Essay:Obama and fascism

Recently, right-wingers have been finding out that calling U.S. President Barack Obama a Red has become quite a tired shtick. So, naturally, they have made an alteration in their epithets, and Obama has of late frequently been called a fascist or Nazi.

In this essay, I will compare Obama against Dr. Lawrence Britt's warning signs of fascism, as enumerated here. Caveat lector: I am not an enthusiastic supporter either of Obama or of these so-called warning signs; this is more a fun exercise than anything else.

This essay has been copied to mainspace so that others might contribute to it; this is the original version.

The points

Point

Counterpoint

Patriotism

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottoes, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays. Citizens who do not prominently display flags in front of their house, on the rear window of their SUV and on their lapel are suspected to be in sympathy with foreign powers seeking the nation's destruction.

In his campaign materials and other propaganda, Obama uses a great deal of imagery that is evocative of the American flag, going so far as to have the "Hope" and "Change" posters drawn entirely in those colors, and to use a campaign seal reminiscent of the presidential seal. However, he does not accuse those who choose not to display the colors and flags of being unpatriotic.

Disdain of Human Rights

Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." Citizens tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, lengthy incarcerations of prisoners, etc. on the assumption that the government would not indulge in such actions unless it were absolutely necessary. The arrest of a suspect is considered proof of guilt.

There have been several human-rights abuses noted under Obama's administration, although these were mostly the legacy of the battles of former administrations. These include (scraping our own WIGO archives) an increased level of torture at Guantanamo Bay and (while not an abuse itself, possibly an endorsement of others) affirmation of the secretive nature of business under the Bush administration.

Scapegoats

Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, immigrants, etc. The scapegoat is used both as an excuse for extraordinary "national security" measures, and as the culprit for any economic, social or other problems the nation may experience due to the government's mismanagement.

Obama is much opposed to scapegoating of this sort, and spoke against it particularly in his speech, A More Perfect Union.

Supremacy of the Military

Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized. The military is given extra-constitutional powers over the civilian population.

Obama is definitely not guilty on this point.

Sexism

Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Female initiated divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

There was a flap at one point about female Obama staffers getting paid less than the male ones, but that is the worst anyone has been able to throw at him on this point. Even that was later qualified as representative of a "systemic" disparity rather than any particular policy on Obama's part. On the other hand if one is using the radical feminist definition of "sexist" (they regard it as a synonym for "male"), Obama is guilty as charged.

Controlled Mass Media

Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or by sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is the rule rather than the exception.

Since freedom of the press is so ironclad in the United States, this must be measured by attitudes rather than policies. What has appeared in the media to date has not borne out the conclusion that Obama is exerting any control. The mainstream media did drool over Obama somewhat during his campaign, but they have cooled considerably now. And, of course, there is always the very hostile right-wing blogosphere (e.g., WorldNetDaily) right on hand to jump on any misstep. Obama himself has shown much less propensity toward controlling the press than have many of his supporters; for example, when The New Yorker ran their satiric "Jihadist Fist Bump" cover, many supporters waxed all offended, but Obama took it in good humor.

Obsession with National Security

Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses, and as an excuse to suspend constitutional provisions and human rights. The media play an important role in this process.

The closest Obama has come to this is to use the economic crisis to push some imprudent financial measures through Congress (e.g., the much-derided corporate bailouts).

Religion and Government are Intertwined

Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions. Sympathetic religious leaders are enlisted in the fascist cause, and dissidents are excommunicated or diposed of by other means.

Obama has looked to religion to support his political goals: He denounced "hate" and any sort of killing on religious grounds. He joined Jeremiah Wright's church only after it was suggested that he do so for political reasons. He has not dismantled the faith-based initiative office, but has instead put it under the control of a Pentecostal minister, James DuBois, who is friendly to his politics and worked on his campaign.

Corporate Power is Protected

Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. This provides cheap labor for business with few safeguards against dangerous or unfair working conditions.

Although much funding for politics in the U.S. comes from corporations, Obama is the least corporate-funded presidential candidate to make an appearance in quite a while.

Labor Power is Suppressed

Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed. Labor unions are portrayed as selfish and unpatriotic.

Organized-labor issues have not figured very strongly in Obama's policies.

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked. Academia and the arts are tolerated only insofar as they can be used to provide support for the fascist agenda.

Obama is of the intellectual set himself (a former law lecturer), and though certain people continue their ongoing attempts to control academia for political ends, most such people do not hold government office, and Obama is more concerned with other matters.

Obsession with Crime and Punishment

Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws and maintain control of society. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism and security. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

Obama is definitely not guilty on this point.

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

This is always present where government is concerned, particularly in the U.S.; Obama has been handing out money willy-nilly, but any cronyism in his administration has not been on remarkable levels.

Fraudulent Elections

Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. In other cases elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

There has not been an election since Obama was inaugurated, so this one is not applicable.

Secret Police

Fascist regimes employ a secret police to spy on the civilian population and encourage neighbor to spy on each other and family members to report on each other. Dissent is supressed in a society where no one knows who they can trust, and who might report them for the most casual criticism of the government.

There have been some complaints of late about a White House program for reporting the chain e-mails opposed to Obama's health care plan, with claims being thrown around that Obama is collecting a Stasi-style database of people who disagree with him. Although some of this is pure paranoia, the existence of secret information-gathering campaigns of the Bush administration was alleged on the basis of far less evidence.