Our nation is rife with negative political rhetoric. Whether intentional or not, much of it is misdirected, and misunderstood. Consider the popular attack word fascist. Many believe being called a fascist, labels them as unpatriotic and despicable; and this explains its popularity as a rhetorical tool.

Referencing Webster’s, Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, and Britannica, Grolier and Encarta encyclopedias, I looked up the contemporary meaning of fascism. By paraphrasing my findings, I can summarize its meaning and use. Fascism is “a radical, authoritarian nationalist political ideology, which seeks a nation organized according to corporatist perspectives and values, including the nation’s political and economic systems.”

Moreover, because neocon ideology dominates the Republican Party, it’s only fair to include the emerging term “neo-fascist” as well. Paraphrasing again, “neo-fascists consider certain religious movements and their intrusion into US politics by groups such as evangelical Christians, to be a representative form of theocratic neo-fascism.”
Clearly, the combined definitions are in complete opposition with Progressive ideology. So before you Republicans and Tea Partyists reveal your ignorance, look in a mirror and please stop calling Democrats and Progressives fascists!

Because of the extreme polarization of the political parties and our society, it appears we will never solve the long list of problems plaguing our country. Moreover, getting mad and yelling at the idiots on the other side only adds to the volume of all this crazy rhetoric and propaganda; and that solves nothing.

The solution is to change how our Representatives get elected and conduct business by enacting Campaign Finance Reform and eliminating the absurd amount of money corporate lobbyists spend for control of the political parties, and by extension, OUR government. Until there is a fair and level political arena for our Legislature to work in, I suspect all hope is lost. Moreover, since the Supreme Court strengthened the concept of corporate personhood, then corporations ought to be limited to the same rights and abilities to persuade our representatives as every person in this country has, no more and no less.