I've written before that I believe that Alex Jones, the John Birch Society, groups like 9/11 Truth and the more extreme elements of the Ron Paul movement are potential precursors to the kind of virulent, cult-like nationalism which launched the Fascists and the Nazis into power in the middle of the last century. Their creation of imaginary enemy groups and oppressive elites are part of a program to forge a shared identity for their followers and promote a mood of constant, irrational outrage. By divorcing their followers from reality and offering themselves up as the source of the only true answers, these demagogues lay the foundation for the kind of populist movement which starts out demanding freedom and ends up enslaving everyone.
It begins with angry mobs of idealists demanding freedom and decrying shadowy enemies of the people. The next step is blind obedience to a leader who promises to give them that freedom and destroy those enemies. The next step is the widening of the definition of the enemy to include almost everyone. The final step is an authoritarian state where freedom has become slavery in the grand Orwellian tradition and all power rests in the hands of a supreme leader and his inner circle of loyalists. Hitler and Mussolini and Lenin and Robespierre all started this way, promising to free their people from oppressive government and the business elite and the priests and the jews and the aristocrats who conspired against them. They all ended up the same way as well, in blood and war and destruction.
As an example of where these movements might be going, I offer the Grant Kidney Revolution, an amazing site from a would-be demagogue who espouses what appears to be the same kind of paranoid quasi-libertarianism as Alex Jones, Lou Dobbs, Ron Paul and their followers, but at the same time is unabashed about his overwhelming desire to be a modern-day Hitler. It's possible that Kidney's site, books, and videos are all part of an elaborate and absolutely brilliant deep satire of the political fringe, but if it's satire it hits far too close to the truth to be funny.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Andy Marsh
Can't wait to read the comment string on this one! You pickin' a fight Dave?
2 - Condor
I can't respond... Godwin's law.
But... look to France, they have experienced a fairly recent rise in Nationalism. Over what? Decreased quality of socialized democracy which, oddly enough is a result of unchecked immigration, which, as we are experiencing, becomes burdensome to social programs paid through taxation.
The womb to tomb mindset of France citizenry is under attack. They have scaled back educational programs (free to qualified applicants), the guaranteed holiday, healthcare etc.... not because of the increase of people, but the increase of money used to support those people, who are milking the system dry and not pumping the tax dollars into the coffers to keep the machination running.
It probably can be best described mathematically; but who uses math? Math works, do the math.
3 - Clavos
I dunno, Dave.
After looking through his site, I think this guy Kidney seems to be nothing more than a garden-variety, hate everybody/everything misanthrope.
Judging by the childishness of the video you cited, I don't think he's likely to pull in any but the most gullible and stupid.
However, you're right in that virtually all of history's worst demagogues did start off thesame way. I'm more concerned by a Ron Paul or Alex Jones, both of whom are much more polished and plausible to the less sophisticated than Kidney, who especially in the video (notice he didn't come on camera?), where he's downright cartoonish.
In fact, he's so over the top in the video, I began to wonder if perhaps it's all a gee-up, as Stan would say?
4 - troll
...its hard to apply 'Godwin' when the discussion begins with a Nazi analogy
5 - Dave is comedy
After reading several of your articles I no longer feel the hot flash of rage when you release a new burst of hot air into the blogosphere. Your like a gnat that just keep buzzing in the ear of the few who are listening to you. A guy who calls following the Constitution "idealism" (All government officials are sworn to this). Sound monetary policy, humble foreign policy, putting the power back into the hands of the people, truly free markets....those sound like Nazi idealism? I'll tell you what is Nazi-like, Neoconservative preventative war. That was an invention of Hitler. You desperately try to paint the Ron Paul movement as extremist but we are a peaceful movement who only seeks to restore sound conservative principals to America. Hopefully we can do it Dave, so that people like you can continue to spew their hateful rhetoric in peace and without government regulation. We've seen torture, more than 5 years of war, crushing debt, rising inflation, wire tapping, economic socialism , and abuses like never before in American history and Dave calls the people who speak out delusionary. When should we be mad Dave? When there is a depression? When there is socialism or fascism? When 50% of your paycheck is paid in taxes? When government employees outnumber those in private jobs? When random house searches are the norm and strip searches at airports? How about a Congress that no longer respects the Constitution or it's people since the lobbyists are their key to holding their seat? Would you be mad if we were fighting two simultaneous wars....or would it take three for you to be mad? When will you experience outrage? I don't know about you Dave. I have to think that you write these hit pieces simply to bring us here, otherwise who would be reading this at all? The Freedom movement is a peaceful movement back to traditional American values. Our role models are the likes of Ghandi, and Martin Luther King, and even with your accusations there are no riots at our marches, no assassinations, no firebombs. It is a peaceful movement. You have nothing to fear but getting your rights back and having to think for yourself once again. I would guess that Dave is a Liberal Republican who thinks perpetual war is peace. Hey, where have I read that before?
