As a Jew, I hear the bells & whistles going off with lights flashing!
Among the many conversations I have had in the past month, only a few of them have been about the new president and his unending cascade of actions. One was with an American of proud Armenian descent who is well versed in the Ottoman Empire’s genocide of the Armenian people during WWI. As a scholar and teacher of the Holocaust, I studied several other major historical genocides, especially those of the 20th century. So, naturally we often talk about politics from the unique vantage point of individuals who have connections and ancestry to two of the worst genocides in the last century.
While I have been disappointed—but not surprised—by the lack of any major action by Americans or the Democratic Party, I expected my friend to be more attuned to any hint of fascist danger or a ‘strong man’ dictatorship. By the time we ended our conversation, I hoped that she would reconsider the threat the president, Republican Party and Elon Musk pose to American democracy and minority groups. As I explained my unique vantage point regarding America’s dangerous position on the verge of a Constitutional crisis, I wondered how many Times of Israel American readers are also tone-deaf to the bells & whistles currently going off all around them.
As both a Jew and a scholar/teacher of American history and the Holocaust (along with other genocides, human rights issues, etc.), I would be more than remiss if I did not call out what I am seeing and try to warn people about the dangerous pit they are on the precipice of falling into. Jewish people have often been likened to the proverbial ‘canary in the coalmine’ when it comes to personally dangerous times. Judaism and its Mosaic Laws were early if simple examples of democratic ideals. And Jews have been regarded for ages as an exceptionally cultured and literate people whose perception and intelligence sees things before the average person. These are just some of the reasons why fascists hate Jews, view them as dangerous, and seek to minimize interactions with non-Jews and destroy Jews’ civil rights.
Most people knew that Trump’s 2.0 presidency would be worse and more disciplined than his first term. Yet, most Americans held their noses and voted for Trump along with his fringe alt-right dedicated followers against VP Harris. The deepening inequality in this country, the further hollowing out of the working and middle classes, rising inflation and the exploding migrant population from Central and South America seeking entry—legally or illegally—through the United States’ southern border have all congealed to leaving Americans vulnerable and scared about their current economic status and fading vision of the so-called American Dream. A population’s fear and insecurity are the roots from which fascists water to grow into a nation willing to put their individual concerns over the dangers to democracy and human rights.
Thanks to former President Biden and the leaders of the Democratic Party, there was obviously hidden facts about the president’s health which should have informed the party to insist that Biden stay with his promise of only one-term. But instead of having a party open convention (as James Carville, political wizard extraordinaire, wanted), Biden and his family reluctantly moved aside so late in the presidential race that only Kamela Harris could be the possible Democratic candidate. Given that she was not ‘tested’ by having to run against any opponents in her party, and that she had barely two months to make her case to the American public, she ran a competent campaign. But Americans were more concerned about bread on the table than with the threat to democracy Trump posed, or they just did not believe that he was any threat. The final straw was distorted media on and off the internet which managed to make the Democratic candidate look like an extremist ‘woke’ woman who cared more about trans individuals than the average American voter.
The presidential election was, however, close (despite claims of a massive win by Republicans). Nevertheless, the election results left those Americans who were concerned about Trump and Republican fascism in despair–not just because of the American voters’ final choice, but because what their votes for Trump and other Republican candidates said about the majority of American’s tone-deaf views of how consequential this election really was. It was the choice of the average American that really warned me about the chaos and fascism that lay ahead for this country.
Quickie history reminder: Hitler and Mussolini were democratically elected (personally, Trump reminds me more of the latter than the former—he is not as smart as Hitler and like Mussolini he is more concerned with media attention, boasting that he could get the trains running on time, and shutting down major American government departments along with gutting the government workforce). Hitler and Mussolini moved more slowly than the current American president to initiate changes to a former democracy, however the current chaos and many fast-moving executive actions distract from some serious attacks on America’s democracy that get lost in the maelstrom of changes.
Billionaire Elon Musk, a racist and antisemite with clear empathy for conservative right-wing fascistic parties, is the icing on the presidential cake. Along with his enthusiastic tech bros in DOGE, he claims to be looking for ‘waste’ in government spending while decimating government agencies that only exist in a Democracy (education, agriculture, Medicaid, American AID, etc.). Last but far from least, there is the open corruption taking place from Trump’s own violations of the Constitution’s Emoluments clause to Musk’s control over parts of the government that have influence over his own companies’ contracts.
So, am I among the few that can see the warning lights and hear the whistles going off in Washington, DC or are there more of you out there? I am glad to see that on February 28th there will be a shot across the bow to those in power with a major consumer strike against Corporate America. Started by one concerned man on TikTok and other social media, the American public is asked to boycott all major retailers, restaurants and other consumer outlets from 12 AM on Friday through 12 AM on Saturday (basically all-day Friday) to call attention to the inordinately high prices American consumers are facing not just regarding food but other items they need to purchase. For further information, please check your local media or internet.
My hope is that even more Americans out there will rebel, take to the streets or even declare a National Strike in opposition to the most dangerous government actions and new policies. This is done quite often in Europe. As for the political opposition, will the Democratic Party stop kvetching and crying foul like a bunch of pansies or grow some cohunes and act appropriately to the seriousness and danger of the moment? Stay tuned to find out…..or offer your opinion. It might end up in a future column.
