Is Donald Trump flirting with fascism?

[Freelancer]

Let's look at a basic fascism check list (mostly based on Wikipedia entries).

√ Anti-liberal -- Once espoused some liberal views, but now claims to be totally reformed, comparing himself to Reagan.
√ Anti-communist -- Billionaire, duh.
√ Anti-conservatism -- Calls opinions and work of the likes of George Will and Charles Krauthammer worthless.
√ Rebirth paradigm push -- Even his hat says "Make America Great Again."
√ Myth of decadence push -- Repeats "The American Dream is Dead" whenever he speaks.
√ Nationalist push -- build a wall, and make the Mexicans pay for it -- China's drinking our milkshake -- yada, yada.
√ Embrace of militarization -- "We'll put boots on the ground and kill ISIS by taking its oil" (paraphrased).
√ Claim of unique leadership qualification -- "Because I'm so rich, no one owns me."
√ Enthralls and mobilizes disaffected masses -- 24 million people tuned in to the Trump debate.
√ Charisma/narcissism -- Rattles off a seemingly endless list of self-glorifying claims, in the third person, at every
opportunity (and he isn't even addressing us from a balcony, wearing brocade epaulets, yet.)

Opinions?

[Cleita]

1. No. But the club he has decided to join is there, a long time ago.

I wonder if he realizes what to do? Killing and hanging uncooperative members from meat hooks, that kind of thing. But maybe keeping himself in front of the TV media, keeps him from meeting his doom.

[shenmue]

2. Rampant sexism is also a tenet of fascism

He does that too.

[Freelancer]

5. Too true. America has been on that footing... well, forever, though - nt

[madamesilverspurs]

3. Flirting?

Well, he brought it flowers, bought it dinner, took it to the dance, copped far more than a feel, and is now expecting breakfast. In other words, he's way past flirting.

[Cleita]

4. Good one. Thanks! eom

[Freelancer]

7. Good one. LOL! So how long should he wait til he texts? - nt

[Hekate]

8. GMTA! Thanks for saying it so well. What a megalomaniac he is. nt

[Hydra]

6. Trump himself? No...

But I doubt he'd have any problems with it if he ever got in on the action. Stalin graduated from bank robbery to mass murder for profit pretty easily, and managed to cultivate the image of being charismatic leader. It's all in being soulless.

[olddots]

9. He ocasionally flirts with being coherent

[underthematrix]

10. I don't think he's flirting

[walkthewalkorstfu]

11. America has been flirting with Fascism since 1981

it gets worse and more blatent when a Pub is in office, when a Dem is in office it is less blatant but still out there.

Trump is just a reflection of the times.

[Freelancer]

15. America is a long-time candidate for fascism, but never completely tipped. Here's my take...

At the heart of fascism, IMO, is anti-intellectualism. America has always been anti-intellectual to a large degree, so we've never elected a whole crop of them to govern us at once. Because of that, no unilateral intellectual backlash. If we ever had a perceived intellectual elite in power for a sustained period, a fascist could step in and say "look at where the brainiacs have brought you. You don't need brains -- you need balls! These balls!" (Mussolini quote? Or Trump?). That hasn't happened yet. Although, if a fascist found a way to harness national rage by conflating intellectualism with party politics and politicians in power in general, then that fascist would be off and running. IMO, we need to always be watchful for that.

[Frank Cannon]

16. America hasn't always been anti-intellectual.

I grew up wanting to be an astronaut. EVERY boy did back then. And we all knew that you had to be smart as hell in order to do that.

Then the space race fizzled out, Ronald Reagan became our intellectual standard bearer, and yeah, it's pretty much been a race to the bottom ever since.

[Freelancer]

17. With you to a point, but Astronauts originally were more like Race Bannon than Dr. Benton Quest

I don't think Quest types ever made it to space. They had to watch from the ground as test pilots in Thinsulite did the things they dreamed-of and made possible. That's a generalization, of course. I didn't track the career of every astronaut and cosmonaut. I do remember Laika, though.

[Frank Cannon]

18. I remember hearing that Buzz Aldrin did calculus equations in his head...

while practicing docking maneuvers in the Gemini program. My friends and I all thought that was So. Frickin'. Cool!

[foo_bar]

12. Trump doesn't worry me for that particular reason

I know, famous last words, but he is just channeling the idiocratic zeitgeist, he could as well be the Duck dude or Geraldo. Walker on the other hand has basically adopted 1930s austro-fascism or worse as conventional wisdom, like "unions" and "terrorists" are one and the same problem in his worldview.

[Freelancer]

14. Yes, there's something dark about Walker -- in a more pronounced way than the other Repubs

Here's an image I did of him threatening a planet, in Imperial Star Wars garb:

[CBGLuthier]

13. He is a republican isn't he? The whole lot is flirting with fascism and have been for years

[PowerToThePeople]

19. Flirting?

They have been outright fascist since before they murdered JFK.

[GoneOffShore]

20. Flirting? Flirting? He's making out and tongue kissing. He's already at 3rd base. n/t

[GliderGuider]

21. Of course he is. But then so are all credible political candidates.

The current socioeconomic structure of the world is inherently fascist, and any politician who supports the current state of affairs is making overtures to fascism. Any pol who does not support the current state of socioeconomic affairs is by conventional definition "not credible". No matter what country they are in, no matter what apparent political system or political subdivision they self-identify with.

IMNSHO.