It Did Happen Here—How Fascism Came to America

Ken Masugi

. . . "What Leftists today don’t see in It Can’t Happened Here is that fascism has come to America through the Progressives, in particular the Democratic Party. Jonah Goldberg wrote a daring book making this argument, Liberal Fascism, which astutely describes the fascistic elements of Progressivism. Franklin Roosevelt’s first inaugural is replete with examples: his comparison of himself with Jesus, his call for moving populations from city to country, and the disturbing military allusions, with citizens to obey as privates in an army with FDR as the commander-in-chief.

"What befell ethnic Japanese during World War II could happen to any group, without the excuse of wartime exigency. Such Progressive arrogance also shines through in campaign references to “experimentation” and to the era of enlightened administration." . . .

. . . "Fascist visions and military coups have ever been the fantasy of the Progressive Left. It is no surprise that Leftists denounce others for spoiling their dreams."

Ken Masugi, PhD, has been a speechwriter for two Cabinet members and for Clarence Thomas, when he was Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He is co-author, editor, or co-editor of seven books on American politics. He has taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he was Olin Distinguished Visiting Professor; James Madison College of Michigan State University; the Ashbrook Center of Ashland University; and Princeton University.

For instance:  SJWs Protesting 'Nazi' Ben Shapiro's Speech Are Confronted By Reporter. They're Totally Clueless.

What’s the real story behind Hillary Clinton, Russia, and uranium?

CS Monitor   "President Trump calls it the “real Russia story”: allegations that as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton approved the sale of 20 percent of US uranium supplies to Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear company.

"The sale was greased by $145 million in contributions to the Clinton Foundation from Canadian executives who benefited from the sale, according to these allegations.

"Prosecutors at the Justice Department are now reportedly considering the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into the transaction. Here is a look at some of the details of the case.

. . . 

"The Clinton Foundation received $145 million in pledges and donations from original investors in Uranium One, prior to its sale to Rosatom. Furthermore, these donations were not disclosed at the time they were made, according to a 2015 story in the New York Times. (The Times story was based in part on research by Peter Schweizer, a former fellow at a conservative think tank and author of the controversial 2015 book “Clinton Cash.”)

"Former President Bill Clinton also received $500,000 for speaking at a Moscow conference organized by a Russian investment bank after the Rosatom-Uranium One deal was announced, but before it passed muster with the US Committee on Foreign Investments, according to the Times story.ost of the $145 million in Clinton Foundation donations came from one person, a major Uranium One investor named Frank Giustra. Mr. Giustra has said that he sold all his shares in Uranium One about 1-1/2 years before Mrs. Clinton became secretary of State – and three years before Rosatom and its Russian cash came calling." . . .

Run, Joe, Run

The American Spectator

Biden sees an America waiting with bated breath for him to challenge Trump.

"Convinced of his own wonderfulness, Joe Biden trots around the talk shows as if on a perpetual victory lap. What has he won? Who knows? It speaks to the embarrassing emptiness of liberal culture that such a buffoon is accorded the status of a victorious statesman. Encouraged in this delusion, Biden allows himself such modest musings as: “I have regret that I am not president. Because I think there’s so much opportunity. I think America is incredibly well-positioned.”

"Still the blarney-ridden, puffed-chest phony with hair plugs of his empty senatorial days, Biden finds Trump very threatening to his manhood and likes to shadow-box him in the company of such tough questioners as Stephen Colbert. On the campaign trail last year, Biden said that he didn’t want to debate Trump but to beat him up: “I wish I were in high school, I could take him behind the gym. That’s what I wish.”

"Hey, that is not very presidential. No matter; talk show hosts find Biden’s juvenile bragging impressive and treat him like he is Churchill in retirement for the great accomplishment of having served as the gaffe-ridden veep to a disastrous 

president. Crowds roar as he passes off the most feeble platitudes as profundities. The New York Times declares his new memoir “impressive” high literature in a fawning interview, adorned with a photo of a seated Biden looking sage.

"One might have thought, given his creepy, handsy penchant for sidling up to women, young and old, and whispering in their ears, a feminist talk show host or two would give him a hard time. But they don’t. The Oprahs and Ellens treat him as impeccably avuncular. He is one of the good guys! No need to put his past under a microscope! Never mind the pictures of him cuddling up to female bikers 

(as other bikers glare at him angrily) and draping himself, Jimmy Savile-like, over the wives and children of senators and cabinet officials. In a nod to the tradition of immunity-through-politics, Biden proudly announced recently that he has teamed up with Lady Gaga to fight the scourge of male misbehavior. “Give me a break,” he says to his generation’s Don Drapers." . . .

Cartoons added by TD

California Watch; Destroying Free Speech in Service of Abortion

The American Spectator

U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on California’s totalitarian law that requires pro-life centers to pitch abortion services.

"Remember the days when Democratic politicians at least pretended that, although they wanted abortions to be “safe and legal,” they also wanted them to be “rare”? Those days are long gone, and California lawmakers, in particular, are eager to pass measures that seem designed to make these life-ending “procedures” as plentiful as possible.

