by Robert M. Traxler

As our friends in the liberal party morph into progressives (a bait and switch term for socialist), we need to ask a few questions, a few “what if” questions:

• What if the progressive movement decides it is in their best interests to embrace the military? They do from time to time when our military serves their purposes.

• What if the progressive party wraps itself in the flag, embraces nationalism (they do from time to time)? President Biden used United States Marines as props during his speech on Sept. 4 outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the one with the red lighting tinge to it. The speech he made calling folks like many of us traitors, Americans who support former President Trump.

• What if the progressive movement allowed limited ownership of private property but fully regulated the largest corporations, and every aspect of our lives, something that has been discussed for decades?

• What if the progressives accepted religion, even subsidized, it but frowned on “fringe” religions?

Well, the “what if” leads us to a socialist government that practices nationalism and allows most religions and supports the military, so it’s not a stretch to see this happen.

So, what is the result of this shift in the progressive movement? Fascism, pure and simple. Fascism, as designed by Benito Mussolini in 1922; he ruled Italy as head of a fascist government for 22 years. Eleven nations adopted a fascist form of government, including Germany.

Socialists in our nation and most of Western Europe loved Mussolini until he jumped in bed with Hitler. President Franklin D. Roosevelt made dozens of friendly comments about Mussolini before he joined Hitler in the Pact of Steel; some buildings in New York City built in the 1920s to early 1930s still have quotes from Mussolini chiseled in stone on them. 

If we think about it, the conservative movement is nationalistic, and it tends to be more religious, so a progressive party that co-opted religion and nationalism has a wide appeal. Socialists in Italy, the hometown of the Roman Catholic Church, could not do as an anti-Christian party; when they embraced the church and nationalism, it took off and fascism came to power.

We have seen the progressive governors and attorneys general, along with prosecutors, refuse to punish the “River to the Sea” protesters who assaulted Jewish students, refuse to punish crimes done in anti-semitic demonstrations in cities and on college and university campuses. A small start, a few thousand demonstrators and protesters, but fascism always started small with a dedicated cadre of radical believers, then they go more mainstream, even punishing the early radical supporters during the move to the middle.

The fascist movement was always supported by the intellectual self-proclaimed elite and the media. The Nazi fascists had a large number of PhDs, and the undying support of students at the “prestigious” schools and their faculties, schools such as Harvard and Columbia today in our republic. Fascism was fully supported by the media, a media that self-censored in support of fascism.  

The American Constitution and its Bill of Rights are a stumbling block for the progressives; to overcome it. They just wish to ignore it.

A great example is the abortion issue. A constitutional amendment would end the issue; abortion in some form is supported by 73% of the American people. The progressives could end the issue with one vote, it would be a landslide for them, but to do it would recognize the constitutional process, something a progressive cannot do. All tyrannical governments (Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba) have a constitution with rights for their citizens, they just fail to follow it. 

The progressives condemned the Supreme Court for stripping power from unelected bureaucrats to make and enforce laws. It is socialist holy grail that the government has all the rights. The people should be glad the government allows us to have any say in the operation of the nation. My opinion.