The Mussolini Method

Donald Trump resembles more and more — you can see and hear it every day — Benito Mussolini. Exactly the same kind of exaggeration or misrepresentation of what is happening in the streets of cities.

“We’re gonna have troops everywhere. We’re not gonna let this happen to our country. We’re not gonna let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden.”

The Governor of California and the mayor of LA have made it clear again and again that they can handle the situation and that the intervention of federal troops would produce riots. Trump sent troops and now there are riots. This is the methodology of a fascist. You claim there is disorder and immediately set about creating the disorder in order to be able to use military forces — as opposed to local and regional police forces — against citizens.

This is textbook strategy from the 1930s.

Here he is again: “A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by illegal aliens and criminals. Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents….”

Then you send out Federal Agents in a way that ensures violence.

The purpose, conscious or unconscious, is to create an increasingly authoritarian top-down system.

Eventually, different levels of high courts may intervene against Trump. Or not. But it will all be late in the day. The strategy of fascists is to go as fast as possible, knowing full well that the central characteristic of democracy and democratic institutions is that they move slowly and with consideration. Consideration is the enemy of power.

That is the difference between a citizen-based society and an authoritarian system led by a small gang.

As I keep saying, it is amazing to watch all of this from Canada. So close and so far. The hardest job over the next couple of years is going to be keeping it far. As far away as possible.