Can It Happen Here?

Can it happen here?

Could Democracy, itself, collapse and allow a Sinclair Lewis style authoritarian dystopia to fall into place in the USA? Can 2021's variant of fascism overwhelm this country's ability to fend off such threats?

Well, scattered among us, there have always been villains who wanted to have it all. Greed-driven people who've longed to operate as they pleased, with the impunity a cheater loves. Cruel bullies who get off on provoking fear in others. 

Likewise, there have always been loners and perpetual victims who hated the federal government so much that storming the Capitol building would sound like fun. Throw in the gangs, such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, maybe some new wave Confederates, etc. And, for that matter, fascism has been lurking in the shadows in this country since the 1930s. After all, fascists and gangsters have a lot in common. So, the ingredients of the January 6th mob have been with us for a long time. They have been waiting to be gathered and directed.

Moreover, before Trump came along what had been holding those villains in check, for the most part, had been our society's time-honored cultural and legal systems. Now those systems are being tested, perhaps more than any time since the Depression, when Lewis' alarming novel, "It Can't Happen Here", was published. 

Maybe the 1/6 insurrection stunt, wrapped in a riot, embedded in a Trump rally, was the Mad Don's parting shot. Or, maybe it will turn out to have been a scary preview of worse things to come. Still, either way, we can't say there was no warning for what happened in D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.

In a Mar. 14, 2019 interview Trump said: "I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad."

Part of the Trumpist bandwagon's allure is that it seems to be offering the aforementioned villains the chance to have it all. The opportunity to have the privileges of the MAGA In-Crowd, once loyalists have installed in all positions of power. 

"Law enforcement, military, construction workers, Bikers for Trump ... They travel all over the country .... They’ve been great," Trump said. "But these are tough people ... But they’re peaceful people, and antifa and all — they’d better hope they stay that way." 

At this point, Trumpism is obviously appealing to a lot of goons with a grudge. Whether Trump's vulgar style is attracting new followers faster than it is losing them is something I can't say.

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