top of page
Writer's pictureWaadl Cartoonist
Apr 2314 min read

Fasce Job

Drawn on April 22, 2024 | Published from Miami |

 
Breaking through democracy.
Fasce Job

I'll preface by expressing my belief that drawing parallels between the vast international influence of the United States of America and the historical trajectory of ancient Rome is a popular analytical misstep, to put it mildly! But, like poetry, there are moments where the ideas and symbolisms of men from the past converge with those permeating our lives today. This is one such instance.


Fasces aren't simple bundles of sticks with an axe driven through them. Way back when, these bulky objects were symbols of corporal punishment originally intended to inflict psychological terror onto those living under the heel of Roman rule. Nice 😑


Today, a slightly more romantic distortion of the emblem has rendered it synonymous with a famed form of government dating back to Rome’s second great era (509 BC - 27/31 AD): The Res publica Romana, better known as The Republic. It's only one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one years later however, in 1922, that a pissed-off man named Mussolini was keen to remind everyone of the original “Fascist” meaning and of its many glorious genocides left in the wake. For Il Duce, “telling it how it is” was one thing, but spitting lies about the benefits of the good old days of conquest, slavery, and divine right from his Palazzo Barbo balcony wasn’t necessarily the best trick to break the ice at a party. And yet, it worked. Enough to plunge Europe into more death and destruction than the continent had ever before suffered at the hands of men.


There are two Fasces framing the Speaker of the House’s lectern in the congressional amphitheater. In fact, this room's tapestry of Greco-Roman artifacts is so rich that you could more easily spot an electrical socket than the difference between two randomly juxtaposed pediments. Nowadays, these ancient layouts are functional, and their symbols are decorative. Yet, whether witting or unwitting, some of the building's staff, embarrassingly ignorant of history, are bullishly fighting through the ranks for a shot at reviving Benito's fables. These people, who ironically police a party named in honor of the second Roman era, have eyes set on their impatient Cesar-in-waiting: Donald Trump.


Despite its many annoying flaws, the modern Democratic Party simply cannot be considered as high a threat to American democracy as its challenger, The Republican Party. Nevertheless, the universal practice of whataboutism remains a stapled reflex among certain individuals within ‘free-thinking’ circles. So, in our own contemplation, we too will engage in free-thinking on the matter with substance of fact, not fiction...


Not all flaws are created equal.


At this very moment, the current Republican Party, America's representative body of book-burners [1] and Confederate apologists [2], is the only political organization in U.S. history to have ever unanimously [3] championed and fanatically defended a singular authoritarian. This man has, through terroristic threats [4], baselessly denied and provably lied about election results [3], ferociously proclaimed doctrine to "terminate" the Constitution [5], pressed for rooting out the "vermin" who stand in his way [6], demanded the suppression of freedom of speech [7], endorsed a politic of violent purges [8], and defiantly protected his questionable right to commit any crime with "absolute immunity" [9]. (With plenty more in the archives.)


The gap between dog-whistling and channeling dictatorial verbiage has not only been bridged, but also totally caulked. Though a balanced democratic double-standard leaves much to be desired, especially in mediating trade-offs in competing interests, its abuse is all too common now.  Is it not reasonable to argue that any of these sociopathic tactics could effectively discredit claims regarding the need for a 'double standard,' especially if the fundamental desire to dismantle democracy overrides any alternative standard? Bluntly, Trump’s credibility ship has sailed.


"Would it not in that case, Be simpler for the government, To dissolve the people, And elect another?"

— Bertolt Brecht, Die Lösung, poem written in 1953 and first published in 1959.



