Thoughts On The ‘F-Word’

Posted on by under Election 2024, Free Press Issues, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

It is only in the last month or two that I have discovered Joyce Vance and her writings.  Ms. Vance was a United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017. She was one of the first five U.S. Attorneys, and the first female U.S. Attorney, nominated by President Barack Obama.  She is intelligent, knowledgeable, and her writing is clear and concise.  She writes on Substack, which is where I first discovered her, and her latest piece is … chilling.

Can We Call It Fascism Yet?

Joyce Vance

02 June 2023

“Except for the relatively small number of Fascist sympathizers,” George Orwell wrote in 1944, “almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. That is about as near to a definition as this much-abused word has come.” Although political scientists have crafted more precise definitions in the ensuing years, the enduring image of fascism is that of the hate-fueled bully.

In a September 2020 interview, Joe Biden called his then-opponent, Donald Trump, “sort of like [Joseph] Goebbels,” a reference to Hitler’s propaganda chief during the Nazi regime. “You say the lie long enough, keep repeating it, repeating it, repeating it, it becomes common knowledge,” Biden explained. One aspect of fascism is repeating the lie until your followers come to believe it, accepting it as an obvious truth, something Trump is the master of.

In 2018, Madeleine Albright said in an interview: “We can’t have a leader that feels that he is above the law. The law and the rule of law is the most essential part of a democratic system.” Trump subsequently advocated for his supporters to use violence but sent federal forces to curb Black Lives Matter protests in American cities. He used the nationalistic slogan “Make America Great Again” and aligned himself with Christian nationalist groups that have little to do with Christianity.

Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power in advance of the 2020 election and tried to overthrow it after he lost, claiming it was rife with fraud—it wasn’t—while trying to install fake slates of electors to preempt duly elected ones and running an intimidation campaign against his own vice president to try and secure his cooperation. With the dismissal of his court cases and all his other plans coming apart, Trump tried to subvert DOJ and came close to installing as attorney general an unqualified environmental lawyer whose only credential was his willingness to throw the might of DOJ behind Trump’s claims of election fraud. It was a putsch attempt and Trump sulked like a child when it failed. Instead of ensuring a smooth transition to the new rightful president, he balked and obstructed and, apparently, took classified documents with him on the way out of the White House. He has continued ever since to act as a divisive force, motivated only by self-interest.

So reporting this week that Trump intends to target prosecutors and agents involved in the special counsel’s investigation of him if he regains the White House, identifying and firing them, comes as no surprise. But it seems to have mostly gotten lost in the shuffle of news about developments in the Mar-a-Lago case, despite the fact that it is equally deserving of our attention. Rolling Stone reported, “In recent months, the former president has asked close advisers, including at least one of his personal attorneys, if ‘we know’ all the names of senior FBI agents and Justice Department personnel who have worked on the federal probes into him. That’s according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter and another person briefed on it.” There you have it, the party of law and order, preparing to exact revenge on people pledged to work for law and order.

If law enforcement officials who are upholding their oaths to the Constitution and doing their job won’t be safe in a new Trump regime, then really, who will be? No one. Because in a country overtaken by a cult of personality, you never know on any given day when you’re going to run afoul of the leader’s whims. You could be the shop assistant who doesn’t have the right size shirt in stock or the chef whose meal Trump doesn’t like. You could be a grandchild’s teacher who gives an accurate but low grade. Really, you could be anyone. It doesn’t matter because once we install a leader who rejects a rule of law system of government in favor of one where all that matters are the momentary desires of the head of the cult, we are beyond the protections the law has traditionally offered people in this country from overreaching leaders. Trump has made abundantly clear his intent to dismantle that system if he gets another opportunity.

More from Rolling Stone’s reporting: “Trump has…privately discussed that should he return to the White House, it is imperative his new Department of Justice ‘quickly’ and ‘immediately’ purge the FBI and DOJ’s ranks of these officials and agents who’ve led the Trump-related criminal investigations, the sources recount. The ex-president has of course dubbed all such probes as illegitimate ‘witch hunts,’ and is now campaigning for the White House on a platform of ‘retribution’ and cleaning house.” Trump is the quintessential bully who doesn’t believe in the rule of law.

Trump has leveled specific criticism against FBI Director Chris Wray, his 2017 appointee, objecting to Wray’s failure to engage in a wholesale purge of people who are not loyal to Trump and threatening to fire him on his first day back in the White House if he wins in 2024. But Trump’s sights aren’t set exclusively on DOJ. He has gone beyond that, promising that top of the list for his revenge and retribution campaign against federal employees whose loyalty is to the Constitution, not Trump, is reinstituting “Schedule F.” Schedule F is an executive order that would make it much easier for him to fire federal employees across the executive branch, while also offering the ability to replace them with Trump loyalists (despite longstanding protections for civil servants against just this type of action).

