AMAC Exclusive – By Seamus Brennan
In a dark and chilling speech, President Joe Biden railed against what he called “MAGA Republicans,” branding them as nothing less than an existential threat to democracy. Standing in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia and bathed in a bizarre, hellish, blood red lighting, Biden delivered what was almost certainly the most hateful and divisive presidential speech in American history. The speech comes after weeks of Biden and other top Democrats labeling right-of-center Americans as “fascists,” apparently a new favorite buzzword for the left to demonize, intimidate, and silence their political opponents.
To many conservatives—particularly in the age of digital technology and social media—being called a fascist is nothing new. Over the course of the past several weeks, however, the left’s use of the “fascist” label has gone mainstream, reaching an entirely new level. At an August 25 campaign rally in Pennsylvania, for instance, Biden took the unprecedented step of referring to the Republican Party and supporters of former President Donald Trump (who make up the overwhelming majority of the Republican base) as “semi-fascist,” an extraordinary choice of words for a sitting president to use against his predecessor and likely future opponent – not to mention the 75 million Americans who voted for Trump in 2020.
The very next day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed her boss’s sentiment, insisting that “MAGA Republicans” fit “the definition of fascism.” Just days later, Jean-Pierre doubled down, declaring from the White House podium that supporters of Trump pose an “extreme threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights.” She further insisted that “when you are not with where the majority of Americans are, then that is extreme” – apparently forgetting that a majority of Americans don’t even approve of Joe Biden, nor most of the policies emanating from this White House.
But Biden’s systematic smearing of conservative Americans reached its apex in a primetime national address on Thursday at Independence Hall, in which he charged that “MAGA Republicans” pose a danger to “the very foundations of our republic” and are actively working to “undermine democracy itself.” Though Biden did not explicitly reprise his “fascist” mantra in the remarks, he proceeded to deride half the country as a “threat” to the nation that is driven primarily by “fear,” “division,” and “darkness.” At the same time as he vilified tens of millions of hard-working Americans, however, Biden shamelessly called for the United States to become “a nation of hope and unity.” Clearly for Biden, “unity” means forced conformity to his vision for building a left-wing utopia.
Although neither Biden nor his press secretary would likely be able to define the term “fascism” in a coherent, historically accurate manner – or, for that matter, explain how Republicans are “extremists” – they are no doubt using the smear as part of a frantic attempt to rile up their voting base in anticipation of what looks to be a competitive midterm election cycle. But even if they may not know it, “fascist” does, in fact, have a very particular definition that the left embodies far more than any “MAGA Republican.” Moreover, as Biden is also likely unaware, smearing one’s political opponents as “fascist” represents a hallmark of totalitarian regimes throughout the darkest moments of history. And with his newfound proclivity to using the term, Biden himself may be at risk of joining them.
There is perhaps no better instance of disingenuous slanders of “fascism” than those that emanated from the Bolsheviks and Soviets, who regularly denounced anti-communist forces—including most capitalist nations in the West—as fascistic. In a similar vein, despite a total lack of evidence, American progressives of the 1980s through the early 2000s denounced both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush as fascists—a mantra that of course continued throughout the Trump years.
Each one of these invocations of fascism—and others like them—are, of course, absurd at face value. Benito Mussolini, who effectively invented the theory of fascism with his 1932 essay “The Doctrine of Fascism,” defined the theory as a system in which the power of the state is “absolute” and in which state and corporate powers are merged to create an all-powerful regime that has “a will of its own.” That’s a much more fitting description of modern American liberalism, particularly as corporations increasingly embrace the ethos and policy goals of the far left.
As George Orwell aptly observed, “It will be seen that, as used, the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless” and is used more as a slander than anything else. Even left-wing Obama appointee Samantha Power at one point agreed with Orwell—saying that fascism “is a smear word more often used to brand one’s foes than it is a descriptor used to shed light on them.” It is difficult then, to see Biden’s recent addition of the word “fascist” into his rhetoric as anything other than flagrant propaganda designed to draw a false equivalence between his political opponents and some of the worst, most inhumane dictatorial figures in world history.
The “fascist” label is even more preposterous coming from Biden, whose administration has openly targeted parents opposed to the teaching of Critical Race Theory and gender ideology in schools, colluded with social media and tech giants to diminish conservative influence online, called for the hiring of an army of 87,000 Internal Revenue Service auditors, and just recently signed off on a raid of the home of Biden’s chief political opponent. But according to Biden, “MAGA Republicans”—who are chiefly concerned with reducing inflation, securing the southern border, and staving off outlandish left-wing ideologies in their children’s classrooms, among other commonsense measures—are the “fascists.”