"They’re so eager to do that that they’re willing to undermine our free-speech rights, but fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court is going to look at the state’s recent law requiring pro-life crisis pregnancy clinics to provide their clients with pro-abortion information.

"The rarest things I’ve ever seen in the Legislature are laws that deregulate anything, let alone health-care rules or land-use regulations. But in 2013 Gov. Jerry Brown signed two new laws — one that allows non-physicians to perform abortions, and another that changed building codes to allow abortion clinics to qualify as primary-care facilities. The obvious goal of the Planned Parenthood-backed bills was to make it easier for providers to set up shop.

"But the most wretched abortion-related law the governor signed is the 2015 California Reproductive FACT (Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care and Transparency) Act, sponsored by now-Sen. Kamala Harris and the National Abortion Rights Action League’s California affiliate. It sets precedent far beyond the area of abortion, which is why it will reach the high court. It’s one of three free-speech related cases the court will review. The other two are related to political speech and emanate from disputes in Minnesota and Florida." . . .

Yet the state of California insists that they also counsel their clients on how to get a procedure that violates their deepest principles. Ironically, pro-abortion groups have freaked out at laws that require abortion clinics to show women their ultrasound before having a “procedure,” so we know they only want to compel certain types of speech.

 

CNN Female Panel Brushes Aside Franken Allegations: ‘He Was Just a Comedian’

Weasel Zippers Via News Busters:

"Stuck in the spin cycle."

"Thursday afternoon CNN Newsroom panel showcased political tribalism as three liberal journalists downplayed the disturbing sexual misconduct allegations against Democratic Senator Al Franken (Minn.) by harping on the fact that Franken was “just a comedian” while those against Roy Moore and President Trump were far more serious.

“ 'But just out of the gate, the fact that you have Gloria, you know, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, right, from the left and right, both saying there needs to be an ethics investigation. I realize that this was years and years ago, this story, and he was a private citizen at the time, but can he survive this,” host Brooke Baldwin wondered to chief political analyst Gloria Borger.

"Borger admitted that “[i]t remains to be seen,” but immediately went into spin mode by downplaying the fallout, stating that KABC radio host Leann Tweeden “did not call for him to step down or say he ought to step down” and didn’t render an opinion upon being told an investigation had been launched.

"From there, Borger continued proving this segment as one of political tribalism, declaring that what matters most is “the context in which all of this occurring, which is Moore — Judge Moore — and that has been, you know, brewing and percolating, whatever you want to say, for days and days and days.”

"She added that Tweeden’s story will not be “the last” woman to come forward with disturbing allegations, but what came next from Borger was quite disturbing: “This is scratching the surface. He was not a member of the Congress at the time this occurred. He was just a comedian.”

"Keep reading…

Cowards in the Academic Trenches

Mike Adams

"The problem with my leftist colleagues really isn’t their politics. It is their lack of courage. And it is getting worse. Granted, I have long heard reports of professors abusing students in the classroom. But those reports have drastically increased since the election of 2016. I would like to provide just a few examples before commenting on the effects such cowardly abuse are having on students and on
the general campus climate:

*A professor was giving a pro Black Lives Matter lecture. A student countered the professor by making the rather obvious observation that “all lives matter.” Upon hearing it, the professor denounced his student as a racist three times in front of the entire class. Each time she tried to explain herself, the professor shouted “racist!”
*On the first day of class, a professor circulated her syllabus with a clause telling students they were banned from making “disrespectful” remarks during class discussion. Over the course of the next three and a half months, the professor repeatedly claimed that all white police officers are racists and that simply aspiring to be a police officer is evidence of racism. Students were prevented from rebutting the professor by the selectively enforced ban on “disrespectful speech.” She equated denial of racism with racism, which she classified as inherently disrespectful." . . .

. . . " Regrettably, tenure prevents any prospect of justice. Thus, the freedom to perpetuate tyranny prevails." . . .

At Least My Generation Will Have Our Revenge On The Millennials

Townhall

"With all the awful things happening now – the discord, the anger, the stupidity – at least those of my generation can rest easy knowing that the Millennials are going to suffer after we’re gone. Sure, I’m going to die a lot sooner than them – unless someone invents some sort of expensive life extension potion that I can buy but they can’t because they will still be paying off their degrees in Oppression Studies and Virtue Signaling Arts until the year 2083. But at least I’ll know that we left them a suitably terrible world, since they are a terrible generation.

"Millennials are the spawn we deserve – annoying, posturing, and frequently pierced. They are utterly convinced of their own moral superiority, and yet they don’t even believe in morals. Well, that’s not quite true – they just confuse morals with the increasingly bizarre patchwork of taboos and fetishes of the social justice weirdos they use as their moral compasses. When you ask people, “What’s the world’s biggest problem,” and they answer, “The structural paradigm imposed by cisgender Western males,” and you reply, “How about, I dunno, ISIS?” and they answer “Well, who are we to judge their culture?” it’s slappin’ time. " . . .

Yes, Hillary Was an Enabler

If consistency mattered, feminists would demand safe spaces whenever Bill Clinton approached a college campus.

. . . "Hillary Clinton’s self-image as a feminist champion has always been at odds with her political partnership with a serial womanizer. 

