I've been struck by the number of Trumpites and Republicans that seem genuinely shocked at the 6 January storming of the Capitol. 'That's not us' they insist. 'Those people don't represent us.' It only shows that these same folks not only do not understand what has happened in American society, they don't understand their own movement, the people they've allied themselves with and what Donald Trump's presidency means.
Thus there is a split within
Trumpism – a crack likely to turn into a chasm. The split is due in part to the
nature of the American 'winner take all' political system which was never
designed to function with political parties. And yet because they developed,
the system became and remains dysfunctional and stuck in a bipolar contest that
on the one hand restricts the development of a political spectrum (as seen in
parliamentary systems) and on the other hand it forces together very divergent
forces within the confines of one or the other party – which always means the
national party will be steered by the dominant faction.
This is true of the
Democrats who face their own fairly serious internal divisions. And yet in
their case, the divergent forces (the so-called Sanders faction) once defeated
in the primaries, continues to channel its energies back into the Democratic
Party – thus effectively negating their own agenda.
The Republicans on the
other hand have let the divisions tear their party apart. Trump was not the
beginning of this process but its culmination. Its origins lie with figures
like Goldwater and Reagan but the real point of change should be located in
1994 and the ascension of Newt Gingrich. The bitter politics of culture war
along with the economic and foreign policy platform pursued by the party since
that time has put the GOP on a trajectory leading to the present moment – the present
crisis.
Many within the GOP, even
many Trumpites don't seem to understand what they're a part of, nor do they
grasp the nature of the social forces they have unleashed.
Today many so-called
conservatives are merely Right-wing. They do not stand for traditional values
and mores. Additionally there is a growing faction within the Trumpist GOP that
never really was conservative. Driven by bitterness, anger, and even fury, this
class may champion hawkish military endeavours, Second Amendment rights and
Libertarian ideals but they aren't conservative in the least. In fact in many
respects this faction despises the old order. If they stand with the police
it's in the context of race war and anger focused at not just immigrants but
the inner city in general. Some of these
people inhabit suburbia but more often than not they are creatures of the exurbs
and rural districts.
As one who lives in a rural
area I can personally testify that many of the Trumpites I encounter are not
conservative people. I know these people well. They are my neighbours. I am
surrounded by them.
They are often rude and
crude and have no connection to traditional values. They are blue-collar folk
who a generation ago would have been somewhat conservative Democrats – back
when the party was perceived as representing American labor.
But the world they knew,
the world of their fathers and grandfathers is largely gone. The jobs that once
supported a family no longer do so. Some of them might have had a smattering of
church growing up – probably when visiting grandparents, and some of them flirt
with church now, but this group is far more comfortable in a bowling alley on
Saturday night when the can smoke and chew and be raucous while Toby Keith or
perhaps AC/DC blast in the background. Their values are quite different and
vastly removed from conservative ideology and practice.
The Trumpites I think of
are the Sons of Belial-types that stand in the local store shooting their
mouths off about how they're 'stocking up on ammo'. Tattooed, filthy in speech,
manner, and habits these are largely stupid, bitter people representing a
broken segment of society. They're angry but not understanding what has happened,
they are looking for people to blame. They blame minorities. They blame
'liberals' not even understanding what a liberal is or what they stand for. They
hate liberals because they equate the term with political correctness (itself
something of a myth), rank socialists (of which there are none in US politics) and
sodomites (which in some cases are less liberal than they think).
And yet in terms of modern
liberalism when compared to traditionalist conservatism – these people are
actually much closer to liberals themselves.
These Blue Collar folks are
right to be angry at the Democratic Party which has largely betrayed their
class but at the same time they are deluded and fooled by Trump's rhetoric.
They think he stands for them or that he's going to somehow fix society. Some
go further and think he's a messiah-figure who is fighting the evil monsters
and is going to save the enslaved and abused children. The devotion some
express is cult-like. And it was this group that seemed to dominate among those
who stormed the Capitol.*
While our area was and
still is permeated by Trump signs, the type of person I'm referring to drives
around with plastic testicles hanging from the back bumper of his pick-up truck.
They have huge profanity-laden Trump flags trailing behind these same trucks or
in the summer their motorcycles. They're loud, rude, and some openly carry
guns. They're flag waving über-patriots but their patriotism is little more
than tribalism and myth – and a dangerous justification for their largely
anti-social behaviour.
It's a sad thing to behold
but there's a story behind it. It's a manifestation of society's failures, and an
immoral and deceitful system. It's a fruit of idolatry, an idol that has faltered
and failed and so rather than abandon it, they have sought to re-frame the
issues and defiantly hold on to their myths.
What a strange moment that
these people have found common cause with cultural conservatives who despite
all the evidence to the contrary continue to defend Trump as representing their
values and desired policies. Even more shocking are the growing numbers of
ostensibly conservative Christians who also resonate not just with Trump, but
the larger spectrum of the aforementioned ethos. It is no accident that Trump's
deepest and most loyal base is found among the mammon-worshipping Evangelicals
and the over-the-top Charismatic sects.**
Clueless with regard to how
the American system works both domestically and internationally, these are the
folks who flock to Wal-Mart on Friday night and yet fail to understand that
it's just as much the symbol of elite rule and disregard as the forces they
hate. The Wal-Marts in their communities are a spit in their face, built on the
ruins of their small town societies and the sweat and blood of exploited people
in other parts of the world. Rather than attack the Capitol they would be
better served in tearing down Wal-Marts or attacking the citadels of the real
masters behind the Washington political structure – the lords of Wall Street.
The whole thing is tragic
to behold. I groan inwardly every time I head to town. Though I avoid Wal-Mart
like the plague, I see it everywhere I go and am reminded every time I see a
derelict building with a Trump sign on it.
Distracted by sports and dreams
of their next truck, tattoo or handgun, these people are obsessed with their
lame, contrived, canned music and television. Absorbed by financial concerns
and social stresses, these are not people able to reflect on or focus on ideas.
Like so many in society, their ability to focus has been shattered by a failed
education system and the pervasiveness of technology which saps them of mental
energy and the ability to concentrate. Their families are shattered and their
order in general is broken as evidenced by the opioid tragedy that has torn
through their communities.
Is all of this the result
of political correctness? Is this because of some blasphemous movement that
ends prayer with 'a-women' instead of amen? Hardly. At best the
identity-politics and waxing sodomy in the culture are only part of the formula
and in reality these are but symptoms of the larger problem.
On the most basic level the
society is idolatrous and lost and thus given over to evil. Its main idol is
mammon. The highly sacral nature of the Manhattan skyline testifies to that. Today's
society is the harvest of earlier generations and the ungodly ideology they
embraced. Christians are largely blind to this because they have lionised the
earlier generations and falsely believe the old order to have been Christian –
and they are quite willing to redefine the term (another gospel by definition)
in order to fit the narrative.
But more immediately the
collapse is due to the economics of empire – and the decadence that sets in
when such empires develop and unfold. Read the history of the Roman Republic.
It's all there. The same things happened. The same forces are at work. From the
Gracchi to Sulla, we're witnessing the fall of a republic – a republic which
had already become an empire but had not yet succumbed to the dictatorship of
the Caesars.
The GOP is attempting to
seize the mob and to convince them that they don't really want bread and
circuses. They should be happy in their poverty and direct their frustrations
and anger toward someone else. The state of things is the fault of the grasping,
entitled, and lazy poor, un-American minorities, and the like – or elites that
have betrayed them. The latter is true to some extent but the GOP is just as
much a part of that same Wall Street-Washington elite – Trump most certainly
represents the Wall Street elite. It's a case of smoke and mirrors but they've
managed to get it to work. They have powerful tools at their disposal in the
form of FOX News, pop culture, and the Evangelical leadership.
I was struck by this some
months ago when I was in the grocery store and a twenty-something Trumpite was
in front of me. He was all geared up with the 'Come and Take It' t-shirt and
other Second Amendment accoutrements and body decorations – tattoos with
American flags, flames, crosses and the like. Perhaps you know the type?
These are the people who
stormed the Capitol. These are the people who loathed Obama – even though in
many respects his policies were geared toward helping them.
Anyway, I chuckled when
this same Trumpite pulled out his food stamp card to pay for his groceries.
