Burgess column: Stop the march toward fascism (Column, Jack Burgess, Chillicothe, Ohio Gazette)

When I spoke out at our St. Johns County Commission after January 6, 2021, I called DONALD JOHN TRUMP a fascist.  Commisson Chair JEREMIAH RAY BLOCKER responded to First Amendment protected activity by "Democrats" by sua sponte changing Commission meeting format, removing public comment from the top of the agenda, making We, the People wait.  From Chillicothe Ohio Gazette:

Burgess column: Stop the march toward fascism (Column, Jack Burgess, Chillicothe, Ohio Gazette) 

June 16, 2024

OK, this is a really big deal. As the political season unfolds, the question is not just who will win but what will win the 2024 election. Can we keep the “republic,” as left to us by Ben Franklin and company, or will we continue toward more of a Mussolini or Hitler model? And no, this isn’t just more D versus R partisan politics — or personality differences.

Frankly, I’m not a big fan of Joe Biden the person. He comes across as angry and bossy. His favorite word is, “Look!” and then trying to dismiss criticism, warranted or not. He’s a hawk on foreign policy, having supported Bush’s unnecessary attack on Iraq in 2003. But he’s got his good side. Seems to be kindly toward those who’ve suffered loss, and he’s got years of government experience before being President. He’s a moderate who’s trying to provide governmental programs that help ordinary folks, as with student loan debt or a lack of health care.

And his opponent? I can’t find anything good to say about Donald Trump. He was born into wealth and privilege and sent to New York Military Academy. His political programs are a hodge-podge of slogans he thinks voters will buy. And tax cuts for the wealthy. In that he’s way he’s not too different than a lot of Republicans—and some Democrats. But he’s not an ordinary Republican and a number of Republican leaders are opposing him.

Somewhere along the way, Mr. Trump seems to have picked up the fascist playbook. I’ve studied authoritarianism, and I think maybe he was an abused child, like Adolph Hitler. As Hitler and his ally Mussolini vilified Jewish people — blaming them for all of Germany’s and Italy’s problems in the 1920s and ‘30s — Trump blames all of our problems, real or imagined, on the “dangerous hombres” coming across our southern border. Or Muslims — whom he illegally tried to keep out of the country. He has simplistic solutions to the problem — build a wall. Never mind that folks who really want to come to America will dig under, climb over, fly over, sail around — you name it — to get here.

And never mind that Mr. Trump has apparently used more than a hundred illegal aliens in his hotel businesses —according to The Hill and The Washington Post — both respected news sources.

And Trump seems to admire world leaders that others see as undemocratic and unfriendly toward the US. Like Vladimir Putin of Russia.

If these things were all to say about the next presidential election, they would be enough. But Mr. Trump has said things that really should disqualify him—practically if not legally. When a guy like Trump says he’s planning to be “a dictator”—believe him! His actions—or lack of actions—while some of his supporters were storming the capital in 2020, chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” are ample evidence he’ll do just about anything to get and keep power.

And don’t forget to vote for Senate and House with these facts in mind. There are some decent Republican candidates out there, but make sure they don’t support Trump’s attempts to steal our democracy. Luckily, we’ve got an outstanding U.S. Senator in Sherrod Brown, and we need to re-elect him. Not just because he deserves it, but because if Biden does win, you can bet a Republican Congress will try to impeach him. Brown—with his long years of service to Ohioans-- can be counted on to fight strongly any attempts by Trump Republicans to remove a President Biden.

And, in District 2, we’ve got a promising candidate in Samantha Meadows, with a strong affinity for Southern Ohio, who in Congress would stand up to a bullying, out-of-control Republican leadership that may attempt a political coup by impeachment, if President Biden is re-elected.

2024 is a big year for America and the world. We have to stay awake — speak up, help out — and above all, Vote!

Jack Burgess is a Veteran for Peace and a retired teacher of American & Global Studies.