@WarisComing I'm in no way endorsing or supporting the Democrats, but that's entirely the problem. There are only two options, and both are bad. Sadly, one is much, much worse than the other, but both are terrible in every sense, because the system is (as you rightly say) undemocratic. I agree with your proposed solution completely, by the way. Your explanation of and solution to the current state of American politics is thoroughly rational but almost certainly impossible. My opposition to the Republican Party, though, instead of throwing out both parties completely, is that the base of the GOP is devoted to it as part of their ideology. The base of the Democratic Party doesn't do that; those who vote Democrat do so because it's the only choice that is available which isn't completely regressive, socially and economically. The Democrats are still utterly corrupt, but there the left just pays more attention and has more critical thinking skills (not ALL obviously, just more) and therefore has less of a tolerance for propaganda and lies that can be fact-checked in seconds. The GOP's base doesn't care that they're being lied to, as long as it makes them feel good and safe and secure. That's the difference for me, why one is inherently less terrible.

@constantstranger17, I agree with you on one point: political democracy is dead. It has been corrupted by the powers of money. The only solution to this would be to establish democratic regulatory systems within the major financial powers, as well as within the justice system and senior civil service. Not only should the leaders of these major powers be elected, but these elections should also be repeated, transparent, with rights for the opposition, freedom of speech, and the right for everyone to run for office. In short, of all the major powers that impose themselves on the people, only political power is democratic. Consequently, there is no real regulation of power in the US and the West. This means that you are right in saying that the Republicans use undemocratic means. But I think you are wrong in assuming that their opponents, the Democrats, do not do the same. You mention Fox News, but put yourself in the shoes of a Republican for a moment and imagine what he thinks of the TV channels that are, on the whole, mostly in favor of the Democrats. They think the same thing as you, but from the opposite perspective. The system is flawed, but I doubt that one side is entirely right and the other entirely wrong. Moreover, when you say, “The public vote hasn’t determined who wins the presidency in a very, very long time,” this also applies to the Democrats. I think that true opposition to the current situation means questioning the system as a whole. The problem is that this will not happen anytime soon because the undemocratic powers on both sides are too influential. They have no interest in seeing that change. Perhaps, unfortunately, we will have to go through the decline of the West in order to rebuild something more democratic … in a century or two…

@WariSComing "fascism implies the suppression of democracy" The public vote hasn't determined who wins the presidency in a very, very long time. In that way, democracy is already suppressed. "We must avoid exaggeration" Yet exaggeration is all MAGA has in their toolbox. Everything is fear and distortion of facts; the slippery slope fallacy has practically been trademarked by Fox News at this point. "It is pointless to label anyone who does not think like you" I agree. I only call out fascists when they meet practically every single characteristic OR make it clear that they desire to do so. "that is not how you fight for freedom." Complacency is the water in which America now swims, precisely because of the "wait and see" attitude you describe in this very post. I highly recommend calling a duck a duck, when it walks and quacks like one.

@constantstranger17, Don't forget that fascism implies the suppression of democracy. Let's wait for the next elections to see if +rump will do as Mussolini did in 1925 or Hitler in 1933 and abolish elections, freedom of the press, and opposition parties. At that point, we can say that +rump is a fascist. We must avoid exaggeration, because “everything excessive is insignificant” (Talleyrand). It is pointless to label anyone who does not think like you as a fascist, because that is not how you fight for freedom.

@GeorgeSpelvin - Your formulation is designed to mislead and confuse. You want people to think that since antifa opposes fascism, then that implies that the only options are to either support antifa or support fascism. The problem is that antifa doesn't merely oppose things but also affirmatively promotes practices and goals that are just as bad as fascism. If there are two men nearby, and one wants to break my left leg, I can't assume that I should go along with whatever the other fellow has in mind merely because he doesn't want to break my left leg; he's not a hero if his objection to breaking my left leg is that the right leg should be broken instead. That is the essence of the ''fascism v. antifa' false binary: it's only offering a choice between oppression from right or from the left rather than rejecting authoritarianism regardless of which side it came from.

@Micksit the problem there is that (at least in America) MAGA is fascist, and unchecked capitalism is just as bad for the well-being of the population as any dictator, because corporations will do whatever they can to anyone they can, in order to make money, unless they are regulated. And +rump is making it easier for them to do so every day, as well as leading a legitimately fascist movement and government.

