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Thom's blog
Hungarian-Style Soft Authoritarianism is the GOP's Ruthless New Brand
 The GOP believes to their core that by the end of 2024 they can do to America what Viktor Orbán did to Hungary – and therefore never again face serious political opposition: will it work? While it's fashionable in some circles to compare Donald Trump and the modern-day GOP to Hitler or Mussolini and their fascist movements from the 1930s, what's happening on the international stage right is actually somewhat different and, once in power, far harder to stop or overthrow. Call it "soft fascism" or neofascism. The problem with the old fascism was that it was too brutal and militaristic: it offended voters' democratic sensibilities, killed way too many people, and caused nearby nations to respond militarily to its perceived threat. This softer and gentler system, neofascism, still employs many of the same political and rhetorical tools old-fashioned fascists used to gain power, including white supremacy, ultranationalism, and a general embrace of neoliberal crony capitalism.But it does all of them within a more populist wrapper, seemingly driven from the ground up, and acquiring elected power by manipulation of social media; crony-owned "news" outlets and talk radio; buying off politicians ( legalized by conservatives on the Supreme Court in 2010); and subtly rigging electoral systems with devices like voter-roll purges ( legalized by conservatives on the Supreme Court in 2018) and voter suppression. Read more at HartmannReport.com. -Thom |
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Thom's blog
Saturday Report 10/2/21
The best of the rest of the news... — Is the Billionaire Sabotage of the Democrats Baked In? After the Nixon and Agnew bribery scandals that led them both to leave office, Congress passed some really good legislation to get money out of politics. Conservatives on the Supreme Court blew it up, most famously in the 5-4 Citizens United decision in 2010, and the entire Republican Party put out their hands to the billionaires and big corporations (if you know of even one single Republican who doesn't take corporate PAC money, let me know). A large handful of Democrats decided this was a good idea, too. The past decade has seen a significant pushback against these types of politicians, with the Congressional Progressive Caucus growing and taking serious power. As I mentioned in yesterday's rant, the big question is whether this movement within the Democratic Party will be successful in "going big" like FDR and LBJ did, or will get crushed by the billionaires and the corporations empowered by SCOTUS, including the media corporations. Laura Clawson over at Daily Kos adds some very insightful thoughts on the issue of the media's inherent bias against the progressives and toward the Gottheimers' of the party. Read more at HartmannReport.com. -Thom |
Monday's Daily Stack 
Hour One: The Women's March Was This Past Weekend...Why No Media Coverage? Did You Participate? Share Your Story...
Article: " 14th Amendment section 4, July 9, 1868 " The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned."
Hungarian-Style Soft Fascism is the GOP's Ruthless New Brand...
Is There Enough Commitment to Democracy That the GOP Won't Get Away With It?
Hour Two: What Does the GOP Have Against Biometrics and Mail In Voting?- May Davis, Visiting Legal Scholar - Independent Women's Forum 
Geeky Science - How Important Is Fish To Our Diet?
Article: " 14th Amendment section 3, July 9, 1868 " No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."
Hour Three: As Americans Realize the Supreme Court Has Always Been Partisan - Will This Lead to Reform Like Court Packing
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Tuesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET
I'll be talking with Jake Weigler, Director - Our Shot Oregon / Partner - Praxis Political, about group targetting local politicians for spreading COVID-19 misinformation
Plus, Conversations with Great Minds: Frances Moore Lappé, Activist / Author or co-author of over 20 books including Diet for a Small Planet (50th anniversary edition) / Frances has been a visiting scholar at UC Berkley, M.I.T. and Suffolk University in Boston to name just a few and is the recipient of 19 honorary degrees
And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...
The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week for "we the people"
And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...
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Watch & Listen to Thom
Why Does GOP Think Mail In Voting Is Racist (w/ May Davis)
Hungarian-Style Soft Fascism is the GOP's New Brand
These Christians Want American Democracy To End
Democrats Are Exercising Political Muscle (w/ Ro Khanna)
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