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Liberal Fascism
In his new book How to Beat the Democrats & Other Subversive Ideas, David Horowitz offers a blast from the past that illuminates the present, and, indeed, the whole liberal age in which we live. The words are those of Mario Cuomo addressing the 1996 Democratic National Convention:
We need to work as we have never done before between now and November 5th to take the Congress back from Newt Gingrich and the Republicans, because ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, the Republicans are the real threat. They are the real threat to our women. They are the real threat to our children. They are the real threat to clean water, clean air and the rich landscape of America.Cuomo’s hateful attempt to portray Republicans as an existential threat against America reminds me of a blast from yet further in the past, from hundred-foot-long posters mounted on the walls of a giant square in Nuremberg, Germany, in the mid 1930s:
Germans! The Jews are our Catastrophe. Posted by Lawrence Auster at November 07, 2002 07:10 PM | Send Comments
Mario’s remarks at the 96 convention were certainly ridiculous and over the top, but what’s your point? Mario is out of the government and his statements are 6 years old. I don’t get it. If you want to demonstrate ignorant liberal adhominims you can ceretainly find something much more current. Or did I miss something here? Posted by: Dietz on November 7, 2002 8:42 PMDietz, I find it helps to be reminded of just how “ridiculous and over-the-top” they were. Don’t you find that? You sound like you just want to forget. You a Dem voter? Used to be one, perhaps? You sound like Mr. Auster’s blog entry struck a nerve. Posted by: Unadorned on November 7, 2002 9:04 PMIs a remarkable statement less remarkable because it was made six years ago? Are we living in a different world than we were living in six years ago, so that nothing said then has relevance to the world we’re living in now? The point, which I didn’t think needed to be spelled out, is the way Cuomo literally expels Republicans from human society. They are the Other, a dangerous, malignant force, threatening us, “our” women, “our” children, our natural world, our rich culture. They are not part of America. This left-liberal view of Republicans and conservatives is of course a commonplace, but I don’t remember having seen it expressed so nakedly before. Though six years old, it represents a forward step in one’s understanding of liberalism. A second point was the eerie parallel between Cuomo’s demonization of Republicans and the Nazis’ dehumanization of the Jews, particularly with the reference to “our women,” which when I read the Cuomo quote brought the Nazi slogan to mind. Have I satisfactorily answered Dietz’s question, or is he still annoyed at seeing a quote that’s not from this week’s news? Posted by: Lawrence Auster on November 7, 2002 9:09 PMLarry, The deputy obviously favors a culture were people can be thrown in jail for “saying the wrong thing.” Also, I have met people who refer to anyone “conservative” as “Nazis.” Posted by: David on November 7, 2002 11:17 PMLawrence, fair enough. I better understand your point. I was in no way annoyed by your remarks only confused. They seemed to appear without a sense of context. I stand corrected. Posted by: Dietz on November 8, 2002 9:21 AMDietz is right that the lack of context in the original post might have been confusing. I’ve modified it a bit and hope it’s clearer now. Posted by: Lawrence Auster on November 8, 2002 12:13 PMCuomo was right. I expect the newly republican controlled Penn Ave. to have extremely negative affects on this country and its citizens because of their right-wing fascist, pseudo-christian, homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic mindset. Posted by: Monnica on November 11, 2002 6:53 PMMonnica in her series of posts clearly demonstrates the tolerant thoughtfulness of liberalism, its willingness to engage in rational civilized discussion rather than demonization, and its ability to really understand and empathize with what everyone is thinking on all sides. I guess VFR may as well just close up shop. We on the right are just a bunch of racist sexist homophobes after all, and all we needed was for wise Monnica to come along and point it out. I tolerate anyone and everyone except fascist pigs, stupid people and those who refuse to acknowledge reality. Posted by: Monnica on November 11, 2002 7:41 PMmonnica, the idea of democracy is to tolerate people of all ideologies. you are helpful to those of us that are not yet brainwashed, because you comments (particularly your latest) serve as a perfect example of one of the major hypocricies amongst the left; the refusal to tolerate opposing viewpoints. I may believe you to be anti-male, anti-white, or anti-success (my favorite), but I will at least LET YOU SPEAK. Such is the nature of freedom. I also love your use of jargon. you sound like a communist regulator. The fact that you specifically don’t tolerate ‘stupid people’, well are you proposing some IQ-based eugenic cleansing?!? I would be interested to see you elaborate on your definition of ‘reality’, because we may find it closer to the reality encountered by paranoid schizophrenics than by sane, rational people. I assume you will reply that you did not mean to say ‘stupid people’, but that provides another example of the left’s tendency to let emotions (usually anger) overpower their faculties of reason. Posted by: remus on November 14, 2002 4:06 AM |