Our Fight Against Violent Extremism
Too many of us living in this liberal democracy think and communicate about what might be possible instead of what is absolutely necessary. None of our causes - not one! - will survive fascism.
As if the citizens of this country needed any more proof of the violent intentions of the extremist right, take the case of David DePape of California, a habitué of right wing message boards and conspiracy theories, a hard core MAGA follower, and yet another angry member of the cult of Donald Trump. In the early morning hours of last Friday, DePape broke into Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco house and demanded to know where the Speaker was, before bludgeoning her 82-year-old husband with a hammer, according to police and prosecutors. Paul Pelosi remains in ICU after emergency brain surgery, surrounded by his family.
DePape reportedly told interrogators that his plan was to kidnap the Speaker and break her kneecaps if she failed to answer questions. He had “a roll of tape, white rope, a second hammer, a pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and zip ties” according to the U.S. Attorney.
Nancy Pelosi, the most accomplished Congressional leader of the last half century (and it’s not really close), is accustomed to threats. When the mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on the implicit orders of President Trump - threatening to execute Vice President Pence for not overturning an American election - they sought the Speaker’s blood and rampaged her office. “Nancy, Nancy, where are you, Nancy?” they screamed, in video footage revealed by the bi-partisan January 6th Committee. In this era, there is a direct line from the violence of Charlottesville - with its torchlight Nazi parade and murder by vehicle - and the hunting of Speaker Pelosi. It runs through the threats to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and to the whitewashing of the deadly automatic weapon killings carried out by Kyle Rittenhouse, now a sick and warped “hero” of the far right.
Here in “blue” New York, it runs straight through the Governor’s race. The Republican challenger Lee Zeldin is a far right MAGA radical, who once rallied with the extremist Oath Keepers cult and voted against certifying the Presidential election just hours after the deadly Capitol attack. Zeldin is openly demagoguing the crime issue to exploit latent (and not so latent) xenophobia, working closely with Trump and vile anti-democratic Florida overlord Ron DeSantis. Their quest is the iron fist of fascism, which is bubbling up across the democratic world - from Italy (where Mussolini adherent Giorgia Meloni is now Prime Minister) to Brazil (where Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro may or may not relinquish power after his narrow loss Sunday to Lula’s left wing campaign). Openly far right factions hold rallies in France, Germany, and Canada. Not to mention across the United States, from sea to shining sea.
Some moderates, independents and liberals remain overly fond of the phrase “they’re saying the quiet part out loud” - as if a few bad words and phrases have slipped out. In fact, the fascist movement is emboldened and open throughout the democratic world. Including liberal blue states on these shores.
We need to wake up.
We need to speak up.
We need to fight.
Too many of us living in this liberal democracy think and communicate about what might be possible instead of what is absolutely necessary. None of our causes - not one! - will survive fascist victory. Climate, healthcare, justice reform, reproductive rights, economic fairness. Equal rights and opportunity for people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, the disabled, the elderly. Forget them all. They have no chance.
Unless we win.
A week from today, we’ll vote in the midterm elections, which historically break hard against the party of the President who’s in office. The House and Senate are both up for grabs, as are several key governorships, including the existential backstop of New York. Too often it seems like they want power, while we want debate. I fear that the talk come next Wednesday morning will be of retaking the seats we’ve lost, of the 2024 Presidential election, and of resisting the surging right wing.
I hope we have the time.
Not only can it happen here, it absolutely is happening here. The bullying tactics and violent rhetoric of the right are everywhere, from social media to the Trump rallies. Radicals run the GOP caucus in Washington and in many statehouses, brandishing guns and scapegoating millions of Americans who don’t look or sound like they do. A billionaire completely comfortable with fascism has taken over Twitter, the main social media network of politics and media. Many on the right (and some who once called themselves left) now openly sympathize with the brutal war crimes of imperialist Vladimir Putin. Anti-Semitism is rising rapidly. The transgender community finds itself openly targeted. Police and bail reform are used as levers to excuse our vast, expensive and cruel criminal justice system. Racism hasn’t been this explicit in America since civil rights. They’re dropping the code words.
What’s next? Armbands. Night marches. Loyalty oaths. Camps.
This newsletter will stand in solidarity with anyone who opposes the rise of fascism. Liberal democracy is both at risk, and on your agenda.
