"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
—Dylan Thomas
And so too must we rage against the dying of our democracy as we mobilize to stop Trump from dismantling our democracy in his ego-driven thrust for absolute power.
The Alliance for Democracy National Council has been grappling with how most accurately to describe and address our alarm regarding the direction President Trump, his cabinet and sycophants have been taking the country. Fascism seems to best describe the direction in which we are headed. We need to examine this claim carefully.
Fascism is defined as a nationalistic right-wing system of government and social
organization which is extremely authoritarian and intolerant, promoting oppressive ideas and behaviors. This sounds a lot like Trump and his administration. Today, we are perched on a slippery slope from derogatory name calling to a full-fledged political movement. We must organize to put the brakes on this slide into fascism.
The Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank, has faced intense scrutiny and criticism linking its policy agenda—specifically Project 2025—to authoritarian and fascist directions. Critics, including scholars and political opponents, argue that the Heritage Foundation aims to dismantle democratic check and balances, consolidate presidential power under the “unitary executive theory,” create a militarist domestic and foreign policy, and challenge human and civil rights based on hatred of “others” as the basis for a far-right agenda that aligns with key features of 20th century fascism.
Back in 2017, Shane Burley in his book Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It noted that fascism has gained strength and apparent legitimacy in the US by sidestepping through popular areas of the left, including anti-capitalism, international solidarity, anti-war politics, and environmentalism. Are we advocates for true democracy unwittingly contributing to this? We are concerned that fascism is poking up through our supposedly democratic institutions.
We need to listen carefully to the language used by President Trump and spokespeople for Project 2025. Is Trump a fascist or just an egotistical autocrat?
Is a fascist system being put in place or will it fade away when Trump is no longer President? Is the Heritage Foundation along with Project 2025 authors, especially those in the administration, using Trump as an instrument to create a fascist system?
Are we using the term “fascism” as a facile way of calling out Trump’s ego-centered authoritarian rule? Are Trump’s proclamations about how things will be done — e.g., taking over Greenland, Venezuela, and Cuba – dominating the world via an ever-expanding military/industrial/corporate complex and a policy of war first and never negotiations, creating the framework for a fascist system of government?
These are key questions.
Most worrisome is the Supreme Court elevating the power of the presidency, creating the space and opportunity for fascist dictates on the part of the President and his cabinet now in the future.
We at the Alliance for Democracy have been grappling with these questions, and we are eager to hear your thoughts and learn how you are engaging locally in response to these alarming fascist threats to our democracy.
—Dylan Thomas
And so too must we rage against the dying of our democracy as we mobilize to stop Trump from dismantling our democracy in his ego-driven thrust for absolute power.
The Alliance for Democracy National Council has been grappling with how most accurately to describe and address our alarm regarding the direction President Trump, his cabinet and sycophants have been taking the country. Fascism seems to best describe the direction in which we are headed. We need to examine this claim carefully.
Fascism is defined as a nationalistic right-wing system of government and social
organization which is extremely authoritarian and intolerant, promoting oppressive ideas and behaviors. This sounds a lot like Trump and his administration. Today, we are perched on a slippery slope from derogatory name calling to a full-fledged political movement. We must organize to put the brakes on this slide into fascism.
The Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank, has faced intense scrutiny and criticism linking its policy agenda—specifically Project 2025—to authoritarian and fascist directions. Critics, including scholars and political opponents, argue that the Heritage Foundation aims to dismantle democratic check and balances, consolidate presidential power under the “unitary executive theory,” create a militarist domestic and foreign policy, and challenge human and civil rights based on hatred of “others” as the basis for a far-right agenda that aligns with key features of 20th century fascism.
Back in 2017, Shane Burley in his book Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It noted that fascism has gained strength and apparent legitimacy in the US by sidestepping through popular areas of the left, including anti-capitalism, international solidarity, anti-war politics, and environmentalism. Are we advocates for true democracy unwittingly contributing to this? We are concerned that fascism is poking up through our supposedly democratic institutions.
We need to listen carefully to the language used by President Trump and spokespeople for Project 2025. Is Trump a fascist or just an egotistical autocrat?
Is a fascist system being put in place or will it fade away when Trump is no longer President? Is the Heritage Foundation along with Project 2025 authors, especially those in the administration, using Trump as an instrument to create a fascist system?
Are we using the term “fascism” as a facile way of calling out Trump’s ego-centered authoritarian rule? Are Trump’s proclamations about how things will be done — e.g., taking over Greenland, Venezuela, and Cuba – dominating the world via an ever-expanding military/industrial/corporate complex and a policy of war first and never negotiations, creating the framework for a fascist system of government?
These are key questions.
Most worrisome is the Supreme Court elevating the power of the presidency, creating the space and opportunity for fascist dictates on the part of the President and his cabinet now in the future.
We at the Alliance for Democracy have been grappling with these questions, and we are eager to hear your thoughts and learn how you are engaging locally in response to these alarming fascist threats to our democracy.
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