In 30 days we'll know
Will America decline into an irreversible fascist state?
In one month, we will know whether America can redeem itself from its decline into fascism.
The outcome of the November 3rd mid-term elections isn’t just about who wins and loses. Rather, do those results defy expectations? Will they be contested? Will polling booths be manned by armed secret police? Will the election happen at all or will martial law be declared in response to a false flag attack?
Betting markets today place 64% odds Democrats take the Senate and 92% odds they take the House. While things can change over the next few weeks (not to forget the plot twists of both the 2016 and 2024 elections) currently anything but a Dems win appears unlikely. If betting markets are correct, tradition requires a peaceful handover of power, but nothing we’ve experienced over the past decade, especially the past two years, can be considered traditional.
If anything but democratic norms prevail after the mid-terms, America will irreversibly be a fascist state. Irreversible, at least, until war or internal collapse. Once fascism grips a society, there are no democratic do-overs.
As the final minutes of the clock count down, I remind you of 7 fundamental premises behind fascism throughout history and in America today:
1. Fascism rises by legal, systemic consolidation of power. It doesn’t present itself with a bang.
It begins with votes, legal challenges, and unorthodox interpretation of rules. Consolidation of power is incremental, as institutions increasingly demand loyalty, criminalize peaceful protest, and punish internal dissent. When leaders use state power to silence opponents, enrich their families, and normalize political violence, democratic mechanisms break down. Citizens often fail to recognize democratic erosion when it arrives packaged in standard legal and political procedures.
2. Fascism and oppression is underpinned by everyday citizens electing leaders that support “common sense” solutions
Hitler and Mussolini were leaders and mascots for a cause with enough public support to make it possible. Fascism is not built by cartoonish monsters, but by ordinary people convinced that their compromises are logical, practical, and necessary for stability or economic gain. Voters often accept anti-democratic rhetoric or policy abuses if it somehow benefits their side. People rationalize authoritarian actions until reversing course becomes impossible.
3. Establishment elites mistakenly believe they can control populist demagogues
Throughout history political leaders backed radical figures to leverage their popular base, assuming rules could keep them in check. History demonstrates that this gambit consistently fails, as the populist figure and close associates push beyond acceptable norms without repercussion. By this point, the elites who backed the radical figure have completely lost control.
4. The facilitators of radical movements become the first targets of purges
Once an authoritarian figure gains authority, the traditional politicians and establishment allies who opened the door are purged to eliminate competition and consolidate total control. Loyalty to the leader supersedes any prior service to the party or nation. We are witnessing this today, as the administration continues to fire politicians, career military officers and civil servants that fail to kiss the ring.
5. State control over public education replaces history with nationalist mythology
It starts with control. Then reshaping education to eradicate undesired values. This is done by editing curriculum, banning books, aligning to a “greater” ideology. In pragmatic terms, authoritarian leadership systematically undermines public education, by stripping local school boards of authority, mandating national myths, and banning inconvenient history. Controlling what the next generation learns weakens critical thinking and builds a compliant public. Importantly, it creates a young possessed class of citizenry that can monitor, and turn in, less indoctrinated adults in the family home.
6. Political rhetoric and noise overwhelms the opposing public, creating a sense of hopelessness that limits resistance. A system that encourages neighbors to turn on neighbors, family to turn on family further compresses dissent.
Reactionary rhetoric intentionally aims to exhaust the public by “flooding the zone”, disaggregating public response and convincing people there’s nothing they can do. When citizens believe effort, even civil discourse, is pointless or dangerous, they disengage, allowing organized extremist movements to capture institutions without broad public resistance. This is what enables extremists that make up a small fraction of society to gain total control over the majority.
7. The old status quo is gone
Fascism has a point of no return, which, given the systematic dismantling disguised as standard political procedure, is difficult to identify in advance. Once that line is crossed, hoping for a return to past political decorum and conventional norms fails because the underlying conditions have permanently shifted. Continuing to treat political and economic crises with standard solutions guarantees failure. Adapting to modern governance challenges requires acknowledging that previous standards of normality no longer apply.
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Thanks for your time
SC
Past articles I've written over the past couple years on the decline into fascism:
Sarah Connor
Sarah Connor
Sarah Connor
Sarah Connor