6 - Paul wortguy
The Ron Paul "revolution" is only an attempt to bring government back under control. It is based on the founding principled of this nation, and what made us the greatest nation in history. It seeks to reverse the last 100 or so years of a policy of imperialism abroad, and socialism at home. It seeks to restore a sound, inflation proof monetary system, where government and it's partners at the banks do not get to create money out of thin air and spend and lend without limits.
It is an idealogical battle, and we are not looking for any populist leader, but only to restore liberty for all people, even misguided socialist, fiat money lovers like yourself.
Thanks for the article!
7 - amy
I am just an artist/illustrator..I used to believe what I heard on the new and I really thought the people elected in to office were in politics because they cared about this country. Now I know different. The USA is run by corporations and the military is controlled by these corporations. Everything else is a lie. I wish I could go back to the more innocent times but that is impossible. I dont think the writer of this article has to worry about the status quo being at risk though..the sheeple are being well fed by writers like you and lap up all the lies like kittens to a bowl of cream. I am in the minority. I will support Ron Paul and people like him. Come November I will probably cast my vote for Obama as the lesser of two evils. It would at least be a novelty to have a smart man in the white house.
8 - Condor
Amy,
The more innocent times were fraught with war, greed, and lusts, then as is now. "Innocent times" were a state of mind, when, as a child you were unaware of the conditions surrounding you. We all were there once in our lives.
9 - stuart mills
Your idea of fascism seems not to be connected with real things. These figures you mention are linked perhaps because they all talk openly about fascism? Power from People in the American sense is anti-fascistic, because leaders are hamstrung before they can accumulate oppressive powers. So, these people, Jones and Dr. Paul, when they argue for following the Constitution, are advocates for restoring the means by which average people can again restrain leadership. Checks and balances don't work if our public servants ignore the law. That argument and their motivation, to restore the Constitution, shouldn't be confused with the collective outrage patriotic Americans express about their loss of liberty and the new thuggish character of American leadership.
10 - Thomas
So you're concerned about a man who opposes government power root and branch leading a revival of fascism, a term you nowhere define or appear to understand. (Hint: fascism was self-consciously an opposition movement to classical liberalism, the forerunner of the libertarianism Ron Paul holds.)
Meanwhile, you are utterly unmoved by the fact that major party candidates in the U.S. openly contemplate mass murder based on trumped-up claims about "enemies." Show me where or when Ron Paul has ever come close to doing that, rather than condemning wars on moral, economic, and constitutional grounds. You're up in arms about the prospect of the return of a limited government message leading to fascism (amplified by concerns about phony enemies, you say), but the specter of militarism driven by phony enemy claims is right before our eyes. We don't have to speculate on it. It's here. And not one word from you about it. U.S. sanctions kill 500,000 kids in Iraq? So what! Let's go get the real villain, Ron Paul!
Is this for real?
Yes, I know the media has told you that Ron Paul is oh-so dangerous and bad, but I'm sure you have an independent enough mind 1) to see how obviously contemptible the media is, and 2) to see through these propagandistic claims and -- gasp -- think for yourself.
11 - Clavos
U.S. sanctions kill 500,000 kids in Iraq
500,000? Kids?
Got an authoritative, unbiased citation for that? With link, please?
12 - Angela
Bad logic abounds here, I see.
13 - Louis Nardozi
That's got to be the funniest thing i've read this year - Ron Paul wants an authoritarian state?
