this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2023
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[–] TotallynotJessica 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

That's a shallow view. Bush was more like Hitler than Trump in some ways, but far less so in others. Bush was more imperialistic than Trump, using NATO and western allies to dominate the globe. Trump distances himself from NATO and western allies, weakening the power of the American empire.

However, Bush didn't oppose the legislature like Trump, didn't oppose modernity like Trump, and didn't actually oppose the liberal world order. He was everything evil about liberalism, which was close to fascism by several measures.

However, (this will probably blow your mind) fascism is inherently anti-liberal. It's anti-communist like liberalism, but it also opposes key facets of liberal capitalism. Liberalism values property rights and market based economies, but while a fascist government will try to keep the owning class on their side, they'll void any right or principle to support the greater movement.

Some people claim fascists are still liberals because they deregulate and lower taxes, but they're not. Older Republicans and their donors often clash with Trumpians if you actually pay attention. Trump and his allies want to shut down the government, but "moderate" Republicans don't.

The recent shenanigans in the House of Representatives have been an effort by the more fascist Republicans to purge any members who listen to the donors over the party. The US defaulting or shutting down hurts the US economy at all levels, so the owners oppose shut downs or defaults. However, the loyal fascists are fine with wrecking the economy because people wrongly believe that the president controls it. Biden and the federal establishment would get blamed for the economy, suppressing Biden voters more than Trump's base.

You don't understand fascism because you assume all politicians that empower the owning class are the same. Fascists aren't just spicy liberals. Fascists don't value capitalism as much as their own power. They'll use capitalism and try to appeal to capitalists, but it only has instrumental value. Capitalists don't like fascists because they're bad for business, but they support them over liberals willing to regulate and raise taxes.