I am in the process of reading Radical Connecticut by Andy Piascik and Steve Thornton. I was struck by this paragraph in the chapter titled “It Can’t Happen Here”, which discusses the performance of Sinclair Lewis’s play of that name in Connecticut:
Americans in the 1930s were being groomed to accept fascism as a macho solution to the troubles faced by the United States. Lewis’s It Can’t Happen Here was a roadblock to that disturbing movement. A quote attributed to Lewis describes the danger he wanted to capture: “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” …As Lewis wrote in his novel: “In America the struggle was befogged by the fact that the worst Fascists were they who disowned the word “Fascism” and preached… Constitutional and Traditional American Liberty.”
If anything, the quote attributed to Lewis (it may actually be a misattribution) describes the present moment more than it did the thirties, for the simple reason that the prospect of a fascist takeover is far more possible today than it was at that time. Neither of the major parties was taken over by fascists in the thirties. Today, the Republican Party is full on fascist, as are several members of the Supreme Court. As was the case then, and as Lewis pointed out, our present day Fascists also eschew the term Fascism, preferring to call themselves Christian Nationalists.
Sadly, as is their wont, the Democrats and the left generally have not chosen to call a fascist a fascist. Just as we let the anti-abortionists call themselves “pro-life”, and even used that term to refer to them, we are referring to these Fascists by the terminology they have chosen.
Let’s break it down. I’m not a believer anymore, but I still hold an advanced degree in religion that I earned at Our Lady of Sorrows Grammar School. There is nothing Christian about a group that trades in hate as does the Republican Party and its affiliated Fascist splinter groups. The term “Nationalist” may be a different story, but the fact is that to those not highly engaged in history or politics, it puts a positive spin on things. Yet even on the blogs I read, most written by fairly astute lefty types, the term “Christian Nationalist” is used to describe these people. Most people, even those who don’t take much interest in politics, know that fascism is bad. It is therefore incumbent upon us to call these people what they are.
Also, I recommend Radical Connecticut. It’s been a fun read. It mainly consists of chapters that may be three or four pages long, so I’m reading one or two a day while I have other books in process.