Yeah, I agree with you. Goldberg seems to be playing their own game in many ways by using the term “Fascism,” which they have no problem tossing around, um, liberally, until it’s tossed at them.
But that’s what concerns me a bit about it. Again, having not read the book, I still think the idea of using that term is kind of sinking to their level. Because terms like “fascist,” “nazi,” “socialist,” “communist,” etc each have a distinct definition, and it’s very easy to show how a modern liberal in many ways doesn’t fit into any single one exactly (and how plenty of things about the right might fit into some of them as well).
A liberal friend of mine once called my positions (fairly libertarian-leaning) “fascist.” I responded that if either of our positions could be described in such a way, it’d be her faith in big government, not my skepticism of same. But I made it clear that I was not in any way trying to suggest that she was actually a nazi or a fascist.
And I have nothing against Goldberg — I’ve read his articles before and never thought he was out of his mind or offensive. But he does write for National Review, and has often supported Bush and the Iraq War, two positions which, in my view, are hard to reconcile with the argument that those who support big government are fascists (unless he considers himself one).
But I won’t draw too many conclusions till I read the thing.

I don’t know how people live with such cogniive dissonance.

MB, may I suggest that you review the primer on the net’s premiere sock-puppeter, a dedicated lefty, Glenn Greenwald.

Rather than say you think there are more left-wing sock puppets here than Jonah Goldberg sock puppets, you can just look at the IP addresses of the posts and out anybody that posts from the same IP address.

Since you didn’t do this I guess you are covering up for Goldberg acting as a sock puppet. He is probably too stupid to realize that his IP address stays the same no matter which username he uses.

“But this says nothing about whether it is a modern Democrat or Republican in the US whom is closer to being a Nazi. They are both far too close for my liking, and are about equidistant from Hitler’s politics, each embracing different aspects of Fascism. ”

Fair enough, but if it takes the air out of the progressive’s sails (and/or windbag) of accusing American conservatives of being closet Nazis… then its worth a go. :)

Basically, pot to kettle to the progressives.

Anyway, its probably not that bad around the country but I live in the San Fran bay area… and there are plenty of lunatics convinced that US conservative = fascist… while at the same time they are Hugo Chavez / Castro apologists… et cetera…

Cheers

Anyway, I look forward to reading it and I hope he does not make that argument (that Nazism, or Italian Fascism, was actually pure left wingery)… It simplifies things so much as to be inaccurate…

The essential core of fascism is worship of the state over the individual. It’s really that simple. All of the millions of murders committed in the name of this ideology come from the belief that the state is everything and the people nothing.

Now, ask yourself: in America today, who tends to support large giovernment? Who looks to a large and powerful state to solve the problems of society? Liberals or Conservatives?

If you replace the word “Fascism” with “Totalitarianism” the picture is much clearer, as Fascism is a word with historical tethers. The Nazi’s were Big State, anti-individualits. So were the Soviets and the Cinese Commiunists, and the Cubans, and the North Koreans, the Sandinistas, and on and on. Some of the common hallmarks of totalitarian states are that they are anti-capitalist, anti-gun ownership, anti-religous and anti-free speech. American liberals are all of the first three, and as the reviews at SN clearly show, only for the latter when it is their speech they are defending. Anything contrary to to the Party Line must be villified, and if you can’t do that with fact and logic then they will do it with things like claims of “sock puppetry” and elevated analyses like “Momma’s Boy” and “Blubber Butt.”

Scratch most liberals and you will find a totalitarian, a person who feel they could cure all of society’s ills if they could just get their hand on the whip.