From his earliest moments in office, Trump targeted employees whom he thought were insufficiently loyal to him, personally. The first one was then–FBI Director Jim Comey, who declined to give Trump the personal loyalty oath he sought, saying that his loyalty was to the Constitution. Comey was, of course, fired. The bookend at the conclusion of Trump’s presidency was his top cybersecurity official, Chris Krebs, who issued a statement calling the 2020 election “the most secure in American history” despite his boss’s claims of pervasive fraud. Trump fired Krebs on Twitter for contradicting The Big Lie.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s attention appears to have turned toward the Krebs firing, but it may have more to do with establishing Trump’s state of mind—proof he knew he’d lost in a fair election—than any new substantive lean in the direction of that investigation. It is nonetheless another significant marker on the path toward the possibility of an authoritarian America.

Personal loyalty oaths to the president aren’t how our country is supposed to work. Career federal employee jobs aren’t spoils of war for a president to hand out like party favors. There are political appointments like judgeships and executive agency leadership, but the folks who move the ship of state forward from administration to administration are career professionals. Like the prosecutors and agents temporarily detailed to special counsel investigations into Trump, they are supposed to have civil service protections. In a normal world, Trump would be unable to walk in and fire them. His plans to do so are sinister. Trump is threatening to fundamentally change the structure of our country so that it runs in a way that serves him and not the people. That, of course, describes Trump in a nutshell.

What’s still more sinister is that little, if any, attention is being paid to Trump’s clear intentions to lead us away from democracy if he gets another shot at the White House. Is it fascism yet? Even asking the question can draw criticism these days. But we have on our hand a bully who repeats his lies until they become accepted as fact, at least by his followers, and who eschews the rule of law in favor of personal loyalty to him. It’s a frightening picture for the future, a future it’s critical that we prevent.

We’re in this together,

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46 thoughts on “Thoughts On The ‘F-Word’”

  1. Estimates are that MAGAs constitute only 10% of the US electorate. There will be little if any irreparable damage to our democracy. However destruction of property and lives lost is another matter, as Trump is already lying and inciting on his social media.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I do so hope you are right, Tina! But yes, I think we’re in for a rocky time as the right runs to Trump’s defense over this, and future indictments. It seems that too many think that violence rather than civil discourse is the solution to our differences.

      Liked by 2 people

        • I do hope you’re right about that. Far too many of the January 6th insurrectionists have gotten a lighter sentence than they deserved, but lately there has been more accountability, so hopefully that will dissuade any plans for future violence. I’m concerned when I hear a member of Congress (Tuberville, I believe it was) saying of Trump’s indictment that “This means war!” … it’s an open call for violence, as are some of Trump’s recent statements.

          Liked by 2 people

          • Your concern regarding violence is warranted, Jill. Until swift and harsh punishment is dispensed for inciting and executing violence, those inclined will feel free to perpetuate it. We need to recognize that we’re living in a reactionary time (post the first Black President, rights for LGBTQ persons, etc.) and understand the importance of raising our voices in solidarity against violence, both personally and at the ballot box, without losing faith in the democratic process and in the morality of most Americans. We need to navigate this storm with strength, tenacity, and compassion, knowing that calm will ensue. We must not lose ourselves in this process.

            Liked by 2 people

            • Wow, Tina … I couldn’t have said it better!!! You are so spot on in what you said. We are living in reactionary times … I’ve long said that Trump and “trumpism” were, in part, a pushback against having elected a Black president not once, but twice! And somehow people feel threatened by the LGBTQ community, though I’ll never understand that! And more … there’s that inane “White Replacement theory” that was big news for a while, but is complete nonsense, and what does it matter the colour of one’s skin, or who they choose to love? It’s hard to remain calm, to “navigate the storm” these days. I have a low threshold for bigotry in any form, and bigotry in all forms seems to be spreading at a rapid rate here in the U.S. I like the way you think … I find that I AM losing faith in the democratic process of late, but you’re right … that will get us nowhere. Sigh.

              Liked by 2 people

              • I also have a low threshold for bigotry, Jill, and I must constantly remind myself that reacting to it is, as they say, an exercise in futility, as well as a concession of defeat. The bigot in turn reacts by digging in their heels. What’s needed is a 2-part strategy: (1) take nonviolent action to protect and preserve; (2) envision and manifest the world we want to create. We react out of fear. We act out of love. All emotion stems from either love or fear.

