Three Fatal Flaws On The Left Paving Trump's Road To Full-On Fascism

The most dangerous myth of the American left is that we live in a democracy that we just need to make work. We don’t, and it won’t.

Cartoons and column by Mark Taylor / DeMOCKracy.ink

By Mark Taylor
DeMOCKracy.ink (1/1/24)

As we tip into what may well prove the most consequential year of post-Civil War America, and perhaps the killing blow for the shadows of what we say we are, the Democrats and whatever muddling remnants of the American left/progressive movement are paving the expressway to full-on fascism.

One of my favorite lefty websites is Common Dreams. I have donated to their efforts and frequently link to or feature articles from the site. On New Years Day I scanned through the page and spotted three fatal flaws of writers on the left. Before referring to them, I want to say these are writers I admire and one of them — Ralph Nader — is someone I did political cartoons for a few decades ago, when I was a journalist.

What is driving me a little nuts is how timid, modest, and — frankly — enabling of genocide and full-on fascism so many commentators on the left are. A particularly grotesque example is how much of a pass the left is giving Joe Biden and the Democrats for the savage Gaza genocide we Americans are funding, arming and providing diplomatic cover for. In fact, were it not for the U.S., Israelis couldn’t carry on their war crimes. Given that, they are OUR war crimes. To put it truthfully, every headline and story lede should refer to it as the: U.S./Israeli Genocide; U.S./Israeli War Crimes etc.

All of this is important because the first step of addressing any problem is to properly identify the problem. If you don’t do that, all effort is doomed to failure … and continued suffering.

So here are three common fatal flaws of commentators on the left:

Flaw #1: The pantomime of democracy

Will Bunch is a good columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer, but in his column “In 2024, Rise Up From Your Couch and Save Democracy” readers are lulled with the false message that we have a democracy to save and if snoozing citizens would just get their lazy butts off their dang couches we could make things right in the nation.

Bunch says of these freeloaders, “They should be organizing right now, crafting new messages, posting on TikTok, making themselves known, knocking on doors, registering every voter, and talking to — and listening to — millions of disillusioned young people.”

Somehow, Bunch and other liberal commentators think it’s a good idea for people who have been repeatedly suckered to naively line up to be suckered again. As documented in a famous Princeton University study, we live in an oligarchy where the votes of common citizens have virtually no representation in the action of congress and the government.

None. Just look at how the majority call for a ceasefire in Gaza goes nowhere.

A growing number of Americans know what latte-sipping smartypants left intellects just can’t grasp: the game is rigged in favor of the corporate owners of the country and we have just one political party — the Republocrats

The most dangerous myth of the American left is that we live in a democracy that we just need to make work. We don’t, and it won’t.

Now is the time to call for direct action: unionization, general and wildcat strikes, targeted boycotts, sit-ins etc. The very things a wise and effective left did in the 1930s that pressured FDR and the moribund Democratic party to find a spine.

(Note how the Democrats never talk about FDR’s four successful terms, while he was outspent 10-to-1. Neither do journalists and lefty columnists. Hmm, could there be a lesson to talk about?)

Flaw #2: Giving credit where none is due

The second example of what I am talking about is Ralph Nader’s column “Biden's Faith and Support for Genocide in Gaza”, in which Nader appeals to Biden’s faux Catholicism. Pretending Joe Biden has any religious — much less spiritual — allegiance other than to the Corporate Cathedral of Self-Interest and his self-proclaimed Zionism is a joke. To pretend there is a shred of spiritual sincerity to appeal to in a man who at every opportunity over the decades of his career has empowered the prison state, militarization, big oil, war and Wall Street interests over the wellbeing of us all is beyond naive — it is enabling his official sociopathy.

What Nader is doing is what too many liberals do when taking on rightists like Biden: crediting them with a humanity and morality they have never had. People like Biden and Trump are stone-cold sociopaths who worship only at the temple of self-interest. The same can be said for the bipartisan majority in congress supporting the genocide.

Flaw #3: Breathless fallback to Trump derangement syndrome

The well-worn tune of the most popular of Democrat/liberal fallbacks is played by Abby Zimet in “Orange Man Bad: On Vermin, Grifters and Attention Whores”. We all know the tune and can sing along about how corrupt, venal, racist, crooked, fascist, stupid, greedy, orange and dangerous Trump is. All of which, BTW is pretty much true, but per the written lyrics, there is no mention of Trump’s back-up ensemble — the Democratic Party.

You know, Democrats like Joe Biden who campaign on a public health care option and does nothing after taking office. Or promises a boost in the minimum wage and wimps out. Or reassures young voters he will address the accelerating climate crisis only to okay more gas and oil leases on federal lands than Trump.

Zimet doesn’t examine the fact that many of Trump’s voters are disillusioned Obama voters who — properly — felt betrayed by Obama’s move from “Hope & Change” to the standard Democratic party “Bait & Switch”.

Honestly, the best back-up Trump could hope for is the out-of-tune, off-rhythm, broken-string-and-busted-drumstick Democratic Party Corporate Band.

Is Trump a threat and disaster in motion? Of course. But who is going to boost him right back into the White House? Bumbling “Genocide” Joe and the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee which has bought up and delivered both parties to corrupt Super War Criminal Boss “Bibi” Netanyahu, while leaving millions of Americans without health care, child care assistance, proper school lunches or housing for a growing tsunami of homeless.

In light of the stomach-churning U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza, the worn out “lesser of two evils” tripe has sputtered to a stop. Think of it, we have come to a point in this fractured, flailing and falling nation of arguing to vote for the lesser war criminal.

At the end of her column, Zimet concludes with this note, referring to Trump being booted off the ballot in a second state: “Update: Thank you Maine. The way life should be.”

So, instead of arguing for a campaign people want to vote for, simply boot the opposition off the ballot. How third world! Well, when you decide to put up a mentally crippled candidate with the personality and appeal of a yapping Chihuahua sporting a 39.3% approval rating, what else can ya’ do?

It’s called American Democracy.

See Flaw #1, above.