If we were to assume that everyone is corrupt and no one is corrigible, despite all shortcomings, the purest democratic mission — we would agree — remains to enshrine humanism in the equal governance of humans. Pretty though that may sound, its Republican adversaries, on the other hand, zealously campaign with every breath in their being to obliterate democracy from the pulpits [10], domestically and abroad. Really, regardless of any disillusionment one may harbor toward Donkeys*, modern Trump Republicans, driven by a fervent theocratic itch [11] for repressing rights, climate policy, public health, and social safety, consequently fail to meet — in any self-respecting sense — the criteria for being held to an equal or higher standard than their Democrat counterparts. Which is why the Elephant** in the room need be addressed:


There is macabre language that paints a docket, not only aimed at gutting the USA of the free-press [12] and political opponents pegged as the greater 'enemy from within' [13], but also stands fully armed to assault a wide spectrum of so-called genetic undesirables [14] : Blacks [15], Arabs [16], homosexuals [17], women [18], Jews [19][more here], the poor [20], the handicapped [21], the insidiously branded 'illegals' [22], and even atheists [23] have all been targeted. Indeed, Trump's obsession for stamping out adversaries should come as no shock, given his manic tendency to demand admiration from his staff, as Hitler’s generals once did for their Führer. [24].


Trump's compulsions — to label critics as enemies of the state, to incite mobs to undermine the electoral process, to deputize and mobilize domestic police against foreigners, to rewrite history beyond recognition, and to assert divine authority over equality — are all hallmarks of the fascist playbook.


This familiar strategy — a totalitarian manifesto first televised in black-and-white against neoclassical Nuremberger colonnades — is crafted to fracture society, stifle dissent, and enshrine political loyalty as feverish gospel. Indeed, the Republican susceptibility to bizarre grifts — such as the claim that Democrats endorse "newborn executions"  [25] [more here] — is just shy of being broadcast alongside televised bulletins of Stalinist miracle crops!


If Trump's anti-democratic deception weren't blatant enough, one need only look at the Brownshirt-inspired paramilitary parades in heavy-duty pick-up trucks adorned with MAGA stickers, bald eagles, and star-spangled Southern-rebellion battle-flags [26]. These displays, far from constituting an adequate representation of 'freedom,' are troubling echoes of authoritarianism cloaked in American iconography, sometimes with a swastika or two tossed in the mix.


Contemporary Republican acolytes, whether ensnared by complacent living, deluded faith, cultist obsession, blind credulity, or genuine antipathy toward democracy, tragically seem to embrace meritless bogus conspiracy theories to support their antagonistic prophet incarnate. These aren’t docile outliers, but rather hoards of people calling for war [27]. In fact, as a political minority, their focus on regaining total power has been skewed to such a degree that even the foundational principles of democracy have been cast aside to wedge their candidate into a veneer of legitimacy [28]. A spicy date-rape cocktail of lies has been served to excessively blur vision and cause confusion on the true plot threatening to blow the democratic experiment apart, which may explain — in part — why people seem oblivious to the tropically colored warning despite it being stereoscopically framed by Fasces like those in our drawing here.


Would it not be reasonable, regardless of any bends in rules of decorum on stage, to qualify shameless fascist rhetoric [29] as an indicator of the Republican Party’s aspirations to undermine democracy? Should Don Cesar and his sinister praetorian oligarchs ever regain power, Americans run a far greater risk that this last vote be their final vote.


I'll see you on the sands of the Colosseum.


 

* Democrats


** Republicans


[1] Book burning:

[2] Confederate apologism:


[3] Election data:

Election results:

Election result denial:

Potential plot between trump and Republican Congress to not certify the 2024 result:


[4] Terroristic threats:

  • Full account: Slattery, G. (2024) Trump’s ‘Bloodbath’ and other rhetoric inflame his 2024 campaign trail | reuters, Trump’s ‘bloodbath’ and other rhetoric inflame his 2024 campaign trail. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bloodbath-vermin-animals-trumps-rhetoric-trail-2024-03-22/ (Accessed: 2024).

  • “This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!”

    — Donald Trump ranting about General Mark Milley, Truth Social, September 22, 2023

  • "The second Amendment is there to ensure we have the first Amendment."

