Yes,Trump is a Fascist

I have plenty of friends who deplore Donald Trump but plan to vote for him in November. After all, they reason, in another four years the damage Barack Obama and his cronies have done to the Constitution and the country will be beyond reversal.

I wish I could argue with them. But if Trump is nominated- and after his expected Super Tuesday triumphs later today, it seems increasingly likely- he's going to lose. Sixty percent of the electorate sees him in a negative light. Candidates with numbers like that don't win, even when running against a compromised opponent like Hillary Clinton. As Lindsey Graham puts it, "Dishonest beats crazy."

But wait a minute. What if- by some demonic miracle- Trump won?

Here's an excellent article by Ellen Carmichael of "National Review Online" in which she details Trumps chilling history of trying to suppress and silence his critics through intimidation and worse. This is scary stuff. As Carmichael points out, there is absolutely no reason to doubt that Trump would use the IRS, the Department of Justice, and every bit of the vast power at the command of the President of the United States to harass and intimidate his critics and opponents.

I've generally pointed out to my friends that although their fears considering a second Clinton presidency are fully justified, voting for Trump isn't going to prevent it. If Trump is nominated, Hillary, or whoever the Democrats nominate. will win. Why compromise? Why sully your conscience and your vote? Why disgrace the principles which have always defined the Republican party by signing on with its hostile takeover by a tyrant?

But beyond that, what if he won? Donald Trump is a bully with a history of abusing power. His contempt for the First Amendment is so pronounced that in my opinion the term "Fascist" is not an overstatement of the case. It's not just his personality that resembles that of Benito Mussolini; his attitudes toward individual freedom are a betrayal of everything the Republican party- and America have ever stood for.

I will not vote for such a man when he cannot win. Far less would I vote for him if I thought he could! I hope- and am increasingly confident- that Mitt Romney or maybe Carly Fiorina or somebody else with high name recognition and no real future in national Republican politics will consent to lead the real Republicans- the decent Republicans- in an independent campaign against Trump and Clinton this Fall. And who knows? Given the craziness and scariness of Trump and the legal problems facing history, maybe it might be 1860 all over again. Maybe a third party might even win.

But if not, that's fine. If we don't gain the presidency, we would still keep our own souls. We could go to bed on Election Night with a clear conscience, no matter how discouraging and even frightening the election's outcome.

And if the ineffectual chaos of the conservative movement in this election year continues, and no such independent candidacy arises, I'll simply stay home on Election Day- and still sleep soundly and with a good conscience on Election Night.

Meanwhile, enjoy the wonderful metaphor of this video. You get him, National Symbol! He's the enemy of everything you stand for!