Guest Post by Eric Peters
Is this con really going to sell… again?
The neo-con intellectual Francis Fukuyama claimed the “end of history” after the fall of the Soviet Union. The ascendance – in perpetuity – of authoritarian democracy (there can be no other kind) as the new order of the ages.
But based on last night’s political happenings, it appears we’re going back a few chapters for a remedial lesson in other forms of authoritarianism.
Leave-me-be-ism is off the table. Very few takers.
Once again, the populace is presented with – take your pick – strutting, bullying fascism (in the form of America’s business-suited Duce, Donald Trump) or the rumple-suited friendly-sounding socialism of America’s take on Leon Trotsky, Bernie Sanders.
Such a nice old man! He cares about us!
Or (cue the Duce) he will lead us!
Heads or tails, authoritarianism always wins.
Trump promises – and will deliver – order. As his prototype, the Duce did. He will make sure the trains run on time. And many other such things. Thyssen and Krupp… GE and ExxonMobil. We are going to have a time! 
Sanders, meanwhile, promises an easy ride and Free Stuff – and will deliver that. By taking more of your stuff. By having other people ride your back. Bernie will hold the reigns.
All for the common good, of course.
It’s what both of them claim – as their historical antecedents always claimed. Give me power and you will not recognize the place ten years from now!
Certainly.
People continue to fall for this. Over and over again. It is astonishing. And depressing.
Doesn’t anyone read anymore?
No, of course not. Government schools have seen to that.
Oh, they read all right. Just certain things – and most definitely not other things.
They do not read that the difference between the authoritarian fascism of Italy (copied and recast with local color by Nazi Germany’s most fervent admirer of the Duce, ol’ you-know-who) and the authoritarian socialism of the Soviet Union under “Uncle” Stalin (interesting the way these authoritarian uncles show up both over there and over here) was like the difference between a Scion FR-S and a Subaru BRZ.
That is, cosmetic.
Badges and trim.
Different uniforms and titles; different salutations. But – with regard to the fascism and socialism – always the same relentless do-as-you’re-told (or else) authoritarianism. Whether das volk or the state or the Soviet people… it all amounted to the same thing. You, the individual, do not matter. Only the collective matters. It has rights. You have obligations. Occasionally, privileges. Always conditional and subject to being rescinded at whim by the collective (that is, by its leaders, who embody and channel the collective will).
As here, as now.
We’ve been lucky, sort of, in that the democratic authoritarianism of the past several generations has been milder and less organized. One could dodge it to some extent. There were interferences and hassles, but relative to the other authoritarian isms, we had it pretty good. That is changing at warp speed, because the people, by and large, now champ at the bit for the isms. It doesn’t matter which ism ultimately prevails as they amount to the same thing.
There will be order and leadership.
Your obligations will increase. Your liberty will decrease. Everything will be defined in relation to the collective good – as defined by someone like the Duce or Sanders or whoever the leader turns out to be.
This unspoken premise is now spoken of openly by Trump and Sanders – who agree in principle and are merely arguing over the particulars. The fools who cheer Trump are as nauseating as the fools who cheer Sanders. They are both being had – but we’re being taken along for the ride.
PT Barnum knew what he was talking about.
To be fair ,Peters left two of the main megalomaniac mass murdering instigators of WWII out of his political hit collage. Between the five, the allies mass murdered more civilians than Hilter, Mussolini,Mao, and Pol Pot combined.
[img
[/img]
[img
[/img]
Most of this diatribe describes Obama and the Dem. Party.
Peters must be channeling the Huff & Puff Post
[img
[/img]
FWIW: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/feb/09/astrology-new-hampshire-primary-presidential-election
we don’t know what any candidate would do as president since they tell us only what we want to hear. mostly what we’re hearing now are lies, as usual. didn’t barry soetoro teach us that lesson so recently?
frexample, i’ll give 5-1 odds that there will be no wall at Mexico 5-6 years from now.
free college for all is not coming.
vets will still get short shrift from VA
we will not stop waging war
illegal aliens will not be put out
ErIc, not your best. It reminds me of people who absolutely love nice, kind, generous ideas. That is, until they find out that idea originated in christianity, and then they blindly hate it, seek to destroy it, because, CHRISTIANS. Right now, we have an authoritarian system, rule by stateless corporations. And it is every bit as evil as any nation state has ever been. But you could never see standing up to them eric, because you are only capable of hate if you can identify a formal government. We have the perfect opportunity to clean house, a human wrecking ball named trump. Be thankful. Stop with the hitler bullshit. I can read that on Huffington post.
Been a long time since we’ve had an option other than one version or another of the same status quo.
