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From their suppression of dissenting voices, use of propaganda, and capitulation to Russia, the GOP is behaving like US Communists in the 1930s and 1940s.

President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Former Sergey Kislyak (AP)

Professor Leonard Weinberg is a Senior Fellow at CARR, Professor Emeritus at the University of Nevada, and recipient of both Fulbright and Guggenheim research awards.

In a recent issue of The New Yorker, the Harvard University historian, Jill Lepore, challenges the mood of pessimism that has overcome many thoughtful individuals about the direction of democratic institutions in the West, the United States especially. She asks us to recall a similar though even darker mood that an earlier generation of thoughtful pessimists had about the prospects of democracy. Not only did much of Europe fall under the control of Fascism but also, despite many western admirers, the Soviet Union was brutalized by Stalinist rule.

Democracy, to paraphrase the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, seemed to be where the world had been, not where it was going. And yet, as Lepore writes and as many others have written, the post-war world saw a revival of democratic values and the restoration of democracy itself in much of the West. Thanks to the New Deal and its military successes against the Axis powers, the United States became something of a model to be emulated elsewhere. Lepores core message is, do not despair democracy may be in recession at the moment, but it is sufficiently resilient to survive Trump and his base.

By taking our thinking about politics back to Depression-era America, we might pay some attention to the countrys Communist Party (CP). For the only time in American history, the Party counted for something. Its role was limited but it attracted the support of many artists and intellectuals (see R.H. S. Crossman ed., The God that Failed) and something approaching a mass base of support (see, Nathan Glazer, The Social Base of American Communism, and Harvey Kiehr, The Heyday of American Communism). Its leaders, Earl Browder, Jay Lovestone and their lieutenants, played significant roles in the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), an organization that became one of the countrys two leading labor union federations. The CP also became a champion of civil rights for African-American long before the issue became center stage in the politics of the 1960s.

Aside from a small group of Trotskyites, the CP was a largely unquestioning follower of Stalin and the Soviet Unions zigzag policies during the 30s. These rapid changes, of course, involved switching from condemnation of socialist parties in the US and elsewhere as social fascists during the early years of the decade to support for broad-based popular front alliances during the mid-30s (including a benign view of the Roosevelt administration). In August 1939, Nazi Germany and the USSR signed the non-aggression agreement, and Communist parties around the western world were instructed to remain neutral in the deadly struggle underway between the western democracies and Nazi Germany. All this changed, once again, when the Hitlerite regime attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941 and Stalin called once again for a broad alliance of all progressive forces in the fight against Nazism.

Then, there were the Moscow purge trials. Between 1936 and 1938, prosecutors acting at Stalins orders charged prominent leaders of the Soviet Party with Treason (Arthur Koestlers Darkness at Noon captures the atmosphere). Key figures in the Party/State apparatus were tried and executed for allegedly acting on behalf of the bourgeois democracies all along.

How were members of the American CP able to stomach all these changes of direction? How were they able to absorb the transformation of previously admired heroes of the USSR and the international communist movement (e.g. Bukharin, Radek) into betrayers of the cause, almost overnight?

The answers involve the flow of information to CP USA members. The Party published newspapers and magazines (e.g. The New Masses, The Communist, Pioneer, the Daily Worker, PM), which provided correct interpretations of developments in the USSR. At cell meetings, Party members were told not to believe accounts of the show trials and other anti-Soviet accounts published in the capitalist (or CAP) press. The latters aim, according to CP leaders, was to weaken the Party by sowing dissension within the international working-class movement.

It is hard to imagine a wider distinction in political outlook than the one between American Communists in the 1930s and the contemporary Republican Party. Certainly, in terms of ideology they are virtual polar opposites. Yet, in terms of the way they treat dissident voices, there are striking similarities.

Trump and his administration have been racked by scandal, with one Trump confidant and appointee after another going to prison while still others await trial. The President has been caught up in sex scandals involving multiple young women who, using an intermediary, he has paid to remain silent. He has been impeached by the House of Representatives for seeking to bribe (with military assistance), Ukrainian officials to persuade them to announce an investigation of a likely rival in the 2020 presidential election. Trumps financial dealings are under investigation by state and local authorities. Newspapers, such as The Washington Post, report Trump has lied to the public over 16,000 times since taking office on January 20, 2017.

