When President Biden labeled Trump supporters Semi-Fascists, I wondered who he meant. Was it a diehard election result, deniers? I didn’t believe Trump won the election. I noted the ex-president was, in fact, the author of his defeat. Telling people to only vote on election day and a terrible debate performance were self-inflicted wounds. While Biden mostly stayed in his basement, Trump was out making multiple campaign errors.

After finding a way to lose a close election, while Republicans gained House seats, his attacks on fellow Republicans cost the Party two senate seats. This action handed all three power sources to the Democrats. We are all suffering greatly from this outcome. Trump followed this with his inexplicable lack of action on the January 6th riot at the Capitol. 

At the time, I chalked these failings to an aging narcissist losing his grip. I say this as one even older and well aware of decline. An even older Biden with no real accomplishment or executive experience, pushing a frightening agenda looked worse. I voted for Trump. It turns out both are over the hill and should never be anywhere near the Oval Office.

Regardless of your politics, seeing Florida Governor on TV and commanding the state hurricane response for days around the clock made it clear to me that governing is a younger person’s game. I felt the need for a nap just watching him. It appears it had the same effect on Biden. By the way, what has Florida resident Trump contributed to hurricane relief?

Given my positions, I initially felt Biden wasn’t referring to me when he talked about “semi-Fascists.” I was wrong. He was referring to most, if not all, Trump voters. For instance, if you approved of the Dobbs abortion decision, you’re “MAGA”; therefore, a Semi-fascist.

Dobbs doesn’t ban abortions. It only returns the Abortion decisions to lawmakers. In my mind, in wrongly deciding ROE, the court invented rights found nowhere in the Constitution and denied the people’s elected representatives the ability to make decisions. Biden’s stand lumps me in with Mussolini and Hitler.

Do the people labeling others as Fascist even know what they’re saying? Often many in the media use the term interchangeably with far right. They also use Socialist and far-left similarly, but not nearly as often. This placing denotes they’re at opposite ends of the spectrum, but is this true?

The idea of left and right in politics has its roots in the French revolution in the seating in the 1789 National Assembly. Monarchists and church representatives sat on the right, and the revolutionary elements were on the left. This placing evolved over the years in France to conservatives on the right and republicans on the left. In the U.S., identifying conservatives as the right and liberals as the left took hold.

Since the advent of Marxism based on government control of the economy, these locations became quaint. Whether a Feudal or Marxist regime, they’re both top-down, directed governments. By contrast, libertarians and conservatives favor smaller governments and market-based economies. 

How do fascists fit in with this left-right idea? Generally, we find them placed on the far right. However, Communists, socialists, Fascists, and progressives believe in elite government control. All share a top-down view of .government.They have more in common than those fearing government and believe in a market, people-based system. Bottom-up, if you will. 

History bears this out. Mussolini began as a socialist and refined Marxism to the concept of corporate leaders and labor-making decisions under government guidance. The recent Railroad settlement here is an excellent example of how it works. The union members get a 24% wage increase, and the railroad passes it on with increased shipping rates. We all pay more—the result more inflation. Remember Hitler’s Nazi party meant National Socialist Party.

At present, Putin is a national dictator directing the whole of Russia. He began as a communist functionary but now acts much like Mussolini. Is he a creature of the left or the right?

A better way of thinking of political division is the statists, those who believe in top-down elite control on one side and those relying on individuals participating in free markets and controlling a smaller government on the other. 

Dictators, by definition, are top-downers. They always delegitimize the courts and destroy the legislator’s power. Joe Biden bypasses Congress’ power of the purse to give some of his supporters up to a half-trillion-dollar gift while attacking the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Readers of this blog know I fall in the small government group. I confess I’m not a Fascist, but the one trying to label me as one is closer to the profile. If Joe is looking for Fascists, he might look in the mirror.