"Hillary tends to get a pass, because the 1990s were long ago, the media often scold anyone who brings up the scandals, and most politicians hesitate to talk about someone else’s marriage. Unconstrained by these boundaries, Trump is hitting her with his characteristic abandon." . . .Rich Lowry

It wasn’t “the times” that caused feminists to give Bill Clinton a pass

Power Line Blog   "Yesterday, in a post called “The Farce of Bill Clinton’s Reckoning,” I discussed the intellectual dishonesty of the many Democrats and feminists who defended Clinton from highly credible (and in at least one case admitted) charges of sexual misconduct. I rejected the defense to this hypocrisy that, when Clinton’s offenses were “litigated” more than 20 years ago, the problem of sexual harassment wasn’t taken nearly as seriously as it is today. The furor caused in 1991 by Anita Hill’s charges against Clarence Thomas demonstrates the falsity of this evasion.

"Yet, feminists and Democrats continue to make the argument. For cite one absurd example, last night a “Democratic strategist” who, from the look of it, was a toddler during the Thomas-Hill showdown, informed Tucker Carlson that “the times” were different in the early 1990s.

"To overcome feminist amnesia (or in the case of the “strategist,” ignorance), let’s revisit the Thomas controversy. First, let’s compare the allegations against Thomas with those against Bill Clinton.

"Was Thomas accused of rape, as Clinton was by Juanita Broaddrick? No. Was he accused of attempted rape? No.

"Was he accused of groping Anita Hill? No. Did he try to steal a kiss from her? No.

"Was any sex act performed, as with Clinton and Lewinsky? No. Nor was there any cigar play.

"Here is how, at the time, Newsweek summarized Hill’s allegations against Thomas, all of which were denied by the nominee and none of which was ever corroborated:" . . .

A.F. Branco sees Clinton as victim on media's path to slime Judge Moore

'Hero' pulls gun to stop woman from being raped on Austin trail

 NBC5 Dallas  "An Austin man takes his weekly trail run armed with a flashlight, cell phone -- and a handgun tucked in a Velcro belt. Last month he pulled out the  weapon to help rescue a woman who was being sexually assaulted. 

"Josh Williams, 39, was running about 5:30 a.m. on the north side of Austin's Hike-and-Bike Trail when he heard a woman screaming and pointed his flashlight in her direction, KVUE-TV reported. He saw a man on top of her and realized she was being sexually assaulted.

" 'I came up, pulled my gun and told him to get off of her," he told the station. "I said, 'Get on your knees and show me your hands.'"

"The suspect told Williams that he knew her, but the woman told Williams that wasn’t true.

"The suspect ran away, but Williams and the victim were able to give police a description. Richard McEachern, 22, was arrested several days later and faces a sexual assault charge, the station reported." . . .

Satan, the left and the death of reality

David Limbaugh

"David Limbaugh spotlights poll showing most Democrats ignoring realities of biology"

"I’m an advocate of higher education and all, but so much for assuming that the development of common sense and sound judgment are part of the package.

"A Pew Research Center poll found that 77 percent of Democrats with a bachelor’s degree or more believe a person’s gender can be different from the sex they were “assigned at birth.” You’ll remember that Democrats are the party of science, and Republicans the Neanderthal science-deniers.

"First we have to ask ourselves why in the world it would occur to anyone of any gender at any time or any place even to conduct such a survey. It would be like surveying people to find if they believe ears are for hearing or eyes for seeing.

"It would be disturbing enough if only 77 percent of Democrats with this level of education thought gender is determined biologically. But 23 percent? That’s a whole new level of weird – unless you define “weird” as being outside the mainstream. What’s weird is how weird the mainstream has become – at least on the political left. This doesn’t speak well for higher education in this country, does it? Then again, you wouldn’t be surprised if you had seen the core curricula of America’s “great” universities – and many of the required reading assignments in the classes.

"I watched an interesting video of a young conservative from a liberal family explaining why he could dialogue with liberals and still love them because we all share common goals. It is leftists, he said, who don’t even share our goals anymore, and it is very difficult to find any common ground with them.

"I thought to myself when watching the video, “Yes, we do share some of the same goals: less crime, less poverty, etc., but increasingly the mainstream Democratic Party is embracing or strongly enabling certain extremist ideas. There is just no denying that the party has lurched leftward.' ” . . . Full article.

Trump Doing What He Set Out To Do In South Korea

RealClearPolitics   "RCP co-founder and publisher Tom Bevan joins FNC's 'Special Report' panel to discuss the president's trip to Asia: 

TOM BEVAN: [Trump's trip to Asia] is consequential, it is going well so far. There haven't been any major gaffes. He's doing a reasonably good job of doing what he set out to do on the trip, which is to build support for sanctions [against North Korea]... There is some skittishness in the region, particularly in South Korea.

It looks like that is what Trump is doing: bringing out the carrot instead of the stick. Trying to shore up and reassure South Korea, get them on board for future sanctions, and bringing the region together to do something more against North Korea.

Trump is ever the showman, trying to keep people interested and engaged in this trip -- hence the tease about big new tomorrow. 

Video at the link.