Yes it is.
I watched Jon Stewart’s TDS piece yesterday and for once, the man horrified me. His arguments were:
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We gave Trump the power to use the constitution which grants him the right to do all the terrifying things he’s done so far, therefore it’s not fascism because it’s constitutional, and we should react only when he crosses the line and he starts doing unconstitutional shit and nobody counters him using constitutional means. He even said “Don’t blame the players, blame the Founding Fathers.” - as if somehow playing dirty is okay because it’s allowed.
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If we keep shouting “fascist” now that it’s only a mild case, nobody will listen when the case gets more severe.
In other words, according to Stewart, we should wait until Trump and his henchmen become fascist enough to react and make noise.
What an asinine logic! Trump is fascist RIGHT NOW, AT FULL PELT! It’s not because the constitution is broken and allows it that it’s not fascism. Hitler too rose to power legally.
If you need proof, check for yourself whether the United States doesn’t tick all the boxes.
Hint: it does perfectly, all 14 of them, without a single exception.
Stewart has always had way too much faith in our institutions being inherently positive, and I fear it’s made him feckless at this critical moment. An institution captured by Nazis is a Nazi institution, and must be treated accordingly.
I feel like it’s a common gen X belief. So many men his age have just launched into unprompted lectures about civility politics when I’ve spoken with them on the topic…
It’s so out of touch, who gives a fuck about the law? MAGA certainly don’t. I don’t either - the law is a broken tool, an empty promise of equality and fairness so the powerful can avoid the pitchforks when they do something to deserve it
For those interested, Skip Intro’s done a couple of video essays on Jon Stewart that cover very well why he isn’t a particularly good person to listen to.
If you’re interested in someone similar in category but better in substance, I (and Skip Intro, for that matter) recommend John Oliver. He isn’t perfect, but he’s generally on the mark.
Interesting
Stewart has been way off this entire past year. He was very vocal about initiating the way too late in the process Biden replacement on the ballot that did not go over well. I’ve lost a lot of respect for him.
I haven’t found him off until yesterday. But what he said yesterday genuinely shocked me.
Oh well. At least he’s funny, unlike the fat orange-utan and his entourage, who range from creepy to repetitive and depressing.
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sorry Nathan J. Robinson, I appreciate the heady analysis, but my #1 priority is going to continue to be protecting my trans and queer friends. Honestly the absence of any discussion of trans issues makes me not want to hear anything else you have to say.
Totally agree! It’s not even on the article’s list of things to be concerned about.
