http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=72969075&f=119&p=532953810Quote
The tenents of fascism are certainly up for scholarly debate, but generally speaking:
Ultranationalism, emphasis on crime and punishment, obsession with national security, lack of regard for human rights, military supremacy, racial/ethnic scapegoating, disdain of an independent press, economic nationalism and protectionism, rampant cronyism and nepotism, erosion of separation of powers/authoritarianism
Trump's political behavior is consistent with the vast majority of these characteristics.
I dont see ultranationalism in Trump's words and action.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/president-donald-trumps-davos-address-in-full-8e14ebc1-79bb-4134-8203-95efca182e94/Quote (Trump)
I believe in America. As President of the United States, I will always put America First. Just like the leaders of other countries should put their countries first.
But America First does not mean America alone.
When the United States grows, so does the world. American prosperity has created countless jobs around the globe and the drive for excellence, creativity and innovation in the United States has led to important discoveries that help people everywhere live more prosperous and healthier lives.
As the United States pursues domestic reforms to unleash jobs and growth, we are also working to reform the international trading system so that it promotes broadly-shared prosperity and rewards those who play by the rules.
We cannot have free and open trade if some countries exploit the system at the expense of others. We support free trade, but it needs to be FAIR and RECIPROCAL.
Because in the end, unfair trade undermines us all.
The United States will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair economic practices, including massive intellectual property theft, industrial subsidies, and pervasive state-led economic planning. These and other predatory behaviors are distorting global markets and harming businesses and workers—not just in the United States, but around the globe.
Just like we expect the leaders of other countries to protect their interests, as President of the United States, I will always protect the interests of our country, our companies, and our workers.
We will enforce our trade laws and restore integrity to the trading system.
Only by insisting on FAIR and RECIPROCAL trade can we create a system that works not just for the United States but for all nations.
nationalist? definitely. but is it ultranationalist, in the sense of "to an unhealthy degree"? I dont think so. Imho, this is a healthy stance.
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emphasis on crime and punishment,
every strain of political conservatism is emphasizing law and order, enforcement and accountability for crimes and misdemeanor.
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obsession with national security
shared by pretty much every republican president who came before him during the last 80 or so years.
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lack of regard for human rights
a simple reaction to the political left's attempts of leveraging the concept of "human rights" into a weapon that forces unlimited third world immigration and submission under the values and customs of archaic cultures onto western democracies.
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military supremacy
striving for military supremacy has been the official military doctrine of the United States for at least the last 100 years, perhaps even longer.
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racial/ethnic scapegoating
perhaps. but note that the contemporary left tends to label any kind of criticism of foreigner/immigrant/minority crime and underachievement as "scapegoating" in an effort to discredit this criticism irrespective of its merits.
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disdain of an independent press
true, this is an aspect found in almost any fascist regime. but it's not something exlusive to fascism. and if we look at how historically hostile the press has been towards Trump from the get-go, I personally consider Trump's grudge/disdain for the mainstream press to be... if not justified, then at the very least understandable.
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economic nationalism and protectionism
the pendulum is simply swinging back after decades of internationalism and globalization. trump is the agent of this trend, not its mastermind or spearhead.
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rampant cronyism and nepotism
those things definitely apply to the trump administration, it's perhaps the biggest stain on his administration's record so far.
I dont know, however, whether cronyism and nepotism are really archetypical of fascist governments.
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erosion of separation of powers/authoritarianism
I'll concede the authoritarianism to you, if he could, Trump would for sure govern in a very authoritarian way. I dont see a true erosion of the separation of powers, the institutional checks and balances to me seem to be still intact.
This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Jul 5 2018 11:30am