

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

 
 

Good Review. Good Beginning.

abbynormal Thursday, October 22nd at 10:35AM EST (link)

I started this book a couple of months ago, then set it aside to read “Atlas Shrugged”. Now, I look forward to taking it up again, and gaining new insight with the benefit of this shared discussion.

abby, responded to your post below

Warrior (Diary) Saturday, October 24th at 12:17PM EST (link)

I must have hit the wrong button…

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma

 
 

Thanks Abby

Warrior (Diary) Thursday, October 22nd at 6:54PM EST (link)

Q: “…and whose brain DID you bring me?”
A: “Abby something…”

“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma