I'm really not trying to argue with anyone but you're not exactly getting my point, comrade. I dont think I misread what you said.

it's the assertion that we are not fighting fascists that bugs me about you and the article. you're trying to make a point out of the fact that many of trump's base are working class, and many of the folks on 1/6 were working class. I get the sense that this is a point of optimism for you. it's not to me.

the reality is, fascism as dimitrov and Zetkin have understood it have utilized the political backwardness of workers. the fact that they're ignorant and working against their self-interest doesnt make them not fascist.

and on top of that I'm saying the establishment which those on 1/6 were fighting against arent exactly distinct from fascists either.

theres a liberal writer named Jason Stanley who's written about fascism. what he said which has changed my mind on fascism is this: we think of fascism today as being a regime(failed regimes in fact, as we've defeated all historical regimes save for franco), but if we think of fascism as being a political order which reproduces itself with every crisis, then america might damn well be fascist.

during the days of McCarthy, comrades were legally required to register themselves with the government if they had ever been members of a communist party. failure to do so would land them in jail. being registered often meant losing their jobs, or even criminal prosecution.

in the 60s, the supreme court declared those laws to be in violation of the 5th amendment.

this might give you an optimistic sense of the security of your civil liberties, BUT, today we live in a world where nobody has to register. everything you like or retweet on Twitter is accesible, everything you have saved on iCloud or dropbox is legally accessible by the government.

maybe in the next century, once all the tensions of this current one are resolved, our courts might offer citizens privacy online. but in our lifetime, if leftism gains genuine strength, our leaders(the authentic ones at least) will be persecuted with ease. without any new laws.

that's why I'm saying this distinction between fascist and liberal rule is useless. that's why I'm saying the fact that many within trump's and biden's base being working class is meaningless.

things look bleak no matter how you look at it.