But Trump now gives us that option. No matter how he turns out, if he is President it definitely won’t be just another version of the status quo.
If you favor the status quo vote for anyone other than Trump or just don’t vote (you think your vote doesn’t count? Well, if you don’t vote it most certainly doesn’t).
If you want try changing things, vote for Trump. He may not succeed, but he’s the only option that offers the chance of change.
“We have the perfect opportunity to clean house, a human wrecking ball named trump.”
———-starfcker
hahahaha!
Eric Peters was talking about people like you when he wrote above —- “People continue to fall for this. Over and over again. It is astonishing. And depressing.”
Sucker.
Stalin took power through murder. Mussolini was a newspaper man who took over at the head of a swarm of Black Shirt marchers. Hitler was appointed by a senile Hindenburg who was stupid enough to believe Hitler.
Trump is winning by VOTING. So that makes him a fascist…LMFAO!
Opinion: How Donald Trump could become president by making a deal
By Peter Morici
Published: Feb 10, 2016 9:56 a.m. ET
Offering John Kasich the vice presidency would show Trump is serious about getting things done
Convincing victories by political outsiders in New Hampshire demonstrate without doubt most voters are disgusted with both political parties. The electorate will probably make one of them — more likely Donald Trump—the next commander in chief.
Since 1976, just one candidate from either party has not won in both Iowa and New Hampshire (Bill Clinton in 1992) and still won his party’s nomination. While history clearly is not determinative, it can hardly be ignored.
New Hampshire Primary Results: Key Takeaways
(1:41)
With Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders easily winning victory in their party primaries in New Hampshire, WSJ’s Jerry Seib discusses where the two candidates, and their rivals, go from here.
On the Republican side, Trump won by a compelling margin in the Granite State over Iowa winner Ted Cruz — 36% to 12% — because he did well among both moderates and conservatives and most age categories, except the elderly.
Trump’s diverse appeal among Republicans and independents will be tough for Ted Cruz — who relies principally on religious conservatives and (with Rand Paul’s departure) libertarians — to counter beyond southern states. Perhaps not even those places — he is polling a bad second to Trump in South Carolina.
As for the very moderate Gov. John Kasich — endorsed in New Hampshire by both the New York Times and Boston Globe — he devoted enormous resources to that small state. With Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio still in the mix, he won’t have the money to mount a successful southern strategy but could do decently enough in many of the 16 states holding contests on or before March 1 to be a king maker.
With five reasonably viable Republican candidates — Trump, Cruz, Kasich, Bush, and Rubio — and a few stubborn stragglers all winning some delegates, it will be tough for Trump to gather enough delegates before the national convention to lock up the nomination.
The most logical target for one of Trump’s famous deals is Kasich, who unless he trips, should have a nice bundle of delegates to bargain.
Kasich, like Trump, is not an ideology-pure conservative — at least as measured by those who impose a litmus test, such as the National Review. Rather both are malleable personalities interested in workable solutions — for example, instead of denying poor folks health care for partisan reasons, the governor implemented the Medicaid provisions of the Affordable Care Act expansion in Ohio.
By offering Kasich the second spot on the ticket, Trump would show voters he is serious about finding help from seasoned politicians to deliver on trade, immigration, health care, and national security. On that score, if you can name a more solid candidate, then you can have my academic tenure.
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders whipped Hillary Clinton across all demographic categories, including women, except voters over 65, in New Hampshire, but she still has a commanding hold on minority voters who are much more important in Democratic primaries elsewhere going forward.
To ultimately prevail, she will have to continue to emphasize positions that younger women embrace— such as the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act — and issues important to African-Americans and Hispanics, such as police behavior and social issues beyond simple economic justice.
That should be enough to ward off Sanders and win the Democratic nomination but will push her into an awkward position for the general election.
Criticizing police tactics to adequately appease Black Lives Matters will alienate many white moderates. The notion that Hillary merits women’s votes simply because she is a woman was roundly discredited in New Hampshire.
Young white women, along with white young men, often can’t find jobs that make good use of their education or pay very well. And Democratic prescriptions like more taxes, further building out Obamacare, free trade and open immigration will not have the appeal of radical change offered by Trump.
If Trump moderates his rhetoric and with the help of Kasich polishes his pragmatism on taxes, health care, immigration, and national security, he offers both sexes what they want most — a change in direction from the slow-growth policies of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush and the promise of a more effective national security policy.
Enter President Trump.
Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist.
[img]
SpecOps,
What makes him a “Fascist” is that the ruling establishment is absolutely terrified of him.
An example: http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2016/02/09/new-york-daily-news-attack-trump-voters-as-mindless-zombies/
You see, if you oppose the establishment, or manage to present any threat at all to its power, you are either a Fascist or a Nazi, and probably a racist Islamophobe extremist too.