Appalachia is permeated with Trump signs and yet regional grocery store owners
will admit that if Food Stamps (SNAP) were canceled they would probably go out
of business. Without Medicaid the few remaining hospitals would close up and
even the local building store does a tremendous amount of business selling
'wood pellets' because of the energy subsidies in the form of LIHEAP. The fuel
for the stoves is paid for by the state and the local Trumpite store owner is
happy to take the money.
For my part I don't care if
someone signs up for these subsidies or benefits from them. It's Caesar's coin
and Caesar's system. It's deeply corrupt. If Caesar wants to play games with
taxes and credits and it can help you make ends meet – then by all means. I'd
rather see tax revenue used to buy food and heating fuel than bombs.
But I cannot respect the
man in the grocery store who at the same time aligns himself with Trump,
McConnell, Ted Cruz and the like – people who are merely using them and
additionally if they had their way they would remove those benefits and happily
look the other way as he and his family would be reduced to sleeping in the bed
of his Trump-stickered pick-up truck that he obviously cannot afford.
And do people live beyond
their means? Of course they do, but for those plugged into the system there is
a lot of pressure. Others (and I have seen many) are literally motivated by
nihilism and despair. Yes, they waste their tax subsidy buying a big
television. The cost is only going to pay a few bills. And since they can't
afford to do much of anything, at the very least they want to watch the NFL
game with some comfort. Is it moral or wise? No, but it makes sense and the
wealthy people who judge them have no leg to stand on. Not only do the wealthy
waste money but I have found that in many cases they actually take more
subsidies (sometimes indirect) and benefit more from government largesse than
the poor do. They don't see it and don't want to – but that doesn't make it any
less true.
These are the forces Trump
has rallied. Drain the swamp, smash convention, stick it to the elite – all draped
in flags, guns and other Right-wing packaging. It's not conservatism. It's only
historic parallel is found in 20th century fascism. But like the
fascism that arose in Italy, Spain and Germany, it rides along with and
parallel to conservatism. The movements use one another but the fascists
ultimately hijack the movement. That's what we saw on 6 January 2021.
The one key difference is
this – Fascism abhors libertarianism and an ethos of individualistic rights.
Fascism subsumes these under the nationalist agenda. And yet if those forces
can be channeled, where individualistic expression serves the purposes and
agenda of the movement, than 'individualist' expression is fine – for now. In
fact those associated with the movement are granted privilege. They can make
noise, be brash and ostentatious to the point of disrupting and offending
others because they have the 'right'. Others, (those who refuse to go along) do
not and must be crushed.
Don't be fooled. Trumpism
is a collective movement just as all movements (by definition) are. Look at the
crowds waving the flags, blindly chanting and repeating Trump's inane mantras.
These are duped 'individualists' who have become drones – servants of a hive
mind. Their collectivism isn't built around ideals but the person and words of
its lord – Donald J Trump. It's raw and tribal. It's also dangerous and
immoral.
At this point the few
intrepid readers who reject this message but have continued to this point will
invariably say but fascism is a Left-wing
movement. This notion is grievously mistaken but we can argue all day about
the placement of fascism on the political spectrum. I think it's important to
differentiate conservative from Right-wing. That helps some to understand the
difference.
But at the most basic level
I will say this. The former fascists of the World War II era that worked with
the United States (whether in the US itself or in the geopolitical context) all
found their home and closest allies within the Republican Party. This is fact.
Likewise all contemporary
fascist movements, Neo-Nazis and the like find their place on the Right. They
ally with the Right-wing of the Republican Party and they have all gravitated
toward Donald Trump. He is their hero. This is fact.
They're not lining up with
Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer. Erroneously reckoning them to be communists,
they are marked as enemies. Fascism's mortal enemy is communism. It's a case of
Far Right versus Far Left.
Some have confused
'socialism' with totalitarianism which is not the same thing. Totalitarianism
is where the Far Right and Left meet up. It represents both systems pushed to
the extreme or extreme government. Every whisper, every thought is monitored and
controlled. At that point the politics don't matter anymore because there are
no politics. You're under an extreme form of dictatorship. For the person
living in Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia, the North Korea of the Kim family, or
even much of Roman Catholic Medieval Europe – it didn't matter what the system
was called. You live(d) under a regime of thought police and in constant fear
of torture and incarceration. But this isn't 'socialism'. Socialism has nothing
to do with this kind of minute control. Socialism in its essence is supposed to
be democratic.
