"And he said a lot of stuff. He was sort of a buffoon in that sense; he was constantly changing his definitions of fascism and talking out of one side of the mouth, then out of the other side of his mouth, largely because of the sort of pragmatic idea he had about politics."

This quote sums up the essence of Mr Goldberg's nonsequitural and much publicized coffeetable coaster (I hope he thanks his dear mother for her invisible handling of the marketplace of ideas.) and his own thinking process. So in the end, how does this scholar link fascism with liberalism? His evidence is that they both end in the same three letters.

"These trans-national elites... who really want to get beyond issues of sovereignty so they can organize and guide the planet on issues like global warming..."

I dunno about the Davos crowd, but trans-national elites going beyond issues of sovereignty so they can organize and guide the planet on issues like global warming sounds as much like the good folks at Exxon/Mobil as anybody.

What good is sovereignty anyway when you have Blackwater trickling down your neck?

Why?

That surely must be why Jonah isn't fighting in Iraq.

And you say you're not calling liberals Nazis, but...

I must say it 25 times in the book.

The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious: If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answered it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest, -- For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all, all honorable men

Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me: But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When that the poor had cried, Caesar hath wept. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff: Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable man.

See how that works?

I think that if you are going to write a book about fascism and liberalism it’s probably a good idea to start out with a basic knowledge of what those two things are. It’s apparent from Goldberg’s comments that he hadn’t done his homework on either topic. He state in the interview that, “my definition of fascism I get in large chunks from Eric Voegelin”. I don’t know much about Voegelin but if were writing a book on fascism I would have read a little bit more broadly.

As for Alex Koppleman, he must think that being an objective journalist means letting half-baked hucksters like Goldberg prattle on completely unchallenged. I get the impression that Koppelman himself wasn’t really prepared to take Goldberg on so he just let him spew for four pages unchecked. Had Koppelman read someone like Michael Lind—who has written extensively on the subject—he would have been able challenge Goldberg’s asinine thesis instead of lobbing him softball questions and nodding his head thoughtfully?

Now for Salon’s spanking. This book is completely unworthy of a feature article for Salon. If you’re trying to be contrarian there are plenty of conservative books out there that are fodder for serious though. This is not one of them. And occasionally there are books out that you really CAN judge by their cover. This is one of them.

And Brutus is an honourable man indeed.

It's all in the classics.

What do they teach them in these schools?!?

If your post doesn't get an Ed star it will be a crime.

--nother nonymous

I got this from the net. This is a pretty useful guide to what fascism is. Look through it and ask yourself whether modern liberalism or conservatism fits the bill better.

Chad

Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.

The 14 characteristics are:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military

Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism

The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6. Controlled Mass Media

Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined

Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected

The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed

Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment

Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections

Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.