In point of fact though, Mussolini (the usual textbook case for fascism) used his consolidated power base to heavily regulate Italian transportation, banking, business, and industry. Bush was very midline Republican in that he really never contemplated control of market forces, that is until Black September hit.

And while I hate to agree with Olbie & the Dean (doesn’t that sound like a great sitcom?), after Geithner’s little book report yesterday suggesting increased federal supervision over non TARP related businesses, fascism sorta comes to mind.

Geeze Louise, go back to bed and hide under the covers people. First I voted for Gore and Edwards this week, then I agreed with the bombastic brothers, Keith and Howie. Armegeddon is here folks!

Usually, however, it’s just a word hurled by leftists because they need a comeback when they’re called leftists or Communists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4llHNTMZjE

Keith Olbermann is about the biggest partisan idiot on television and that is saying a lot. Honestly, he’s just so… ugh. Can you imagine someone on Fox ranting like that and telling Obama to just shut up?? I think it’s my bedtime.

Although I don’t know if anybody called Obama a fascist, I just thought I should point out that fascism isn’t necessarily on the opposite end of the political spectrum as socialism, communism, Maoism, and so forth. Currently, there isn’t any clear definition of fascism besides that it’s an authoritarian dictatorship that emphasizes a strong sense of nationalism, but nothing more too it. As such, it’s been placed far to the left, far to the right, in the middle, and completely off the political spectrum by various political analysts who, although often defined fascism, were never able to offer a definition satisfactory enough for the political community as a whole. Part of the problem also comes from how unclear ‘left’ and ‘right’ are actually defined. I’ve often noted that since communism and socialism and pretty much all other dictatorships were leftist and democracies and republics were to the right, the amount of government control was a bit of an indicator with anarchy being the purest example of the right. Instead, I’ve seen anarchy on both sides as well. And going back to the original uses, left wing referred to those opposed to the monarchy in the French revolution while right wingers supported it. Since then, everything got hazy. Back to fascism though, I think George Orwell described the word best: “The word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless. In conversation, of course, it is used even more wildly than in print. I have heard it applied to farmers, shopkeepers, Social Credit, corporal punishment, fox-hunting, bull-fighting, the 1922 Committee, the 1941 Committee, Kipling, Gandhi, Chiang Kai-Shek, homosexuality, Priestley’s broadcasts, Youth Hostels, astrology, women, dogs and I do not know what else… almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. – George Orwell, What is Fascism?. 1944″ (grabbed from wikipedia).

I guess that my final point is that fascism isn’t necessarily far away from communism and socialism on the political spectrum. Even more than that though, it makes some of Olbermann’s statements even better when he says “…lay it out, define your terms…” I mean, I suppose I could define any poorly defined word such as fascism as whatever the heck I want, but that doesn’t mean my definition will provide any sort of case when calling somebody fascist. Keith Olbermann is a fascist. There, I said it. So is his dog and anybody else who disagrees with me politically (and their pets too, even the fish)