Making Martyrs of the January 6 Rioters
Echos of 1930’s Germany Continue
By Timothy Holmberg
As Ashli Babbitt made her made her final lunge towards the clattering doors of the House of Representatives, she couldn’t know how her impending death would be harnessed by the nebulous machine that has taken shape since Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. Her death was surprising in many ways, not the least of which was how few of Trump’s supporters actually died while breaching the nation’s Capitol.
Let’s set aside the comparison of what might have befallen BLM supporters had they tried a similar stunt. What has evolved since the January 6th insurrection should have our nation in a state of grave concern for quite a different comparison.
Though Ashli Babbitt never met Horst Wessel, thanks to the likes of Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, they now have a unique connection in history. The deaths of both were used in eerily similar ways to stir outrage and anger among a manipulated and radicalized group. The ensuing anger was then focused into a militancy that would intimidate its way to regaining power.
Wessel was a Nazi Brown Shirt Storm Trooper killed in Germany in 1930. He had been active in several right wing paramilitary groups prior to joining the SA and represented a perfect opportunity for Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. As a youthful Aryan-esque male, Wessel’s death at the hands of Communists could be used to advance the Nazi goal to stir the emotions of supporters and ultimately seize power.
The Nazi Beer Hall Putsch had been a premature overreach, just as was the January 6th riot. Both 1923 Germany and 2021 US still clung to their respective political norms too much to stomach such a craven and clumsy attempt. But a narrative was being built that would ultimately steamroll the desperate and complacent German middle class, and may do the same in the United States.
In the coming week, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson will mount his most brazen attempt to embarrass Goebbels and to mainstream the radical musings of Trump strategist Steve Bannon. Babbitt will no doubt feature prominently in Tucker’s mythology pretending to be documentary. Even from the previews, Carlson’s program drips with grooming tactics used to radicalize people.
Mainstream corporate news outfits seem befuddled as to how to counter this spectacle taking shape. So far their retorts have largely focused on attempting to shame the shameless, or positing that Fox and its owner, Rupert Murdoch are simply stirring the pot for money. Somehow, they seem afraid to say what is increasingly apparent - Fox signed on to be part of a propaganda machine that is purposely stoking fascism and racism to support Trump and his loyalist’s attempt at recapturing the presidency and government itself. “Fox Goes Full Fascist” should be the headline of every major news outlet in the US and abroad. Trump said what he intended to do in so many words, and no one seems prepared to take him or Fox at their word.
Trump has always been one thing - honest (follow me here). He first says what he means. He says it to break its shock value. He then demurs and gaslights the public (or his staff). “I didn’t say that, the media is making that up, that’s just locker room talk, it was a perfect call”. Next, he channels any negative reaction into victimhood to earn sympathy from his loyalists and confuse the broader public. Then he circles back, having normalized the unthinkable, and carries on doing what no decent leader could or would. And the public at that point is incapable of regaining its focus and energy to repudiate him. This lends Trump a veneer of invincibility which he can then use to intimidate his adversaries within the party.
If you doubt this, look at this past election. It was by all expert accounts (save Trump’s) the most secure and transparent election, carried out under the most difficult circumstances. It was scrutinized in ways that far exceeded the genuinely controversial Gore v Bush 2000 election. Yet Trump has managed to convince his supporters that it was completely rigged (even after his own audit showed otherwise). He then translated that into legislation in key states, and a real potential to steal the 2022 and 2024 election. When he himself was caught on tape in Georgia attempting to do the very thing he accused his opponents of, he dissembled and gaslighted his way from it. He fomented a riot, and did the same. He is a free man today, who very well could be president in 2024.
Hitler may not be a perfect analog for Trump, but Trump is every bit the fascist Hitler was. He has shown us this time and again. It is time to call him what he is. It’s not hyperbole, it’s in full view.
Trump is an American fascist and we all need to treat him as such, particularly the media. While his supporters may be misguided and manipulated, they are likely unreachable victims who must be contained and shown the boundaries of acceptability.
If Trump is successful at regaining the presidency, he will break what’s left of the modern American State, and convert it fully into a kleptocracy. He will remove any vestiges of the protections our society offered the oppressed. Where he goes from there, should be unthinkable to any rational person in their right mind.
Reference:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Wessel
Special credit to Phil Dupré for his keen grasp of history, which contributed to this article.
