Can It Happen Here?

I reference It Can’t Happen Here, written by Sinclair Lewis who became the first American to gain a Nobel Prize in literature. The book, published in 1935, was widely read by 1944. Early in that year, the New York Times asked Henry Wallace, in what was to be his last year as Secretary of Agriculture, to write a piece about what fascism is.

Thom Hartmann updates the title to read It Can Happen Here in an article published in CommonDreams.org. Impetus came from ads run (briefly) on the Republican National Committee’s website showing pictures of John Kerry and other leading Democrats interspersed with that of Hitler. By July 19, 2004, the ad was taken down, but Hartmann penned a four-page essay on fascism, quoting Wallace in some detail.

Here’s the link: http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0719-15.htm

A new campaign in 2004, and another issue surfaced. Bush’s loyal opposition was on a rant against imperialism. Hartmann’s essay met the question. As we gear up for 2008, dissecting Authoritarianism seems to be the philosophical word of choice.

Most of us have followed John Dean, who has practical experience on the question of imperial presidents, and follow his writings at Findlaw.com. On September 5, 2007, he began a three-part series.

Link is:
http://writ.corporate.findlaw.com/dean/20070905.html

Dean explains that he was surprised how some learned persons associated with social and political psychology had responded to his book called “Conservatives Without Conscience.” He did some research from their fields and produced the articles. I recommend them.

What was relevant to me was how he could articulate a system of government based on heavy topdown control with no core mission. It is almost serendipitous, making up excuses for what didn’t work and veering off into ever more devious ways to the next event. Naomi Klein’s book on a disaster economy fits right in. Sad but true, it is dependent upon a small number in charge and the rest feeling compliant to their tutelage. Thus we end up with parrot media, “talking points” and “framing.” (These are my examples.) Sadder still, are those who in 2004 wrote gigabytes about impeachment and now seem to have decided it takes Congress to agree with them. This is a little harsh, but it is my notion of where things stand right now.

Perhaps it helps that I can remember we’ve been down this road before. As a young woman I thought nothing was worse than McCarthyism. In my middle years, I ran into a president who threatened us with Commies and fellow travelers; it was not easy to live without an elected official in the White House for over two years. This time around, I’d settle for that if necessary. Just don’t tell me that everything will be all right as soon as (fill in the blank) is elected president. Bruce Fein worried about Democrats’ backbones. I see it in deeper terms. I hope that all citizens have enough intestinal fortitude to realize that we’ve lived with an administration which treats us as though we will swallow whatever bait is cast our way, and that what SCOTUS did was acceptable.

In 1988 it worried me when Bush No. 1 proclaimed the ACLU to be the Devil Incarnate. The ACLU and many other fine public organizations are still around. Bush No. 2 will be a blip on the World History screen. We can take comfort in the fact that even the North Korean dictator blinked, despite what our own Dear Leader said about him. So?

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