Q: Does Obama’s march towards socialism and fascism mean that America is done and over?
A: Obama’s march towards socialism and fascism is merely an extension of what government has been doing all along, for decades. It’s nothing new. Yes, it’s getting worse, and Obama has accelerated the march. But there’s something unique about Obama. His reputation and political future—along with those politically associated with him (i.e. our entire Congress)—are totally tied to his policies. If the worst case happens—rampant inflation, collapse of the currency, and all the rest—it won’t be difficult for advocates of capitalism to totally tie these to him, and then make major course reversals (course reversals impossible in earlier years, even in more ‘conservative’ times). Advocates of capitalism need no longer be burdened by the terrible legacies of the hapless Bush and his equivalents. So all is not lost. It’s very bad right now, but all is not lost.
As for dictatorship, we can’t literally say we live in a dictatorship until the government starts overtly controlling freedom of speech and thought. Obama and the Congress are taking steps in that direction, such as taking control of Internet connectivity and trying to reverse the Supreme Court’s justified ruling against government restrictions on corporate donations to campaigns. Still, control of speech will be an uphill climb in America. First of all, long-established dictatorships have a hard enough time doing that—witness events in Iran last year, where visuals of anti-government demonstrations leaked out from cell phones and Twitter, and also on the Internet. It’s hard enough for governments not burdened with checks and balances and separation of powers to control speech in today’s world, so the Obama Adminsitration will face an even more difficult path. Secondly, I don’t think that sort of freedom will fall in America without a very long and bitter series of major fights. Different fights than we have seen may be coming, especially if Obama manages to hold on to control in the White House and even Congress. (Don’t rule it out. Only Republicans possess the moral cowardice and incompetence to lose to the likes of Obama and Pelosi.) Or it might not get to that point. Obama could get slapped at the ballot box and backpedal, like so many other politicians in America have done. We’ll know more later this year.