    — Elon Musk giving a speech at an ecstatically frenzied crowd during a Trump rally in Butler Pennsylvania, Truth Social, October 5, 2024

Trump endorsing violence against Americans:


[5] Trump calling for the TREMINATION of the U.S. Constitution:

“Do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution”

— Donald Trump, Truth Social, December 3, 2022


[6] “We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections"

— Donald Trump, at a rally in Hialeah, November 8, 2023


[7] Attacking free speech:


[8] Trump endorsing rule through a purge:

Levin, B. (2024) Donald Trump, unhinged sociopath, says police should violently assault Americans for ‘One rough hour’ to stop shoplifting, Vanity Fair. Available at: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/donald-trump-police-should-violently-assault-americans-for-one-hour (Accessed: 2024).

“If you had one really violent day…one rough hour, and I mean real rough, the word will get out and it will end immediately.”

Trump endorsing bloody mass-deportations: Benen, S. (2024) On deportations, Trump expects a ‘bloody story’ in second term, MSNBC. Available at: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/deportations-trump-expects-bloody-story-second-term-rcna170250 (Accessed: 2024).


[9] “ANY MISTAKE, EVEN IF WELL INTENDED, WOULD BE MET WITH ALMOST CERTAIN INDICTMENT BY THE OPPOSING PARTY AT TERM END. EVEN EVENTS THAT 'CROSS THE LINE' MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD. THERE MUST BE CERTAINTY.”

— Donald Trump, Truth Social, January 18th, 2024, 1 A.M.


[10] “Pure democracy is not the way to run a country” (regarding the Ohio November 2023 election)

— Trump ally Rick Santorum, NEWSMAX, November 7, 2023


[11] God over country:

“Overthrow democracy […] All glory to God!”

— Jack Posobiec, OAN Anchor & American alt-right political activist CPAC, February 25, 2024


[12] Trump attacking the free press:

Removing licenses: Snider, M. (2024) ‘threats against free speech’: FCC Chair condemns Trump’s call for CBS to Lose License, USA Today. Available at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/10/11/trump-60-minutes-kamala-harris-interview-fcc/75627642007/ (Accessed: October 2024).

Shooting the press: Kashinsky, L. and Howard, A. (2024) Trump says he doesn’t 'mind’ if someone has to ‘shoot through’ the media - politico, Politico. Available at: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/03/donald-trump-rally-fake-news-00186979 (Accessed: November 2024).


[13] Trump naming names, making fascistic threats, fire squads, and the "enemy from within":


[14] Trump claims illegal immigrants are genetically inferior:

Slattery , G. and Cooke, K. (2024) Donald Trump says there are ‘a lot of bad genes’ among migrants in the US | reuters, Reuters.com. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump-says-there-are-a-lot-bad-genes-among-migrants-us-2024-10-07/ (Accessed: 08 October 2024).


[15] Birtherism of children of black immigrants:


[16] Trump insisting on emphasizing President Obama's middle name to pander to racists: Sentner, I. (2024) ‘small is petty’: Michelle Obama’s artful takedown of Trump widely praised, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/21/michelle-obama-dnc-speech-reaction (Accessed: 2024).

“Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night taking little shots? He was taking shots at your president and so was Michelle,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Asheboro, North Carolina.


[17] Trump and LGBTQ:

Trump on LGBTQ rights (2024) ACLU.org. Available at: https://www.aclu.org/publications/trump-on-lgbtq-rights (Accessed: 2024).


[18] Trump on women: Rafi Schwartz, T.W.U. (2024) 81 things Donald Trump has said about women, theweek. Available at: https://theweek.com/donald-trump/655770/61-things-donald-trump-has-said-about-women (Accessed: 2024).


[19] Trump's Nazi and antisemitic relationships:


[20] Trump economy for the poor:

McNicholas, C., Rhinehart, L. and Poydock, M. (2020) 50 reasons the Trump administration is bad for workers, Economic Policy Institute. Available at: https://www.epi.org/publication/50-reasons/ (Accessed: 2024).


[21] Attacking the mentally handicapped:


[22] Trump doubling down on denigrating Haitian asylum seekers:


[23] Trump attacking atheists: André, F. (2023) Covering the world of religion, religionnews.com. Available at: https://religionnews.com/2023/07/12/secular-coalition-for-america-confronts-trumps-attacks-against-atheists/ (Accessed: 2024).

