— from Learner Limbach —
‘Flood the Capital’ Rally, United States Supreme Court, October 6, 2018
On Saturday October 6th I found myself sitting on the steps of the United States Supreme Court, contemplating our country’s slip toward fascism. Several days earlier I had dropped everything and jumped on a plane to our nation’s capital, where I joined thousands of concerned citizens, the vast majority women, on the ground to bird-dog key Senators, march in the streets, stage rallies and occupy Senate buildings. We had hoped the effort, combined with the millions of people speaking up around the country, would be enough to sway the vote of two or three key Senators. In the end, it wasn’t.
In the midst of sexual assault allegations, demonstrated lack of judicial temperament and potential perjury during the confirmation hearings, and an FBI investigation that the White House limited in scope, Kavanaugh was confirmed to a lifetime seat on the highest court in the land with a 50-48 vote, the narrowest margin for a Supreme Court nominee since 1881. Sitting on the steps of the Supreme Court, I felt our country take a step backward. Donald Trump promised during his presidential campaign to only nominate Supreme Court Justices that would overturn Roe v. Wade. A woman’s right to control what happens to her own body is fundamental to achieving equality in this country, and that right is all but certain to be eroded in the coming years with Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. But it’s not only women’s rights that are in jeopardy. With a conservative majority on the Supreme Court we are likely to see decisions that move our country backwards on campaign finance and big money interests, labor, environment, disabled, LGBTQ, indigenous rights, voting rights, right to assemble, and much more.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Sitting on the steps of the Supreme Court, I felt our country take a step backward.[/perfectpullquote]
Where do we go from here? We are living in a politically charged and polarized time. It can be overwhelming to think about where to start making a positive difference. Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court is one of those moments that makes you question what there is left to be hopeful about, and whether all the blood, sweat and tears are worth it. We have been betrayed too many times by an oppressive system that seems always to go the way of the rich and the powerful.
But while hopelessness and cynicism are a completely rational response, that’s exactly how those in power continue to win. Instead, what we need now is to engage in a mass mobilization of the people. I believe Patriarchy and systemic oppression are up against the wall and that we will soon tip the scale in favor of justice and equality. This is the time to dig in our heels and mobilize with even greater force. There are lots of ways to get involved, and with November 6th fast approaching one thing we can do is work to get out the vote. If you’d like help plugging into local efforts feel free to e-mail me at learner.limbach@gmail.com.
Learner Limbach lives on Orcas Island and serves on the Washington State Democratic Central Committee.
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First you wrote: “I found myself sitting on the steps of the United States Supreme Court, contemplating our country’s slip toward fascism.”
Then you wrote: “Where do we go from here? We are living in a politically charged and polarized time.”
Can you see that your first, and vast, overstatement is exactly what leads to the second thing that you decry?
“Fascism”? Learner, you have no idea of what real Fascism is. I suggest that you read up on the subject of the Italian government in the first half of the 20th century. It ain’t us.
Don’t apply labels. Don’t purposely overstate your case in order to foment panic.
All that does is add to the terrible divisiveness which presently besets us.
Steve,
I encourage you to spend an hour on October 23rd watching Rick Steve’s PBS special on the rise of Fascism in Europe. We have a President who has said for all to hear that the free press should be silenced, jail his critics and lock up his political opponents. His attacks on the press and his critics has so far been stopped by the courts, but since his administration is packing the judicial system right now, we can’t count on that institution to stop him in the long run. He calls non-violent protestors who disagree with him violent mobs and has elided over the murder of a peaceful protestor committed by a Neo-Nazi and the murder of a journalist by a Saudi prince because these people support him. None of this is an overstatement.
Fascism demands the individual “Believe, obey and fight” in return for safety, a job and a sense of group strength and belonging. Lies are told by the leader over and over again until they are accepted as truth. Minority ethnicities and points of view are ridiculed and scapegoated.
Right now in Texas there are brown-skinned citizens-by-birth having their status challenged. There are brown-skinned naturalized citizens having their status revoked. There are prison camps full of brown-skinned children separated from their families and a gaovernment in unconcerned non-compliance a court order for timely reunitement. None of this is an overstatement.