That’s the new definition of those terms.
Yeah stucky. I’m a sucker. Still wearing the idiot hat. Mine has a date on it. Let’s review next winter, shall we?
And stucky, when we finish politics, we can move on to economics, where I can really teach you something.
Voted for Perot, Buchanan, and Ron Paul, and in 2012 Nobody. Felt disenfranchised my entire adult life listening to people tell me who is going to win which results in no changes, endless “war–that isn’t called war”, endless debt, watching working class jobs go to Asia/Mexico for 20+ years. So who does Eric Peters think we should vote for, the purist Libertarian candidate that won’t mean shit?
Perot was correct on the “giant sucking sound” that was Nafta and the US debt. Buchanan is/was correct on the history of non-assimilated multicultural countries they all implode, civil war, or turn into 3rd world shit holes. Sanders and Trump both publicly stand again endless foreign wars and represent a sort of economic populism–although one is basically communism and Trump’s ideas so far seem more slogans than actual policy statements–but they still resonate. I’m all for the figuritve middle finger (Trump/Sanders) to all the Rep’s and Dem’s that keep voting for people like Obama, Romney, Bush Jr. Maybe voting is a waste of time, but I’m tired of watching the 2 heirs to the throne go through the motions each election cycle.
FWIW, no man ever assumes power sans the will of a majority of people. The problem with abstract Anarcho bullshit is that very damn few people will ever take the time to understand it, have the intellectual capacity to understand it , or can explain it , much less put it into action, therefore people have to be motivated by the carrot and stick appraoch. It’s just that damn simple.
Right now , the two choices are a more globalism versus a return to nationalism.At least that’s what’s being sold .You can beat your head agasint the curb all day, pining for some abstract idea of volunteerism that will never be or attempt to direct the flow according what serves the interest of the nation versus global mercantilism.
Neither TRUMP nor Sanders are revolutionary radicals therefore nothing will really change.. Trump may build a fence. Sanders will give away more stuff to the free shit army.Neither will challenge the debt monetary system , central banking or fractional reserve banking therefore TRUMP may postpone our collapse into economic oblivion . It will take someone like Hitler to take away the banking system from the financial elites.
“And stucky, when we finish politics, we can move on to economics, where I can really teach you something.” —————starfcker
Cool!! I’ve learned stuff from your postings, that’s for sure.
Sure, let’s touch base next winter! lol
bb,
Nailed it.
When I went in to renew my mortgage a year ago I had a very candid discussion with my banker. He admitted to me he no longer votes – when I asked him why he said “Because the politicians don’t run the country anymore – we do”.
In this sense politics has become akin to professional wrestling. Arguing over it is really nothing more than mental/political masturbation. Feels good while engaged but accomplishes very little as the direction we are headed – based on who we elect in any country – will at best be delayed but never reversed. In the 21st century politics are a side show. We already know the end game. In this sense Trump and the ‘hope’ he carries with him is an illusion. If he is elected he will only delay the inevitable. In some aspects he might make things worse. Time will tell of course.
Best you can do now is to enjoy your view from the platform… happy Wednesday everyone.
During the past 50 years the dominant American culture ( love it or hate it) has been destroyed by a thousand cuts. Now we have the much-vaunted diverse population that subscribes to a multitude of values, religions, languages, morals, and even dress. Many are in total opposition to one another. This is not the stuff of democracy, it is the stuff of constant and increasing and often ugly conflict. Take your pick of the -ism. A strong man is the only thing that will hold it together for good or ill. (Think Saddam Hussein.)
Great minds think alike..
[/img]
[img
“A strong man is the only thing that will hold it together for good or ill. (Think Saddam Hussein.)”
————– Gayle
Good post.
But, I think one of the best examples of holding-together-a-disparate-country was Josip Broz Tito.
From one country … to this;
[/img]
[img
I think the same will happen to the USA!USA!USA! in the not-so-distant future.
flash
Great pic ………. hmmmm …. a Free Shit Niggah endorsing a Free Shit Givvah ………. WHAT A SURPRISE!
Facism is much more in keeping with the grain of America than Socialism. For that reason, I would choose Sanders over Trump if the election boils down to that. Socialism would have great difficulty achieving ascendance in America — it is relegated to the fringes of society. Welfare and all the other socialist programs are used to placate and tranquilize those who can’t or won’t keep up.
Facism reaches for the levers of power, and as such needs to be resisted. Socialism reaches for a handout, and can be more easily controlled.
CLOWNism !!!!
[img
[/img]
It’s almost like someone somewhere from another time in history in a very Dr. Who kind of way has warned us about this….
[img
[/img]
flash, you said the WW2 allies had TWO of the world’s largest mass murderers. We can all figure out Stalin. Who are you saying is the other? Mao? Churchill? Need some clarity here. I’m guessing not Mao since you listed him later on in the comparison list.
Admin, if Trump picks Kasich to be VP, he is putting one foot into the grave and the other on a banana peel.
Trump should pick Gary Busey as his VP.
And here I am, just knowing that Trump was going to ask Jesse “The Mind” Ventura to be his running mate.
C’mon, he’s obligated to pick someone who was in the cast of Predator. That doesn’t leave many options.
Persnickety, was your 1:07 post sarcasm?
Peters is a perfect example of the sort of American who is totally clueless about the catastrophic situation this country is in. Trump is an authoritarian? Yeah, sort of. But if anybody at TBP is foolish enough to believe that this Humpty Dumpty can be put back together again and an omelet produced without breaking a few eggs, they are in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Sorry, my doctrinaire Libertarian friends. Heads are going to be broken, as well as arms and legs. The people who have ruined this country will have to face harsh punishment, starting with the imposter in the White House. Libertarianism depends for its success on a well-educated, orderly, intelligent population willing to respect the rights of others, sort of like the population we had in the early 1800´s. Not anymore. There is going to be repression and if the Progressives and those of their ilk are foolish enough to fight back, they will ground into powder. This is do or die time, friends. No half measures or this country is lost forever. Forget your pipe dreams of singing Kubaya around the campfire with the mortal enemies of America. Ain´t gonna happen. You can´t go home again and America will never again be what it was, but we can build a future if we forget nonsense like this article by Peters.
“Persnickety, was your 1:07 post sarcasm?”
It was not intended to be. Maybe I’m dense sometimes. Let’s think this through:
WW2 “allies”: UK, France, USSR, USA, China under Chiang Kai-shek, various minor players.
Of these, Stalin is a well known mass murderer. Mao Zedong was not leading China at this time. So who is flash naming as the second major mass murderer among the allies? Churchill? A very bad man in some ways, but debatable whether he should be called a “mass murderer.” FDR? Very bad things in terms of the bombing of Germany, but could be argued as part of the war effort. Truman? Late to the game, nuked Japan, but the body count of those two cities is (sadly) not that high in the global track record of mass murder. Gen. Eisenhower? Are you familiar with how German POWs and civilians were treated after the war ended? Arguments could be made, body counts are hard to determine.
OK, going back for reading comprehension, I see that Stalin was already listed and flash’s photo shows Churchill and FDR as well (Yalta conference), so I assume that’s who he is pointing the finger at. Not sure I quite agree. Churchill and FDR did some very bad things, but not in the same league as Stalin.
They say we laugh at what hurts us. I am sorry, but Stucky’s “clownism” post @ 12:33 PM made me LMFAO.
Ehh the kings men already order us peasants around, so do I think the kings men under Trump will be worse ? I gotta say, im not convinced it will be. He might even ease up on the yoke.
However I would like to see a list of advisors and who he plans on appointing to positions of power, before deciding how big a threat to my well being he his.
Persnickety, for clarity ( and I did word it wrong) Stalin , Churchill and Roosevelt are,(all totaled and not just limited WWII ) responsible for more civilian murders, than Hitler, Mussolini , Mao, and Pol Pot combined via carpet bombing ,starvation campaigns and slave labor camps. Roosevelt was in all things but name practically a dictator himself. The evil communist bastard couldn’t have died soon enough.
Anon was I..
Over three million civilians starved to death whilst Churchill refused to send food aid to India. Instead, Churchill trumpeted that “the famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits.” Churchill intentionally hoarded grain to sell for profit on the open market after the Second World War instead of diverting it to starving inhabitants of a nation controlled by Britain. Churchill’s actions in India unquestionably constituted a crime against humanity.
Churchill was also one of the greatest advocates of Britain’s disastrous divide-and-rule foreign policy.
Again , anon was I flash..WTF with wordpress?
Trump is a reforming Liberal; he had a come to your senses experience. He has some rough edges but he is from NYC, give him a break. He loves America, he has a big generous heart, he strongly believes in Common Sense and Individual Responsibility and he hates the Rockefeller NEOCON RINOs (and that means “You’re Fired”). His best endorsement is they hate him. He says he will defend our Security, protect Christians, work to restore American Industry and I believe he will flush Obama’s Executive Orders and policies to where Obama belongs too. He is smart so I bet Megan Kelly has taught him to make his words sweet or some sweet thing will make him eat them. Putin respects Trump; do you think Putin will ever say that about Obama or Sanders? Pray for the man because he will be the next POTUS.