In reality, there is little that distinguishes Biden’s comparison of his political adversaries to “fascists” from Putin’s comparison of his political adversaries to Nazis. And as Biden may soon discover, his last-ditch attempt to coalesce support for his party two months out from the midterms could instead destroy whatever hopes Democrats had of staving off electoral disaster.
and chilling speech, President Joe Biden railed against what he called “MAGA Republicans,” branding them as nothing less than an existential threat to democracy. Standing in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia and bathed in a bizarre, hellish, blood red lighting, Biden delivered what was almost certainly the most hateful and divisive presidential speech in American history. The speech comes after weeks of Biden and other top Democrats labeling right-of-center Americans as “fascists,” apparently a new favorite buzzword for the left to demonize, intimidate, and silence their political opponents.
To many conservatives—particularly in the age of digital technology and social media—being called a fascist is nothing new. Over the course of the past several weeks, however, the left’s use of the “fascist” label has gone mainstream, reaching an entirely new level. At an August 25 campaign rally in Pennsylvania, for instance, Biden took the unprecedented step of referring to the Republican Party and supporters of former President Donald Trump (who make up the overwhelming majority of the Republican base) as “semi-fascist,” an extraordinary choice of words for a sitting president to use against his predecessor and likely future opponent – not to mention the 75 million Americans who voted for Trump in 2020.
The very next day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed her boss’s sentiment, insisting that “MAGA Republicans” fit “the definition of fascism.” Just days later, Jean-Pierre doubled down, declaring from the White House podium that supporters of Trump pose an “extreme threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights.” She further insisted that “when you are not with where the majority of Americans are, then that is extreme” – apparently forgetting that a majority of Americans don’t even approve of Joe Biden, nor most of the policies emanating from this White House.
But Biden’s systematic smearing of conservative Americans reached its apex in a primetime national address on Thursday at Independence Hall, in which he charged that “MAGA Republicans” pose a danger to “the very foundations of our republic” and are actively working to “undermine democracy itself.” Though Biden did not explicitly reprise his “fascist” mantra in the remarks, he proceeded to deride half the country as a “threat” to the nation that is driven primarily by “fear,” “division,” and “darkness.” At the same time as he vilified tens of millions of hard-working Americans, however, Biden shamelessly called for the United States to become “a nation of hope and unity.” Clearly for Biden, “unity” means forced conformity to his vision for building a left-wing utopia.
Although neither Biden nor his press secretary would likely be able to define the term “fascism” in a coherent, historically accurate manner – or, for that matter, explain how Republicans are “extremists” – they are no doubt using the smear as part of a frantic attempt to rile up their voting base in anticipation of what looks to be a competitive midterm election cycle. But even if they may not know it, “fascist” does, in fact, have a very particular definition that the left embodies far more than any “MAGA Republican.” Moreover, as Biden is also likely unaware, smearing one’s political opponents as “fascist” represents a hallmark of totalitarian regimes throughout the darkest moments of history. And with his newfound proclivity to using the term, Biden himself may be at risk of joining them.
There is perhaps no better instance of disingenuous slanders of “fascism” than those that emanated from the Bolsheviks and Soviets, who regularly denounced anti-communist forces—including most capitalist nations in the West—as fascistic. In a similar vein, despite a total lack of evidence, American progressives of the 1980s through the early 2000s denounced both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush as fascists—a mantra that of course continued throughout the Trump years.
Each one of these invocations of fascism—and others like them—are, of course, absurd at face value. Benito Mussolini, who effectively invented the theory of fascism with his 1932 essay “The Doctrine of Fascism,” defined the theory as a system in which the power of the state is “absolute” and in which state and corporate powers are merged to create an all-powerful regime that has “a will of its own.” That’s a much more fitting description of modern American liberalism, particularly as corporations increasingly embrace the ethos and policy goals of the far left.
As George Orwell aptly observed, “It will be seen that, as used, the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless” and is used more as a slander than anything else. Even left-wing Obama appointee Samantha Power at one point agreed with Orwell—saying that fascism “is a smear word more often used to brand one’s foes than it is a descriptor used to shed light on them.” It is difficult then, to see Biden’s recent addition of the word “fascist” into his rhetoric as anything other than flagrant propaganda designed to draw a false equivalence between his political opponents and some of the worst, most inhumane dictatorial figures in world history.
The “fascist” label is even more preposterous coming from Biden, whose administration has openly targeted parents opposed to the teaching of Critical Race Theory and gender ideology in schools, colluded with social media and tech giants to diminish conservative influence online, called for the hiring of an army of 87,000 Internal Revenue Service auditors, and just recently signed off on a raid of the home of Biden’s chief political opponent. But according to Biden, “MAGA Republicans”—who are chiefly concerned with reducing inflation, securing the southern border, and staving off outlandish left-wing ideologies in their children’s classrooms, among other commonsense measures—are the “fascists.”
In reality, there is little that distinguishes Biden’s comparison of his political adversaries to “fascists” from Putin’s comparison of his political adversaries to Nazis. And as Biden may soon discover, his last-ditch attempt to coalesce support for his party two months out from the midterms could instead destroy whatever hopes Democrats had of staving off electoral disaster.