Liberal Fascism

Jonah Goldberg has his first book out (here) entitled Liberal Fascism-The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning. Goldberg has studied the topic for perhaps a decade or more, and the resulting book represents both a scholarly effort and a very readable text. Such books, laden with footnotes and trying to be careful not to overstate the case, are usually ponderous, and frankly I can often barely get through them. But with this one, I was on the edge of my seat. I literally read the entire thing in two days. Goldberg's central thesis is:

“Fascism is a religion of the state. It assumes the organic unity of the body politic and longs for a national leader attuned to the will of the people. It is totalitarian in that it views everything as political and holds that any action by the state is justified to achieve the common good. It takes responsibility for all aspects of life, including our health and well-being, and seeks to impose uniformity of thought and action, whether by force or through regulation and social pressure. Everything, including the economy and religion, must be aligned with its objectives. Any rival identity is part of the ‘problem’ and therefore defined as the enemy.”

This insight illuminates the entire book. The various "isms" of the left are religions of the state. Because they are religions, belief in these causes frees the believer from the normal constraints imposed on the rest of us. Anything that needs to be done should be to bring about his chosen cause. The cause is so great, that whatever means are employed to hasten it can be justified.

The Geek With A .45 has a piece up that talks about the book far more eloquently than I could. Go see here. The Geek points out that:

"These aren't people who seek evil. They are people who seek Good, albeit through dubious means. They are people who blind themselves to the truth that the power for unlimited good is cannot be distinguished, even in principle, from the power for unlimited evil. As such, they do not understand that we oppose them for their means, not their ends, and many believe that we oppose the Good they seek to bring forth, and cannot understand why anyone (other than a reactionary degenerate seeking to preserve a position of oppression based privilege) would oppose such Goodness."

I believe that is true for the typical follower. They are true believers, and really do not understand how anyone can oppose the good they wish to bring about. Their leaders, on the other hand, I believe, have a will to power that most of us would deem inappropriate. In order to secure that power, they invariably create a cult of personality, wherein the followers invest the leader with all their hopes and dreams for the common good. Both sides seemingly get what they want, but one side is being played for suckers. Lenin referred to these followers as "useful idiots."

Last year I attended the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Louisville KY. The Second Amendment Foundation and the Citizens' Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the organizers of the conference, had invited all the candidates then vying for their respective party's nomination. Only Ron Paul had agreed to speak to us. The thing that caused me to recoil was the apparent "cult of personality" surrounding Mr. Paul. But when I first heard of Barack Obama being mentioned as the messiah, as the great unifier who would heal our souls, as sending a tingle up Chris Matthew's leg, I was horrified. No man should be spoken of in these terms. No one can deliver on the promises that have been made. And no one can unify a people when half the population adamantly oppose the methods being used.

When that happens, because they are trying to put in place a religion, that will bring about the common Good, and the ends justify the means, then such ends justify a totalitarian regime to silence those who won't be shut up.

This morning I read David Limbaugh's pre-election piece titled Sorry, but Obama Scares Me.

Me too.

Update: I had originally attributed "Sorry but Obama Scares Me" to Jonah Goldberg. I have corrected it to read David Limbaugh.