Holy ********* Crazy

[xxlt]

(06-01-2017, 07:43 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Seriously, you know we see eye-to-eye a lot, but I don't know any political scientists that would say that. And I know quite a few, and just about all of them are liberal. The chart, and those like it, are too one-dimensional to show the real relationship between libertarianism and fascism. But I don't think any of thrm would approve of a 1D representation of the political spectrum at all, either.

I get the criticism of the 1D chart. I also get that a lot of them exist because they are simple to read, particularly for the political neophyte. I would be delighted to see where you or anyone else critical of that placement would place libertarians (libertarians in the US in the current era) on the admittedly flawed 1D chart. Would they be just left of communist? Just right of communist? Would they be right where socialist is? Are all the born again libertarians really socialists just afraid to call themselves that because their daddy Rupert told them socialists are evil for so long they can't get it out of their heads, even though they are starting to think maybe daddy didn't always know best?

Again, it was not my chart, but it was pretty consistent with everything I have read or seen visually represented (including more artful and complex representations). We have had more than one person here call fascists leftists and communists right wingers, so perhaps this is another one of those post racial and post factual moments where left and right mean whatever you want - and you call your opponent whatever you think will hurt her more, be it a no good lefty or a no good righty!

Oh, and for the record, I have said more than once that there are nuggets of libertarian thought that are really appealing. In total though, I see it as problematic and moving toward, yes, fascism. (I know you know this Belsnickel, but for those who don't, know that does not mean I think libertarians where swastikas and want to kill Jews! Many people mistakenly think the Third Riech was the beginning and end of fascism. It wasn't. And more than one political scientist told me over a decade ago they were concerned America was flirting with fascism. I believe with Trump's ascension they would be even more frightened and not because of his worship of "strong men" leaders, but because of his policy leanings.)

The Republican party in America has moved so far right (toward fascism) that many commentators acknowledge that former shining stars Nixon and Reagan would not be accepted in the party today. The Democratic party has moved right too. So, rather than having two parties either side of the moderate middle, we have one to the right of the moderate middle (the Democratic party) and one far to the right of the moderate middle and moving at warp speed if people like McConnell and Trump have their way.