Trump’s Inaugural Speech: Not Normal – FASCIST!!! Don’t Let This Go Down!
Donald Trump gave a classic fascist speech.
He vilified “the establishment” only to set up himself up as the redeemer of the “forgotten man and woman.” He called his followers a “movement,” said that this day “belonged to them,” and that together they would “determine the course of America and the world… for many, many years to come.” He did not even acknowledge any systemic inequality or injustice toward women, toward Black people and Latinos, or gay people, immigrants, or the disabled that so characterizes this country — only remarking (in a pregnant line) that “prejudice” could be dissolved in the blood of military sacrifice for “the country.” He gave a pledge “to end the carnage” in the inner cities that, given his campaign threats, carried the implicit threat of nationwide stop-and-frisk against Black and Latino people.. He did not even mention fundamental rights to dissent, to the press, to the rule of law; indeed, the only right he mentioned anywhere was the “right” of the US to put its interests first (which must have been a cruel joke to any listener in Latin America, in Asia, in Africa, or the Middle East).
In fact, perhaps the most remarkable part of the speech was how he painted a fictional portrait of the US as the helpless sap of every other nation and people, and to vow that from here on out it would be “America first.” This was a program of unvarnished chauvinism, one which will rely on aggressively deploying what Trump promised would be a “strengthened” military to “eradicate from the face of the earth” those he deemed it enemies. This will greatly heighten the danger of war and very possibly on a scale of horror never before experienced.
The reaction of the news commentators on CNN was instructive. The first round of responses was a frank shock at how polarizing and how utterly chauvinist Trump’s speech had been. But by the time of the second commercial break, they were all “back in order” — smoothing down the rough edges and somewhat desperately reading tea leaves for hints of normality.
No! This speech was not normal. This was doubling down. If you were not clear before, be clear now: should the Trump-Pence regime actually consolidate itself and rule, we are going to be dealing with FASCISM, a severe and qualitatively worse situation.
Go in the streets, stay in the streets, begin to grow the force that can rally millions and tens of millions to say “NO!” to this fascist regime and prevent it from ruling.
In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America!