Where'd you get THAT idea? I mean, are you paying attention at ALL? Have you read even one word of his platform? Have you ever heard him speak? These are rhetorical questions, it's obvious you have not. Wake up sleepyhead! I know you're trying to make a point and it's certainly a valid one but don't try to make it on RP's back. He's fighting as hard as he can to eliminate exactly the type of thing you're talking about.
14 - Rottin1
This article does exactly what it was intended, it produces comments.
Pull the couch from under you and vote for your Ron Paul Republican...
15 - Coredog
You make a great shill for the PTB Dave! Keep up the good work, you earn every penny they give you. Like a typical psychopath you accuse others of doing what you and your masters do in order to deceive. You are a shining example of how to use one of their main tools! Bravo!
16 - Clavos
Like so many programmed robots, they come; all using the same (programmed) catchphrases, their knees jerking in unison, all over the landscape.
Ah, paulbots, you are the very people you warn us about...
17 - Jordan Richardson
Dave seems just as dogmatic about drawing them out as they (the "Paulbots") do about seeking content like this. It's almost as though they need each other to survive the barren ideological wasteland in which they all happily and ignorantly exist.
Keep up the good work!
18 - Dave Nalle
So far mostly the expected robotic responses with little thought behind them, but at least some people are paying attention.
I did say that I don't take Kidney at all seriously. But he displays the traits that I would expect from the next step in the progress from professing freedom to twisting it into authoritarianism. I doubt he'd ever be able to lead such a movement, but clearly he'd like to.
As for what makes me identify Paul and Dobbs and Jones with proto-fascism rather than true libertarianism, it is their combination of libertarian ideas with other ideas which are clearly not libertarian. Libertarianism should embrace reason, but all of these demagogues include large strains of irrationalism in their beliefs. Nativism, isolationism, protectionism, populism, paranoia and religious extremism are not libertarian.
Take away Ron Paul's religious extremism, nativism and loyalty to the John Birch Society and I would believe he was truly for freedom. But the truth is that those beliefs are inherently incompatible with a rational belief in liberty, and if his movement continues to evolve it is likely that those proto-fascist elements will continue to dominate and the support for freedom will become more and more selective and illusory.
History does repeat itself.
Dave
19 - Bob
"Their creation of imaginary enemy groups and oppressive elites " - I could say the EXACT SAME THING about the US government. Say, have they found Ossama Bin Laden yet? How's those prosecutions of Al CIA Duh going anyway? Nice psyops piece, but I'm not buying it.
20 - spectator
"Yes, I know the media has told you that Ron Paul is oh-so dangerous and bad, but I'm sure you have an independent enough mind 1) to see how obviously contemptible the media is, and 2) to see through these propagandistic claims and -- gasp -- think for yourself."
Think for yourself?
Why be Un-American?
It should be obvious that the MSM speaks the truth.
And the sheep bleat what they hear.
21 - spectator
Dave Nalle:
"Nativism, isolationism, protectionism, populism, paranoia and religious extremism are not libertarian."
Nativism, isolationism, protectionism, populism, and religious beliefs are libertarian.
These are what the Founders believed in.
The paranoia and extremism are yours.
22 - Say it ain't so
"Dave Nalle has been a magazine editor, freelance writer, capitol hill staffer, game designer and taught college history for many years."
Why pay tens of thousands of dollars to have this guy poison your children's minds.
23 - deanne
a previous poster got it right, Dave is comedy.
24 - Frank
"History does repeat itself.
Dave"
As a historian, I can say with unwavering conviction that this statement is absolutely wrong and naive. If the author had taken a historiography class, he would know not to use such a contemptible cliche. History is the interpretation of the past. Therefore, it cannot "repeat itself". The past itself is over and done with, and all the millions of unique events and players had to come together to make past events occur precisely the way it did. No. History NEVER repeats itself. Impossible. Those who think otherwise are simpleminded.
And like McCain, you don't seem to get the difference between isolationism and non-interventionism. Look at a dictionary before you go slinging terms willy nilly.
25 - Bob
Don't think that psyops like this are uncommon here in the Fascist States of America.
READ THIS: