‘Left-wing Fascist Group’

Dan Schneider, the executive director of the American Conservative Union, recently expelled Richard Spencer from CPAC and mis-labeled the Alt-Right as a “Left-wing fascist group.” Scheider’s comments on the Alt-Right, in which he claimed that it was once a respectable mainstream conservative movement that had been taken over by liberal Nazis, exposed his ignorance on the subject and his poor grasp on ideology and history. He stupidly added that the Alt-Right wasn’t conservative because it rejects pluralism. If we take him at face value we must marvel that a man of such extreme ignorance could reach high levels in the present political system.

Dr. Paul Gottfried wrote in War and Democracy (Arktos, 2012) about the Left’s desire to portray all of their enemies as “fascists.” Gottfried wrote that this slur “is directed against all who stand in the way of further gay and feminist rights or unlimited Third World immigration.” In recent months we have heard a tremendous amount of nutty “anti-fascist” rhetoric from liberals opposed to Donald Trump, in particular.

More importantly, Gottfried described the US conservative (especially the neo-conservatives) movement’s penchant for calling Leftists “fascists.” It is difficult to make sense of this unless the word “fascism” is stripped of meaning and historical context and transformed into a political slur for whoever you oppose. A lot of this dumbing down of the political discourse has happened over the last half century or so. “Fascist” is generally much like “racist” – it just means a bad guy.

But, to be clear, fascism arose as a historical reaction to violent communist movements in Europe that sought to overthrow governments and completely re-organize traditional societies. Gottfried points out that “Fascist movements mobilized masses and made deals with the working class, but what allowed them to come to power was their armed opposition to the revolutionary Left.” They “became the party of order” and “stressed hierarchy and the glorification of one’s nation” – traits which are not Left-wing.

Gottfried gives several reasons why US neo-conservatives mis-label liberals as “fascists” today. “But the final and most fundamental reason for the establishment Right’s anti-fascist pretensions is a deeply rooted leftist mind-set in which fascism remains the world’s greatest evil.” This explains why Schneider, at a time when his country is being flooded by Third World immigrants and Leftists are nearing the point of reaching a permanent demographic majority which will make conservatism an irrelevant and powerless movement, is focused on policing the Right of anyone who doesn’t accept pluralism, democracy and the anti-White status quo. Schneider may not realize it but his worldview is based heavily upon the pervasive Leftist values which underly the present order.