My take is that there is no leader in US history more responsible for the rise of Trump than Obama. He campaigned on leftist promises with no intention of implementing, eroded all faith in the left as a result, and then paved the way for Hillary, Biden etc, neolibs who guarantee fascism.
Oh, as an afterthought, I want to be clear, I think neoliberalism is as dangerous an ideology as communism or fascism. We had our own taste of it with Gerhard Schröder and he has done to the left in Germany the same damage as you attribute to Obama (maybe you are right, hard to tell from Germany)
I believe the reason Germany is criminalizing protest of Israel/Gaza is because the tendency towards fascism comes via neoliberalism.
Germany is not criminalizing protest of Israel/Gaza. This is a right wing fake narrative. We have a law against fascism and when they use fascist symbols it is outlawed but there are protests everywhere without interference. Here in Hannover at the Leibniz University there is a months-long protest
bsky.app/profile/owen...
You may be right, I won't argue that, though I see it a little bit different (btw I blame Bill Clinton) but looking back does not help with the struggle for survival of democracy right now. There will be a time for it after the war has been fought
We agree, however the 'radical center' now look to leaders like Gavin Newsom to fight fascism, who is another Clinton/Biden acolyte with even further right wing views. The only way fascism can be overcome is through direct action from the socialist left (imo).
All the examples in the world where fascism has been fought effectively was when there was a united front against it. So, don't fall into the trap of division. Fight now united against fascism and remind the right-wingers in you coalition later on, that they owe you a new deal
I've studied fascism for many years. The most effective way to fight it is, for example, how Oswald Mosley was defeated in the UK. When a show of force is made by the fascist right, it needs to be countered with a stronger show of counter protest. The US lacks the appetite and intent to fight it.
Btw, I am nearly 60 years old and I fought with fascists on the streets since I was 14. There were never many Nazis in Germany but they are loud and they are always looking for a fight. Sadly, now they are as strong as they have never been since WWII (about 20% in elections)
Yes. You are absolutely right here