Why we call republicans fascists
Some critics accused the Beagle’s open use of the word fascist to describe the modern Republican Party as incendiary and over the top. And while yes, fascist is a very powerful word, it is also the most accurate and truthful way to describe Republicans’ politics today. It is not a term we use lightly or for just anyone who we disagree with. Intentionally calling Republicans fascists is absolutely vital because it allows us to better understand exactly what they are aiming to do. Trying to use more ‘polite’ or subdued language to describe Republicans plays right into their hands and minimizes the very real threat they pose to us all.
But exactly what is fascism? And why should Republicans be called fascist? Let us discuss. The exact definition of fascism varies depending on who you ask, but there are some general characteristics most agree on. First, some brief background, fascism is a political ideology that arose in Italy during the Great Depression with Benito Mussolini as its leader. This ideology spread and transformed into Nazism in Germany under Adolf Hitler and Francisco Franco’s regime in Spain. Fascist ideology changed and adapted based on which country it was in, so defining fascism is a little tricky.
While there is an endless selection of books about fascism, I will be primarily drawing from “Fascism: A Graphic Guide” by Stuart Hood; illustrated by Litza Jansz. This book is specifically written to explain fascism outside of academia, to give anyone the tools they need to understand and identify fascism in the real world. It also was published in 2013 giving it some distance from the current discussion around fascism in the USA.
Because defining fascism can be a bit of a murky topic, Hood outlines common traits among fascist regimes that can be used to judge if a political ideology is fascist. This makes identifying fascism a much more manageable task. Instead of needing to acquire a PhD in political theory to recognize fascism, all you need to do is review this checklist. If a group checks off the majority of these traits, chances are that you have a fascist on your hands. The Republican Party’s descent into fascism has been long coming and modern day Republicans fulfill all of these criteria. We are going to examine 10 points on Hood’s checklist here. Furthermore, we will focus primarily on examples of Wisconsin Republicans embodying fascism instead of National Republicans. The threat of fascism is not something happening far away in Washington D.C. or traditionally “Conservative” States. It is in our backyard. Wisconsin Republicans are a microcosm of the entire Republican party and their descent into Fascism must be taken seriously.
So without further ado, here are 10 characteristics of fascism:
Fascists want a government led by a strong leader who is unconstrained by democracy
A fascist government centers around one “strong-man” as their leader (i.e. Trump) and is fundamentally anti-democratic. One only needs to look at the various attempts to overturn the 2020 election to see that Republicans have given up on democracy and their top priority is installing Trump as the president. And Wisconsin Republicans have been complicit along the way. Senator Ron Johnson brought fake elector ballots to Congress on January 6th, Representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald rejected certifying the election, and Derrick Van Orden literally was in the crowd that stormed the Capital. Republicans have turned their back on democracy and want to win by any means necessary.
Fascists have a deep hatred of Communism/Socialism and Anti-Communism/ Socialism/ Leftism is an active part of their platform
Wisconsin was the home of one of the most notorious anti-communists, Joseph McCarthy, who lead the Red Scare back in the 1950s. Wisconsin Republicans have continued his witch-hunt to this day; making anti-Socialism a key part of their State Convention, regularly accusing Biden of being a Socialist-Marxist, and even signing onto a bill in the House of Representatives denouncing Socialism. Considering that the United States is still one of the most capitalistic societies in the world, this obsession with Anti-Communism can be considered nothing sort of hysterical. This opens the door to fascism.
Fascists admire power and view violence as a legitimate way to get what they want
Aside from Trump’s various references to “bloodbaths” and “carnage”, Wisconsin Republicans have also made statements that could be considered incitements for political violence. Gubernatorial candidate Tim Michaels called for “pitchforks and torches”. The Republican Party of St. Croix County Wisconsin called for Republicans to “prepare for war” after losing the 2020 election. These people clearly see political violence as a legitimate tool.