I have been “reading up on Fascism” for decades because I wanted to know what it looks like when it starts. It took Hitler ten years to get into position and another two to completely destroy democracy in Germany. It is a gradual process that looks different from Mussolini to Pinochet, but the playbook is the same and it is being followed.
Learner, I’m a Democrat, and feel that your article, however heartfelt, isn’t very helpful. Strong passions have sought to wrench the Court from the judicial branch to a super-legislature in people’s minds, a perversion of its function. Yes, the changes wrought by the Court in recognition of changed circumstances and passage of time have been great. But it’s also important to recognize that like the rest of government, it is a human institution run by human beings. And in many cases, justices grow and mature on the Court. Earl Warren, a Republican appointee comes to mind. Roberts and Kennedy have sought the middle and helped to balance both sides.
Neither party has a monopoly on cramming appointments and legislation through. Both are brutal processes, and neither can conceivably be labeled “fascist.” I agree with Steve Henigson’s suggestion.
I suggest that we judge Justice Kavanaugh by what he does from here, not be what has passed, for the simple reason that we have no choice. However unattractively we may have seen him, he should be capable of better and we should expect it of him.
First, thank you to Learner for making the effort to go to DC to be part of the protests. You represented many of us who shared your feelings, and that is why so many contributed to helping fund the trip. Part of the problem with Kavanaugh, of course, were the allegations of his awful behavior against women, and the cursory FBI investigation was just a whitewash, as scores of potential witnesses were ignored. But in addition, Kavanaugh’s record as a judge is troubling. In the cases in which he ruled where the two parties were a corporation versus an individual, he ruled for the corporation 87% of the time. He is a judge who will continue to uphold the rights of corporations over individuals. Is this what the American people want? Bill, I totally respect your perspective, but this man has already proved he will not be a fair judge, especially with his record of being a Republican hack.
Second, thanks to Cindy for pointing out that the lies being told constantly today by our president are the same way Hitler was able to acquire power and stay in power. Once a lie is repeated often enough, people start to believe it. Trump is an expert at stating the opposite of what is actually true. Amazingly, he still has 35-40% of the people supporting him, as they believe his lies. This is very troublesome, because it potentially puts us one Reichstag fire away from a fascist dictatorship. After all, remember how much of our freedom we surrendered with the Patriot Act after 9/11. Luckily there are still some differences between us and Nazi Germany. We have a semblance of a free press, but they need to be much more aggressive in pointing out Trump’s lies. We also don’t have bands of unemployed former soldiers roaming our streets enforcing Trump’s will, as Hitler did, but Trump has shown he is fine with violence against his enemies. Plus, the fact that Trump has made it OK for white supremacists to come out of the closet, which they have done over and over again with violent results including just last week in Manhattan, shows that he may be close to having those roaming bands of thugs.
So what can we all do to counter this? As Learner says, we have an election coming up; help get out the vote. Some of us have been canvassing over on the mainland, some of us have been phone banking, and both of these activities are available right up until Nov. 6. It is clear that one political party has completely sold itself out to Trump. They passed a huge tax cut last year, with almost all the benefits going to the rich. Now they are complaining that our deficit is too big, so we have to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. You knew they would do this, and if they continue to control Congress, they will get away with it. You can help stop this from happening by voting for the other party, and if you really want to help, get involved with canvassing or phoning. Democracy is not a spectator sport, and if we don’t act, we will lose whatever democracy we have left.
Fascism—a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
1. Whether we like it or not, Kavanaugh’s decisions are within the current judicial mainstream. For example, he and his previous boss, Merrick Garland, were on the same side of decisions roughly 96% of the time for over a decade.
2. At least 7 of the 9 are wary of centralized authority and all 9 outright oppose fundamental violations of the separation of powers.
3. Both houses of congress? Can they not remove when / if grounds present themselves?
4. Our very professional, relatively well educated, and civically “indoctrinated” military leaders?—would they support dictatorship and obey orders that fundamentally violated our constitution?
The ascension of Kavanaugh equates with a
move towards Fascism? Really?
Precision of language.
What to make of this mind-boggling conflation?
Mal-education, not genuine disagreement, is the greater threat we face.
Who can’t understand panic for what it is and what it means not? Many, apparently.