Despite this record, opinion polls have shown the Presidents popularity has remained virtually unchanged since taking office; it seems to oscillate between 40 and 45 percent of those questioned. By contrast, between his landslide re-election in 1972 and his resignation from office in the summer of 1974, President Nixons popularity fell to a bit over 23 percent. The Watergate scandal and its attendant publicity had a dramatic impact thanks largely to enormous newspaper and national television coverage. If Nixon, why not Trump?

The answer is that in the intervening decades there has grown up a conservative echo chamber consisting of Fox News, Sinclair Broadcasting, and a long list of conservative talk radio commentators. They serve to insulate their right-wing audiences from information and opinions that conflict with conservative ones they are already disposed to believe, much like the CP publications of the 1930s.

When it comes to zigzagging, GOP supporters of Trump again bear some resemblance to CP members during the Depression years. For decades during the Cold War, Republicans foremost foreign policy perspective was anti-communism and opposition to Soviet expansionism in Europe and elsewhere. Soviet leaders were often depicted in demonological terms. Today, all that has changed. After several meetings with Putin, solicitation and acceptance of Russias election help, effort to undermine the Russia probe, and indifference to Russian annexation of the Crimea and its invasion of eastern Ukraine, GOP supporters of Trump now have a more favorable view of Russia and the Putin than the general American population. Despite warnings on the Lamestream media about Russias malevolence, Trumps supporters seem to ignore this fact and instead, thanks to Fox News etc., follow Trumps lead.

Todays equivalent of the CAP press is fake news. Trump and his subordinates repeatedly warn Republicans belonging to the Presidents base not to believe what they read, see and hear from the mainstream media, what the former GOP 2008 vice-presidential candidate Sara Palin labeled the lamestream media. The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and news programs on the major television networks so the narrative goes deliberately falsify descriptions of Trump and his administration by broadcasting tales invented to discredit the conservative movement.

If we recall the CPs effort to induce its members to ignore stories in the CAP press in the 1930s, all this will seem familiar. We might even follow Lepores optimism by noting the CPs own failure. No matter how much it tried, it could not prevent major defections after Stalins non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany. Food for thought as the Trump foreign policy train trundles on.

This article is brought to you by the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right(CARR). Through their research, CARR intends to lead discussions on the development of radical right extremism around the world.

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GOP Is Similar To US Communist Party In The Early 20th Century - Rantt Media

Scott noted earlier Ilhan Omars bizarre response to the fact that a member of the Minneapolis Somali community who knows Omar well has confirmed that she married her brother for fraudulent purposes. First she falsely asserted that Somali Abdi Nur was paid to smear her. Next she asserted that the whole thing is a Zionist conspiracy.

That reeks of desperation, obviously. I just want to add one more log to the fire. Omars source for her crazed tirade was a piece in something called Humans4HumanLife, which she tweeted. You really should read the whole Humans piece at the link. If you are looking for anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, youve come to the right place.

Still, one funny thing about the Humans4HumanLife piece is that the author doesnt seem at all certain that the allegations against Omar are untrue:

Undeniably, no one is immune to making mistakes, or even regrets.

Her private life is no ones business. It is of no reflection on her sincerity, integrity nor her abilities.

Its impossible for anyone on the public stage to achieve everyones expectations all the time. As a human being, its impossible to be everything to everyone every time.

Some of us, though, do manage to avoid marrying our siblings for fraudulent purposes.

Never having heard of Humans4HumansLife, I was curious about the organization. It is obscure, and, it turns out, deservedly so. The fact that Omar apparently reads its stuff is itself revealing. Humans Facebook page starts with the enemy collaboration post about the supposedly Jewish conspiracy to disclose the fact that Ilhan married her brother. But its next Facebook post celebrates Communism:

I had never heard of Mr. Pansare, but he was an Indian communist.

If you keep scrolling, you see the usual left-wing stuff: anti-Israel, anti-Brexit, anti-law enforcement. And, apparently, pro-ISIS:

Relentlessly crucifiedthat refers to revocation of her British citizenshipsimply for joining ISIS. Simply!

Ilhan Omar is an extremist. She thinks nothing, apparently, of citing openly Communist friends in support of her anti-Semitic fantasies. She hates the United States and Israel, but has no particular problem with Islamic terrorists who simply join ISIS. If a Republican Congressman linked to a white supremacist web site to defend himself against a well-supported allegation of corruptionsomething almost impossible to imagineevery news outlet in America would come crashing down on him, and he would be out of Congress within 24 hours. Ilhan Omar did something worse. She linked to and cited a Communist, openly anti-Semitic, and terrorist supporting web site to deflect well-founded (frankly, obviously true) allegations of multi-level corruption: marriage fraud, immigration fraud, tax fraud, among others. And yet the Democratic Party press has been, so far, silent.

