The Blogs: In Defense of Democracy: The Playbook of Authoritarian/Fascist Movements

Here are their tactics:

• Step One: cheating – reject or attempt to change the rules of the game in advance

• Step Two: alternative facts – if cheating fails, take it up a notch to question the integrity of opponents (This is often referred to as Gaslighting)

• Step Three: Scapegoating – find a vulnerable minority group to blame

• Step Four: Bullying – to force opponents to give up using unsavory tactics and violating the timeless children’s adage: “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size.”

• Step Five: Threaten opponents who don’t back down…escalate the rhetoric and Intimidate

• Step Six: Fear takes over, Opponents of Fascism retreat: hopelessness and apathy become widespread

• Step Seven: An open Invitation to violence as momentum increases by Fascists and former opponents begin to become Silent Bystanders

• Step Eight: Actual violence is inevitable, as a lack of vigilance and a false sense of security by opponents signals Open Season