The left-right paradigm isn't appropriate in that ANTIFA members for instance to a large degree are communists. And if we look at it on the scale of freedom to oppression, they all, nazism, fascism and communism, are at the oppressive end of the scale

@Nonexistence National Socialism is just one form of fascism, though, so even though you didn't mention it specifically, it's the same general "flavor" of totalitarianism. I also think it's necessary to separate "antifa" from people who oppose fascism in general; one is an organization, the other is a political stance. Obviously the organization has produced strains of extremist, even totalitarian ideology. This in no way undermines, refutes or denigrates the political stance. And my assumption about your allegiances has more to do with what you mention in the last sentence of this last response, that you're in favor of people's attachment to their nation, which is something I can only interpret as nationalism... which is also one of the primary mechanisms of fascism in general. There's nothing wrong with being proud of one's culture and nation, but having an "attachment" to it is very odd wording for someone who apparently speaks English fluently. My "attachment" is to humanity and human rights, and when that conflict with the nation in general, the nation loses.

@Nonexistence Who are you fighting for that you have to distort what fascism is in order to make fascists look like the heroes in the modern world? You're arguing against the scholars on this subject, which means you either swallowed propaganda or you're genuinely ignorant of what you're talking about. Modern fascism does not require "classical" socialism, but can work with that system if it existed in western cultures. There is nothing whatsoever that requires fascism to be associated with socialism to qualify as fascism. If you truly believe that antifa is fascist, you are either a liar or simply ignorant of what you're talking about.

@dapplin, And don't forget Margherita Sarfatti, the woman Mussolini loved most, who influenced him greatly (and who was Jevvish, by the way).

dapplin you're consuming some absolutely putrid propag@nda if you think f@sc1sm is s0ci@list in nature. Every reputable scholar on the subject disagrees with you. The personal beliefs of Muss0Iini's ghost-writer (lol) have nothing to do with how the model of governance manifests in the history and modern day... i.e. r1ght-w1ng, authoritar1an, milItaristic, jingoistic, $3x ist, anti-intellectual, anti-arts, anti-human rights, etc.

Once again, a rewriting of history. The claim that Nazism is right-wing ignores that Nazism was modeled after Mussolini's fascism. The "Father of Fascism" was Giovanni Gentile, who ghostwrote Mussolini's Doctrine of Fascism, was a devout Socialist and a embraced the views of Kant, Hegel and Marx.

Hopefully, we'll have a dynasty of the current administrations policies through the children of the current administrative branch of government to keep us advancing toward a a place in which human society, natural conditions are so ideally perfect that there will be complete contentment.

una cosa es indudable: ningún admirador de hitler puede ser pro-palestino.

scrolling at comments if its a good watch or something to play while I work on somethings, but nadda

@andidi20, Today, with the internet, it is easy to find documents attesting to the collaboration between the P@lestinians and Hitler. One need only look at the photos of Hitler with Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerus@lem, as well as photos of P@lestinian forces wearing Nazi uniforms with fez hats decorated with the swastika and SS skull and crossbones. Furthermore, Mein Kampf is a bestseller in its Arabic version, and it is not difficult to find documents on the revival of Nazi ideas in the Arab world today. Therefore, one must choose between supporting Hamas (the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood) and fighting fascism.

It is true that the Russians paid a heavy price, but it was in big part self inflicted by Stalin who let his best generals die by fear of loosing power and stupid decision making where lives are worth nothing (like what is happening in Ukraine where soldiers are just cannon fodder). And you seem to forget that Stalin had an alliance with Hitler. Now regarding Palestinian, it is false to say they allied with Hitler. There was a strong anti colonialist stand against the British rule and the Zionist colonization that already started and led to the first Arab revolt. Despite that, opinions were diverse and many also fought against the Axis...

@Nonexistence fascism has a specific list of characteristics that both Likud and MAGA either already fit or aspire to fit. You can change the subject all you want, try to muddy the water with who did what in the past, but it just makes you look like you can't deal with the facts as they are. Only cowards do that.

@Nonexistence Opposing Netanyahu and the g3n0c1d3 against Palestinians is not the same as having a problem with Jews.

@ThaDudeMan no one can make you care that you're the bad guy, but the facts are the facts. Just because the criminal pedo lowlife in the WH is currently in power doesn't make you the good guy. And I'm not affiliated with the group that I'm not allowed to type here, I just don't suck tiny orange d1cks. Like you do.