History Authoritarianism Democrats 2008 Presidential Election

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.