And don't be fooled by
Libertarian arguments to the contrary. Their system produces a vacuum filled at
the very least by warlords, gangsters or corporate tyrants and their regimes
can in the end be just as invasive, prying, and totalitarian as anything driven
by political ideology.
So to conclude this brief
digression, socialism is not to be equated with totalitarianism and Fascism is
most certainly a Right-wing movement.
These points are not even
disputed outside the United States. Fascism is understood as a Right-wing
movement – end of discussion. History tells us as much. Those who chafe at this
are lying to themselves and fail to understand what their ideas lead to and
what they are grounded in. Conservatives are not necessarily fascist but more
and more, (every day it would seem) conservatives (and more alarmingly
Evangelical Conservatives) are drifting to the Right and many are falling over
the fascist cliff.
Socially, culturally and
politically it's disturbing enough but within the context of the Church,
Trumpism is a heresy. It's a heresy that's going to divide congregations and is
already doing so. It's a heresy exacerbated by the Covid crisis. These two
factors have forced these elements to the surface and many Christians are
showing their true colors. The tree is bearing fruit and much of it is rotten
to the core.
To the Trumpites, the
dissenters are communist mask-wearing cowards – an absurd and dishonest posture.
To non-Trumpites (some of which are actual Christians), Christian Trumpism has
revealed an ugly, brutish, and selfish individualism governed by a deeply
anti-Christian ethic that leads these people to worship mammon, power and
harbour a deep disregard for life and the lives of others. It's ugly but that's
how it is.
----
* It must be confessed
that on one level populism works. Trump's rhetoric resonates. GW Bush was born
with a silver spoon in his mouth but he seemed like a regular 'fella' who would
sit on your porch and have a beer with you. Trump's not like that but his
aesthetic resonates. He doesn't seem like an elite because he's not cultured.
He's a philistine, a boor, with no sense of culture and no sense of the 'finer
things'. Trump is a 'bigger is better' dollar store-tacky, fast food aficionado,
who thinks class consists of gilded toilets and sequins. He's a man who thinks
plastic is beautiful and consequently surrounds himself with silicone-fashioned
Barbie doll women and nothing is more aesthetically pleasing to him than seeing
his name emblazoned across large objects.
And as reported elsewhere,
the QAnon nonsense about child abuse rings is extra frustrating because there
are such 'rings' in the circles of power. I don't know about paedophile rings
though they certainly exist in the wider sphere of society. But in terms of
prostitution I do believe there is widespread practice of corruption and
blackmail. The late Jeffrey Epstein was (it would seem) part of it. A friend to
the powerful and facilitator of their sins he also had connections to
intelligence agencies. There's a lot more to his story that has yet to be told.
** Consider this article written by a Calvinistic Baptist pastor.
A New Calvinist but of the
Trumpite-Bircher sect, he thinks piety is proclaimed by 'pistol packing'. A
Dominionist, he's not a conservative. He doesn't even know what conservatism
is. He's a libertarian and a crude one at that. Can you imagine the older
generation of conservatives speaking in such base fashion? And this man leads a
church? I pity his congregation.
While I resonate with his
rejection of middle class mores concerning courtship and the like, there's
little discernment, wisdom, or Biblical thinking in his commentary. It's
Dominionism gone bad – Dominionism as baptised redneck libertarianism. Whether
good or bad, older generations hunted, had guns and the like, but the new
movement makes veritable idols out of these things. In every way the ethos and
ethics of Christ's Kingdom is wholly unknown to them.
And chaos reigns not just
in their social ethic but in their theology. I continue to marvel that the new
generation of Dominionists seems to be overwhelmingly baptistic, rendering
external means as largely insignificant and viewing children as pagans until a
Born-Again experience. The Quiverfull approach makes little sense in that
theological framework but as is the case in much of their thinking, they are
not only unbiblical but inconsistent. The ideology is libertarian and
hyper-individualistic and so in that regard it does resonate with baptistic
categories. And yet to conquer society they have to literally breed an army of
culture warriors and so they also have a collective-covenantal aspect to their
thought which comes from the Reformed heritage – one they clearly do not
understand.