                Thom Hartmann noted in his daily report* today: “Tragically, persecution and violence have been at the heart of the fascist movement within the GOP since Nixon pioneered it in the 1960s.” And George Orwell said that fascists are bullies. Bullies need to be faced directly, not reacted to. And they can’t stand alone; they need cohorts to fuel their anger, which in turn provides a semblance of anonymity (e.g., the hooded Ku Klux Klan). I’m reminded of Dorothy Bryant’s book, The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You, where people in a village stand together and witness an attempted rape rather than try to stop it. Being watched, the rapist couldn’t complete his heinous act. A book you might appreciate (if you haven’t read it) is On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder https://www.amazon.com/Tyranny-Twenty-Lessons-Twentieth-Century/dp/0804190119

                Remaining true to oneself – to one’s essence – is difficult during troubled times, but this is what will define us as moral beings. Allowing reaction to hatred to define us would be conceding defeat. I’m walking the former path, not the latter. I expect you are, too.

                https://hartmannreport.com/p/what-is-the-endgame-for-a-party-of-922?publication_id=302288&post_id=127611226&isFreemail=true

                Liked by 2 people

                • I need to take lessons from you, for you are much calmer, more logical, than I. I tend to get angry and rant, even though I know there is nothing to be gained by it. Your way is much more likely to ultimately yield the results we hope to see.

                  Another way in which we are alike, though … I, too, subscribe to The Hartmann Report! Thank you for the recommendation of Timothy Snyder’s book … I did check it out on Amazon and downloaded a sample to my Kindle, which I’ll read when I get to bed tonight.

                  You make an excellent point, and yes … I think we are both staying true to ourselves, to our values, as are most of the people I know. It is just so easy to “punch back”, y’know? But, as I often say, I will not lower myself to wallow in the mud with them!

                  My apologies … your comment automatically went into moderation because it had two links, but I rescued it as soon as I saw it. And thank you always for your very wise words, Tina.

                  Liked by 2 people

                  • I do my share of ranting, Jill. It’s important to express emotions, because it’s what we choose not to look at that controls our lives. How we act on those emotions defines who we are. And isn’t Hartmann a gem? I share his dailies on all my social networks. It’s one way of taking nonviolent action. I’ve so enjoyed and appreciated our dialogue here. Love and light to you, my friend.

                    Liked by 2 people

                    • You are right … ’tis why I write, for if I had to keep all the angst inside I would explode! It’s something of a vent for me. Yes, I was so happy to find Hartmann and have downloaded one of his books, though I haven’t had time to start it yet. I’ve enjoyed our conversation too, Tina! Hugs to you, my friend!

                      Liked by 2 people

    • I mostly think so too, but what concerns me is the fact that nearly half the people in this country seem to be under the maga spell and I’m not sure how we break that spell before the damage becomes irreparable.

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Absolutely chilling. And I love Joyce Vance. I began following her during Muller time. The possibility of him – or any other rethuglican, for that matter, taking back office is frightening. And frightening that half of America is okay with this 😦 xx

    Liked by 2 people

  4. If Trump persists in this hysterical fashion and tries to purge to suit his fancy, he would have to make very certain he has the unconditional backing of not just his supporters but sections of the government infrastructure.
    Now it can be said there will always be those who will be ready to climb the ladder at any opportunity, there will be those who will stick rigidly to the system no matter what and there will be those fearful for their jobs and safety.
    That said there will also be those who will have concerns for the long-term stability of the USA as the nation was up until 10 years ago.
    And there will be the currently unanswerable question, or maybe the one which dare not speak its name.
    No nation has ever sustained a leader who is above the law, They either overreach themselves internationally or it all falls within.

    Liked by 2 people

    • If he were to follow his playbook from his first term, he would simply fire any and all who refused to sign a loyalty oath, as he did with Comey and others. Then he would replace them with loyalists and … BINGO … he can try most anything he wants. Last time, the Courts and the Constitution stopped much of his madness, such as the “Muslim ban”, but today … well, look at the Supreme Court … need I say more?

      I think that the number of people in our government who actually care about the future of this nation has dramatically decreased in recent years. Even most Republicans used to care … they just had different ideas on how to ensure a brighter future. But today? No, there is no way I can see Margie Greene, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy, Paul Gosar, Warren Davidson, JD Vance, or a host of others caring for anything beyond their own personal gain. THAT is what makes it so scary … there is no longer a national conscience. And the people of this country are wearing rosy-coloured glasses and listening to only the loudest voices. 1933?