Trump, the keynote speaker of the three-day Road to Majority conference, declared, “Together, we’re warriors in a righteous crusade to stop the arsonists, the atheists, globalists and the Marxists,”


[24] Trump idolizing Hitler:


[25] Trump lies about Infanticide:

"It must be remembered that the Democrats are the radical ones on this position because they support abortion up to and even beyond the ninth month. The concept of having an abortion in the later months and even execution after birth. And that’s exactly what it is. The baby is born, the baby is executed after birth is unacceptable. And almost everyone agrees with that.”

— Donald Trump in a televised address on abortion, C-SPAN, April 8, 2024


[26] Confederate & Nazi flags for Trump:


[27] Calling for war:

MSNBC | Democrats should ‘spotlight’ heated Steve Bannon comments ‘ad infinitum’ (2024) YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/iosDz-txEWY?si=7DxlPGiik4uMU78Z (Accessed: 2024).

“Are we at war? {crowd: Yes!} Is this a political war to the knife? {Yes!} Are you prepared to lead it all on the battlefield in 2024? {Yes!} […] On the afternoon of January 20, we must free the 1400 patriots and must incarcerate the criminals! […] It's Victory or Death!” — Steve Bannon, Turning Point America event in Detroit, June 15, 2024


[28] The antidemocracy effect on Trump supporters: O’Sullivan, D. (2024) CNN | These Trump supporters say us isn’t a democracy. and they’re okay with it, YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/JixxGmp2yKw?si=RI1s_JwmoeZ2iT2q (Accessed: June 2024).


[29] Nazi dog-whistles:

  • “It’s poisoning the blood of our country. It’s so bad, and people are coming in with disease. People are coming in with every possible thing that you could have.”

— Donald Trump on immigrants, MSNBC, October 8, 2023

  • Magid, J. (2024) Trump: If I lose election, Jewish people will ‘have a lot to do with’ it | The Times of Israel, Times of Israel. Available at: https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-if-i-lose-election-jewish-people-will-have-a-lot-to-do-with-it/ (Accessed: 20 September 2024).

  • Rallying with Christian Nationalists at Madison Square Garden:

  • Threatening adversaries with prison contingent on a self-audited no-lose election condition:

    "CEASE & DESIST: I, together with many Attorneys and Legal Scholars, am watching the Sanctity of the 2024 Presidential Election very closely because I know, better than most, the rampant Cheating and Skullduggery that has taken place by the Democrats in the 2020 Presidential Election. It was a Disgrace to our Nation! Therefore, the 2024 Election, where Votes have just started being cast, will be under the closest professional scrutiny and, WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again. We cannot let our Country further devolve into a Third World Nation, AND WE WON'T! Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials. Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country."

    — Donald Trump, Truth Social, October 25, 2024, 10:32 AM.

  • Threatening to cure a social infection:

    “I will rescue every town across America that has been invaded and conquered. And we will put… And that’s true. Think of the words: “towns that have been invaded and conquered.” They have been conquered. They’ve been conquered. At a lot of… It’s not everybody’s Aurora, where they’re talking about it. We have many towns that are in the same position and worse, but they don’t want to talk about it. It’s outa control. And we have a lot of towns that haven’t yet been infected. But they’re petrified that they will be — and they will be.”

    — Donald Trump, at Turning Point Action Pac America, Las Vegas, October 24, 2024.


    Digested for you:

    [Many towns are infected with the enemy. We will take steps to prevent it from happening at all costs.]


    Analysis:

    • This is a key point piggy-backing on his comments about the “enemy from within”(Trump, on Fox News, October 14, 2024, on Fox News).

    • He is setting up a framework to justify sending the military into towns and remove “vermin” (Trump, at a rally in Hialeah, November 8, 2023)

 

Further reading: Election Rematch Data:

Slobin, S. and Schneider, H. (2024) The Trump Biden rematch, Reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-ELECTION/TRUMP-BIDEN-ECON/lgvdoowmkpo/ (Accessed: 2024).


Trump the truth: A timeline of assaults on free expression (2024) PEN America. Available at: https://pen.org/trump-timeline/ (Accessed: 2024).

Comments

bottom of page