When in government, fascists propose programs that are considered authoritarian and emphasize conformity, submission, and discipline
Despite promoting themselves as the party of “freedom,” Wisconsin Republicans’ voting record would say otherwise. They have proposed bills that jeopardize the right to free speech and protest. They are fervent supporters of police, going as far as proposing that schools should teach courses on respecting police officers. In the shared revenue deal, Republicans forced Milwaukee to reinsert police in schools and expand law enforcement budgets. They also have participated in the nationwide trend of banning books that do not conform to their view of society. The throughline of all these different bills is their use of government to discipline individuals until they submit and confirm with their views of society.
Fascism has a nostalgia for a “legendary” or glorious past
This point is fairly obvious as it is exactly what “Make America Great Again” is all about. Trying to recover a mythical “America” of the past that conforms more with their vision of society.
Fascists hate “intellectuals” and accuse them of undermining “traditional” values
Wisconsin Republicans' attack on the UW system and their panic over critical-race and gender theory is a perfect example of this. Robin Vos and Rebecca Kleefisch have attacked UW Madison for offering a course on preventing sexual violence due to it acknowledging patriarchy and white supremacy. Wisconsin Republicans have also been part of the wider panics over Critical Race Theory, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Republicans have launched a nationwide anti-intellectual panic.
Fascism idealizes rural life and sees cities and urban life as decadent and degrading culture
Wisconsin Republicans’ disdain for the city of Milwaukee was on full display during the recent Shared Revenue debates with Republicans demonizing Milwaukee saying it must suffer the consequences of its decisions. Republicans have also bragged about suppressing voter turnout in Milwaukee. It is considered common knowledge at this point that one of Wisconsin Republicans' key talking points is to hate on Milwaukee regardless of what is actually happening in the city.
Fascism supports very rigid traditional gender roles
The obvious Wisconsin Republican example here is their efforts to ban abortion after as little as 14 weeks of pregnancy. But there are other examples beyond extremely restricting access to abortion and controlling women’s bodies. Republicans have passed various bills (which were then vetoed by Governor Evers) banning trans-women and girls from playing in sports based on their gender identity. The fact that they were unable to produce even one example where this actually happened goes to show this bill was more about forcing children to conform to traditional gender roles rather than ensure “fairness” in sports.
Despite having a rhetoric more targeted at the “working class,” fascists are often funded by industry executives and landowners
Looking at the top 50 campaign donors in 2022 to Wisconsin political parties, we can see that this point rings true for both Republicans and Democrats in Wisconsin. Democratic donors tend to be more concentrated in the arts and technology fields while Republican donors fall under more traditional “landowners” and “industry.”
Fascism creates an “Other”, someone to scapegoat and blame for what they see as social ills
One doesn’t have to look hard to find Republicans blaming “Others” (which for them is anyone who is non-USA-born, queer, not-White, etc…) for a whole host of problems. Recently though, Wisconsin Republicans have followed Trump’s lead in demonizing immigrants as one of the central “Others.” Robin Vos has blamed immigrants for Covid-19 outbreaks in Wisconsin. Brian Steil cited “non-citizen voting” as a threat to US democracy. Tom Tiffany blamed immigrants for the current fentanyl crisis in Wisconsin. And these are just quotes from Wisconsin Republicans, not even including Trump’s vicious attacks on immigrants. Immigrants have become the dehumanized ‘Other’ for Republicans who they blame all of the problems they see in society on.
As the old saying goes, if it looks like a fascist, walks like a fascist, and talks like a fascist, chances are it is a fascist. The most difficult part of writing this article was not finding evidence of Wisconsin Republicans’ embodiment of fascism but rather deciding which examples to use. And this was just Wisconsin Republicans, imagine the endless examples if we examined all Republicans. We must not shy away from calling Republicans what they have become: fascists. The first step towards fighting fascism is understanding it. Anyone can use this checklist to evaluate if something is fascist. And once you have recognized something as fascist, you can fight against it. Join the Beagle in being a watchdog against fascism and write to us with any tips of fascist activity you see.