See more here:
Ilhan and the Communists - Power Line

I was one of them.

One of the 147 million Americans who had their information compromised in the epic 2017 Equifax data breach. It was one of the largest hacks in history, leaking the names, social security numbers, addresses, and credit history of over a third of the country.

At first, we were led to believe it was the result of sloppy cybersecurity and greedy hackers who wanted credit card data.

But now, according to last weeks indictment from the Justice Department, we know it was the handiwork of four members of Chinas military.

To think it was a few renegade black hat hackers with expensive tastes was upsetting enough, but now to learn it was the long arm of the Chinese Communist party? This is serious.

What do the Chinese communists want with my credit history? Is it to spam me with emails or offers in the mail? Or, worst-case scenario, to add me and millions of my fellow Americans to their social score database so our behaviors can be ranked and judged?

Most of the fallout between liberal democratic nations and China in the last few years has been over governmental policy: trade spats, currency manipulation, and theft of intellectual property. These high-level issues were problematic enough, and now it seems Chinas desire to exert control over the US is directly affecting the people.

Weve known for years that Chinese Communist Party censors have made creeping demands in Hollywood: Tibetan monks replaced with Celtic ones in Marvels Doctor Strange, Tom Cruises bomber jacket with the Taiwan flag removed in the Top Gun sequel, and cut scenes in Bohemian Rhapsody to obscure that Freddie Mercury was gay.

When Quentin Tarantino refused to edit his latest movie, Once Upon a Timein Hollywood, to please Chinese censors, they pulled its release date. It was eventually shipped to Chinese cinemas, but its uncertain if portions of the film were cut.

China has the worlds second-largest movie market, making it no surprise that with Chinese capital comes more aggressive demands for censorship. Will they allow any criticism of Chinese communism, or even praise of liberal democracies? What about a potential movie about the brave Hong Kong protesters fighting for their liberties?

Mike Pompeo recently warned American governors to be wary of any dealings with institutions or businesses with significant ties to China.

Theyve labeled each of you friendly, hardline or ambiguous, he said. And, in fact, whether you are viewed by the Communist party of China as friendly or hardline, know that its working you, know that its working the team around you.

These revelations about the insidious nature of the Chinese government come at a critical time.

The Hong Kong protests continue after months of mounting force from police. Fears of the spread of the Coronavirus have emboldened Chinese authorities to fully exercise their authoritarianism: canceling the Chinese New Year, a complete lockdown of Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, and arrests of doctors and health workers who shared their concerns about the virus on social media.

The Chinese people, at least, are beginning to wake up to the antics of their government. Li Wenliang, a doctor who was threatened by police for fear mongering about the Coronavirus, which later took his life, was labeled a hero for his efforts to spread the truth about the disease. But it will take many more acts of courage to cause a total paradigm shift in the minds of the people.

From the theft of credit information to entertainment censorship and brutal authoritarian crackdowns, its clear that citizens and consumers in liberal democracies have something to fear in the rise of the Chinese Communist party.

For our part, we must continue to champion our free societies as bulwarks against the authoritarian regime. We must fight for the ideas and principles that have helped make liberal democratic countries great stewards of our liberties.

Yal Ossowski is a writer, deputy director of the Consumer Choice Center, and a director at 21Democracy.

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Why does the Chinese Communist party want my credit history? - The Spectator USA

A Lithuanian immigrant who attended President Donald Trumps rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday spoke to Breitbart News and warned of the dangers of communism, saying Bernie Sanders (I-VT) supporters should go to a socialist country to understand what it is like.

I thought America is free, said Daiva Gaulyte, an immigrant from Lithuania who has lived under communism. Ive been in a communist country. I dont want to have it here.

The communist took away my grandparents land, they transported them to Siberia, and then when they got all this land, they didnt know what to do with them because theyre lazy, Gaulyte continued. Communists are lazy.

There is nothing they can do with that land so they gave lands back to work on it, but it was very difficult to have any kind of profit, but you could work on it because the lands were just sitting there and communists didnt know what to do with it.

Gaulyte also explained how she was restricted from viewing certain American materials under the rule of communism.

We were not allowed to watch American movies, she said. We had to hide if someone gets American movie, we close the curtains and watch it so nobody knows.

Gaulyte also offered advice to those who support Sanders bid to become the next president.

