I just disagree almost entirely. I find Alastair Campbell genuinely one of the most dislikeable characters in politics and gus hypocrisy is off the scale given he wanted to cancel a democrat vote. Rory Stewart is a more nuanced and interesting character but they are both on the same side in their rather hysterical takes on this issue and it clouds the rational criticisms of Trump that absolutely are valid.Originally Posted by the other bob wilson
Its no different to people claiming the EU is a communist, that Biden is a radical lefty or that Starmer is some globalist puppet paid by Jews or whatever.
They just ignore what they want and amplify what they want to give an unbalanced picture. For a start, they totally dismiss the riots and damage and how severe some of these have been in recent years. They dismiss immigration concerns (they probably own at least four houses between them) and ignore attacks on police etc and then take a giant leap to conclude the national guard being involved as being fascist. It isn't.
There's an issue of state rights and responsibility here and the state v federal govt argument. A fascist would want to accumulate power at the federal level. But let's look at another thing he would have been slammed for; when he granted states the power over abortion laws. Controversial, yes. But the absolute opposite of fascism, giving individual states and electoral therein to determine that policy.
It is an overreach (probably). It is definitely political, about who ultimately controls California. It is also confrontational. It's also (probably) effective. I listened to a Newsom speech yesterday that also ticks most of those definitions. He praised the police, praised a curfew, talked about American heroes and things. But because he is a Democrat, the presentation of him being a fascist is never considered. (He isn't either of course).
Look, Trump is a unique and very temperamental character. He's potentially dangerous and inflammatory, but these endless exclamations of "fascism!" are just daft, and a dishonourable liar like Alastair Campbell clutching his pearls about it makes it seem even less realistic.
People are free to protest. They aren't free to set fire to cars and loot and someone like Trump will react to that more forcefully than others and make the same political points that others did about the capitol riots.
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