Jonah Goldberg evaluates the Treasury Department’s efforts to control the banks without actually nationalizing them: “It’s not socialism. It’s corporatism.”
It is interesting that Harwood depicts the choice to discuss the use of the word fascist as a strategic choice to pump up the volume, which it may be for some. For other commentators, such as perhaps Larry Kudlow, they might be straining not to deem as “fascist” proposals that they would call fascist if that term were not so politically charged.
Me, I just call ’em like I see ’em. And I’m going to continue to attempt to recapture the language from the left. They’re not liberals. I’m a liberal. They’re fascists, even if they insist on remaining ignorant of their own intellectual history.
The truth begs nobody’s pardon.
I should point out (and Jonah should know better, after his book!) that “corporatism” in the Fascist sense does not refer to modern business corporations, but “bodies” (corpora) of the State.
The workers are a body, in Fascist doctrine. The church another, business one, the military another.
The current policy might be Corporatist, but in the modern Leftist sense, not the Fascist one. (Though the modern Leftists use the term for the State serving business, rather than the State bullying and controlling it…)
I don’t think leftists see as distinction between serving and bullying, hence policies with the attitude: “You will do it our way because we have deemed it better for you than free will. See, we’re helping: that makes us servants of the people.”
Sigivald, read what Jonah wrote again: He was not confused. (Let me guess, you hadn’t had your coffee yet either?)