Irrational conflation, Inconsistency and Hypocrisy are always-reliable tools of self-inflicted wounds.
Me thinks many doth protest too much.
and, yes, VOTE…as David wisely implores.
First, thanks to Learner for undertaking this journey, dropping everything to travel to DC to express what many of us felt. You are to be commended for walking the talk. This Supreme Court candidate was not only a threat to women (the FBI investigation was a whitewash, as scores of potential witnesses were ignored), he is also a partisan hack for the Republican Party and a promoter of corporate power over individual rights, having ruled in favor of corporations over individuals 87% of the time during his 12 years as a federal judge. With all due respect, Bill, this man will pull the court further to the right at the expense of the people.
Second, Cindy is absolutely right in her analysis of how fascism grows. It requires a leader who constantly tells lies that when told often enough, come to be believed by the people. Our president has a lot in common with Hitler; in Germany, a country full of educated people, Hitler’s false pronouncements were repeated often enough that a large number of people came to believe them. Today we have a president constantly telling us lies, and he has a TV news network that broadcasts these lies as the truth. That network has so many viewers that there is a large segment of the population with views that are completely counter to reality. To prevent this from evolving into fascism, we need an aggressive press that constantly points out these lies, not a press that repeats them. We also need vigorous prosecution of white supremacists who commit violence against people. Supremacists have become empowered by Trump’s nonsensical hateful statements, and while they have not yet risen to the level of the bands of thugs enforcing Hitler’s will, this becomes more possible with every bigoted statement Trump makes.
What can we do if we want to stop this potential fascism? First, as Learner says, get out and vote. But voting is the basic minimum. If you really want to get involved (democracy requires your participation, it won’t survive as a spectator sport), work against the political party in power, which has totally sold itself out to Trump. In fact, if they remain in power after the election, they will be going after Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to reign in the huge deficit created by their tax cuts for the wealthy. Many of us have been canvassing and phone banking for the opposition party, and you can do the same. It is crucial that we have at least one house of Congress not ruled by the president’s party so we have a line of defense. If we want to preserve any semblance of democracy, we have to act.
Thank you, Learner, for making this trip to DC and acting on behalf of the many island progressives who agree with you but could not join you.
Left unsaid in your guest column and all of the comments so far is that the vote for Kavanaugh was a MINORITY decision: According to Philip Bump of the Washington Post, senators representing 56 percent of the American public voted AGAINST confirming Kavanaugh; those representing 44 percent voted in favor of him. And he was put forth by a president who lost the popular vote by almost 3 million to his Democratic Party opponent.
These are the results of the built-in anti-democratic (small “d”) biases in the US Constitution that favor rural areas and low-population states disproportionately. I said as much in a recent editorial, “The Two Americas,” which the Seattle Times chose not to publish:
https://whatcomforum.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-two-americas.html
Others have reached similar conclusions. Writing in the Post, columnist Anne Applebaum even went so far as to call our current political situation a “tyranny of the minority” — a phrase I considered but decided not to use. Yet.
If that’s not creeping fascism, I don’t know what is.
I have benefitted by reading the above discussion on the growing fascism in the U.S. What appalls me most of all is how many people believe Trump’s lies (as well as the lies told by Ryan, McConnell and others). These people are ignorant, and result from the underfunding of our schools. Schooling should emphasize the acquisition of critical thinking skills, and if that is widespread, then the vast majority of people will not believe what are obviously lies.
Thanks for the responses to my column. I think its important we talk about this openly ESPECIALLY because we disagree. I hope this can continue as a civil discourse that many people reading can benefit from. To a few of your points:
Steve – You referred to my statement of “contemplating our country’s slip toward fascism” as a “vast overstatement”. You followed that up with comments that I find insulting and belittling. I would hope that we can disagree and yet have a mutually respectful discussion. Examples of what I find insulting are: “Learner, you have no idea of what real Fascism is” and “Don’t purposely overstate your case in order to foment panic.”