      Liked by 2 people

      • Those weren’t the folk I was thinking about, and it’s not ‘today’ either.
        History sits there on its ancient chair, deep in the shadows, fingers quietly tapping as it counts up the fools and draws up the parallels, ones which are so misted up the past and the complexities you’d barely noticed them.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Hmmmm … how I wish we could be sitting across the table from each other, having coffee (or tea in your case) and talking into the wee hours of the night about such things! Your views are always so astute and you understand so much more about how things work than I do … I always learn from you, Sir Roger!

          Liked by 1 person

          • Thanks Jill for your confidence in me. I’ll try to keep it all balanced for you. (Just finishing a book
            “The Kennedy Withdrawal: Camelot and the American Commitment to Vietnam” by Marc J Selverstone- paints a more complex picture than the Kennedy ‘legend’ portrays).

            It would be great if we could all get together and throw the views back and forth over tea, coffee and biscuits.

            Still, we always have WP 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

              • It’s a new one about a year out. It doesn’t seem to have caused ‘waves’ but it does an excellent job at showing nothing is straightforward when it comes to international politics; so many factors externals and internal involved.

                Yes, despite it’s numerous flaws we will always have WP🥲

                Liked by 1 person

                • I just downloaded a sample of the book … I’ll let you know what I think! We hope we will always have WP … I can foresee attempts to stifle that somewhere down the road, but likely not in our lifetimes.

                  Liked by 1 person

                  • There are lessons there. It’s not just about Vietnam. It’s about the complications of government. Bear in mind those involved were talented and intelligent men too. Not backwoods yahoos misreading religious texts and waving guns.
                    The messages of any of these books is that the creatures like Trump and DeSantis if they continue on their paths, will fail, it will be messy though and others will suffer.

                    Liked by 1 person

                    • Others are already suffering from the decisions of Trump & DeSantis and I’d like to see both of them run out of politics on a rail! But I’m sure there are many others waiting in the wings to step into their shoes. When did lunacy get to be so widespread???

                      Liked by 1 person

                    • The republican nomination field is getting quite ‘crowded’ to use the BBC observation. This in itself is interesting because it suggests the Republicans are not the monoliths we have heard of, just that the Trump and DeSantis folk shout the loudest. Of course there will be the usual high rate of drop-outs, but it will depend where their supporters go, which is not necessarily behind another Republican.
                      When did it start?
                      Well, it’s always been there, each nation or community has its inherent lunacy simmering.
                      This particular one might have its roots in the Vietnam disillusion, coupled with the rise of Civil Rights and Liberties. In the case of the latter Liberals and Democrats did not take the reaction seriously, it became a source of comedy; Complacency set it.
                      And there was the rise of the arch stupidity- Conspiracy which corroded belief in Established norms.
                      Vigilance and Intelligence need to be constants.

                      Liked by 1 person

                    • Yep, it’s up to 10 now with more expected. Just makes it that much more likely that Trump will ultimately be the nominee, unless, of course, he is in prison, dead, or otherwise not permitted to run. In that case, presumably one of the pack will emerge as the new “leader” of the GOP. Might or might not be DeSantis.

                      Yeah, and it mostly boils down to bigotry, doesn’t it? Can I just go be a wolf now? I’m rather tired of hoomans!

                      Liked by 1 person

                    • Probably. But I wouldn’t say definite. There’s a road ahead and it’s thick with fog, and pot holes.
                      In the meantime Jill, keep on with the Jolly Monday, Good People Doing Good Things on Wednesdays and Songs. The world needs them all 🌳🌲🌻🌼🌷

                      Liked by 1 person

                    • True about the fog & potholes! Lots ‘n lots of both, I think. Thanks, Roger … sometimes I feel like those posts are just … fluff … not really meaningful … but you’re right. The world needs balance, needs to be reminded that there IS good out there! Thanks for your encouragement … it is much needed these days! And thanks so much for the ecard … I LOVED it!!!

                      Liked by 1 person

  5. With many Trump supporters happy to display Swastikas and other NAZI insignia during the 2016 election, I would sugget that it got to Fascist many years ago. Now they are ‘fine-tuning’ it for populist acceptance.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 2 people

    • One reply Americans should hurl at these warped individuals is ‘Malmedy December 1944’. Likely not that one in a hundred of them would know the significance, but their high profile political excuses makers should be called out.

      Liked by 2 people

    • True. And it’s even worse now … driving to the bookstore with my daughter a couple of weeks ago, I saw trucks with confederate flags and bumper stickers with swastikas. Sickening. I guess it’s true that when we fail to learn the lessons of history, we are destined to repeat it.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Pingback: Thoughts On The ‘F-Word’ | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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