I feel sorry that they do not understand what they are doing, she concluded. Maybe if they really want to experience socialism, they should go to the socialist country and live there for a while so they know what it is.

Follow Kyle on Twitter @RealKyleMorris and Facebook.

Originally posted here:
Lithuanian Immigrant to Bernie Supporters: They Should Go to a Socialist Country and Live There a While - Breitbart

Pictured is the late Sir Roger Scruton. (Photo credit: Andy Hall/Getty Images)

We meet by chanceand find in chance necessity:what seems an accidentin retrospect is fate.

These were the opening words of a poem that British philosopher Sir Roger Scruton wrote seven years ago to celebrate my marriage to Anna. We are among that fortunate group of people who knew the Aged Professor as a dear friend and mentorhis lifes true work, as he called it. Its a life that sadly ended earlier this monthat the age of 75.

Sir Roger was a warrior for Western culture. Culture was, for him, everything: a vessel in which intrinsic values are captured and handed on to future generations. He saw the slow and steady accumulation of traditions, teachings, and habits as the necessary ingredient for the good life and the just society, containing more truth and beauty than anything built by the most brilliant planners and intellectuals. Intellectuals of the left, he thought, were all too willing to discard the wisdom of the past for untriedor failedideologies, a risky endeavor because good things are easily destroyed, but not easily created.

Sir Roger gladly held a worldview he traced back to the great 18th-century English statesman Edmund Burke and beyond. Burke made his name opposing the ideological terror of the French Revolution. For Scruton, it was a near-French revolution in Paris in 1968 that caused his younger self to reject the radicalism of 20th century socialists and communists. He recounted to us many times how he marveled from the window of his mansard room in Paris at the mayhem the 68-ers caused, and at the global slaughters and starvations perpetrated by their fellow ideologues in power, which they ignored.

The cultural and intellectual elite never forgave his principled stand. After he started his career as a university professor in the 1970s, his peers shunned him, even despised him. They sought to drive him from the academy and polite society. In one of his final speeches, given before the Polish Parliament last year, he described his fellow academics as nice colleagues who taught him how nasty niceness can be.

He hardly fared better from his erstwhile allies in politics. The Conservative Party had a love-hate relationship with the United Kingdoms most famous conservative intellectual for the simple reason that he sought to conserve things.

He admired von Mises and Hayek and defended free markets (calling them a necessary part of any stable community) yet saw certain issues as beyond the markets bounds, from city planning to sexual morality. When he thought the Conservative Party undermined his countrys culture, he said so. Whether as a professor or in politics, Scruton was proof of the biblical adage, a prophet has no honor in his own country.

His rejection at home led him abroad. The 1970s and 80s saw him frequently travel behind the Iron Curtain in support of those who sought to reclaim their countries and cultures from Soviet domination. He taught at underground universities and wrote for samizdat publications, even smuggling in printing materials at great personal risk.

Sir Roger hated communism because it rejected the inherited wisdoms of the people it enslaved. He later opposed the post-modernist direction of the European Union on similar grounds. Like communist internationalism before it, the EUs progressive transnational project ran roughshod over distinct nations and cultures. He cheered the recent surge of national sentiment in Eastern Europe, while urging it to be grounded in something deeper and higher than mere national feeling. He supported a vibrant, sophisticated nationalism, instead of a reactionary, short-sighted one.

Whether it was politics, philosophy, or any other endeavor, Scruton excelled and elevated our minds by reminding us of our inheritance and celebrating the beauty of the natural world and the human capacity to create. He was the most brilliant and celebrated philosopher of aesthetics in modern times and authored dozens of books.

He wanted buildings that made us feel at home; art that inspired thinking of the sublime; and institutions that help all people flourish. His philosophical investigations and pursuit of the truth were always grounded in human experience. Sir Roger should be remembered as the patron saint of Common Sense.

Given his ideals, Scruton was often painted as a dark and dour man, wistfully mourning societys slide away from the tried and true. Those who met him knew otherwise.

My wife, Anna, and I first met him as students more than a decade ago. He was to us the great encourager in an age of alienation. We and many others felt at home with him whether it was in a Schloss in Vienna, a country house in Virginia, a downtown caf in Budapest, or the bright green fields of the Cotswolds.

Sir Rogers generosity of spirit will reverberate on in the thousands of lives he personally touched and in our great civilization that he conveyed into a new century.

Originally published inThe Federalist.

The rest is here:
Sir Roger Scruton's Rejection of Communism and War for the West - CNSNews.com