Note that I’m not saying we have a fascist government. Merely saying I’m contemplating our “slip toward fascism” doesn’t seem like overstating my case. I merely meant to express that I am concerned about the increase in fascist tactics being openly used my the President and the GOP. To say I know nothing about what real fascism is tells me that you missed the point and it is a gross mischaracterization. We don’t know each other very well and I want to offer that perhaps you greatly underestimate my knowledge on the subject and also are not familiar with my strong tendency to give great consideration to what I write before I publish anything. I do not choose the words that I used lightly or with the intent to “foment panic”. I simply want to help people be aware of what I see as a very clear and present danger.
Bill – I think you make fair points, although I disagree with you since there are legitimate concerns that Kavanaugh did not demonstrate the proper judicial temperament or bi-partisanship that should be expected of a Supreme Court Justice. There are also many people (myself included) who feel he committed perjury during his testimony. There was no reason to rush the confirmation process the way they did and the fact that the FBI investigation was limited so severely by President Trump leaves an awful stain on Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Chris – When you write as if you are talking down to me I feel disrespected and belittled. I’d appreciate it if we could have a constructive conversation rather than using insults.
“Fascism—a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition”
It seems clear to me that we have moved in the direction of the above definition over the past decade+ and especially the past two years. There is a lot of supporting information out there, and I’m sure there is also counter-information. I found this article helpful https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-fascist-learning-about-how-fascism-works-can-help-prevent-ncna905886
Here is a quote from it:
“Trump and the GOP use fascist tactics, but they have not yet created a fascist government. But to preserve our democracy, we have to point out that danger of fascism now, while we still can.”
Here is another:
“The fact that not all fascists are like Hitler, though, doesn’t change the fact that fascist tactics are recognizable, consistent and dangerous. And once you use fascist tactics of division and hate to get into power, there is an enormous incentive to continue using those same tactics to maintain control, whatever your personal motivations. If you start out spreading conspiracy theories, like birtherism, you are likely to continue to lie and attack the press once you are in office. If you campaign by evoking a mythic past that has been undermined by foreign elements (“Make America Great Again”), you are probably going to try to maintain power by targeting immigrants and outsiders.”
Thanks again for the conversation
Sorry, Learner, but I stand solidly with what I wrote to you, particularly about applying labels to people and actions.
Discuss the people and their actions, and I’ll discuss them with you. But the moment that you apply a label, you’re lumping an individual in with a group to which he or she does not belong. That makes rational discussion impossible.
The US is not “sliding toward Fascism.” We have a President who yearns to be a Mussolini-style “strong man,” but we also have a Congress with real power (if they choose to rationally exercise it) and an effective Supreme Court (regardless of its makeup) which will easily keep Trump’s ambitions in check.
Also, in no more than six years, Trump is decisively outta there, regardless of what he wants to do.
That’s nothing like Fascism. Not even close.
Cindy, watching pre-digested pseudo-history presented by a mere travel writer who was born about 20 years after it was all over can not teach me anything useful or meaningful about Fascism, or Mussolini, or Hitler and Naziism, or Stalin and Russian pseudo-“Communism.”
In a video documentary, facts and pseudo-facts slide by so quickly that you really haven’t time to digest them or question them. You can only accept what you’re being told.
Conversely, if you read one or more books on the subject, you have the leisure to check the facts being presented, to digest them, and even to argue with them.
I’m glad to learn that you read-up on the subject, but I’m dismayed to find that you think that we are anywhere near being a Fascistic society.
Today’s Venezuela is a Fascistic society (not “Socialist”), and it is my fervent belief that we must never become anything like Venezuela.
Further, I bet that almost every member of our (currently ineffective) Congress and our becoming-Conservative Supreme Court also will do everything possible to keep us from becoming another Venezuela, or another 1930s Italy.
Fascism? That ain’t us.
One other pre-condition to Fascist dictatorship is support of a “strong man” by an established ruling class that thinks it can control him and harness his ability to stoke popular fervor. The point, Steve, is that we are not there yet, but at this point we have met too many of the preconditions to risk letting this particular administration hold power. When such alarmist progressives as George F. Will, Colin Powell and Madelene Albright agree with me, I am pretty sure I am being fair and rational in my evaluation.
Chris – thanks for the last comment. No worries, and coffee on island sounds great. I always appreciate an in person chat in these days of social media and texting. :)
We won’t turn into a facist state, but only because of people like Learner…