Hi:
I have requested this at least once before:
Snyder continues to be a voice of reason from what little I’ve heard, including with respect to the issue of diagnosing if or to what extent we are moving specifically toward fascism.
This is not recent, but I really like what he had to say here, 8 years ago:
Historian Timothy Snyder: “It’s pretty much inevitable” that Trump will try to stage a coup and overthrow democracy
Yale historian and author of the new book “On Tyranny” says we may have one year left to save American democracy
By Chauncey DeVega
Senior Writer
Published May 1, 2017 12:00PM (EDT)
The question that was asked of him:
“… In my writing and interviews, I have consistently referred to Donald Trump as a fascist. I have received a great deal of resistance to that claim. Do you think this description is correct? If not, then what language should we use to describe Donald Trump?…”
his response in 2017:
"…I don’t want to dodge your question about whether Trump is a fascist or not. As I see it, there are certainly elements of his approach which are fascistic. The straight-on confrontation with the truth is at the center of the fascist worldview. The attempt to undo the Enlightenment as a way to undo institutions, that is fascism.
"Whether he realizes it or not is a different question, but that’s what fascists did. They said, “Don’t worry about the facts; don’t worry about logic. Think instead in terms of mystical unities and direct connections between the mystical leader and the people.” That’s fascism. Whether we see it or not, whether we like it or not, whether we forget, that is fascism.
"Another thing that’s clearly fascist about Trump were the rallies. The way that he used the language, the blunt repetitions, the naming of the enemies, the physical removal of opponents from rallies, that was really, without exaggeration, just like the 1920s and the 1930s.
“And Mr. [Steve] Bannon’s preoccupation with the 1930s and his kind of wishful reclamation of Italian and other fascists speaks for itself.”
I don’t mind if Ana or Cenk wants to disagree with Snyder, but if they avoid having him on (whether because they are trying to preserve an environment where the President is not called a Fascist or other statist, or for other reasons) then this will reduce my interest in TYT. Maybe John Iadarola or another host could do it, if Ana and Cenk don’t, or if he hasn’t already been on.
Also, I suggest we have a category set up for coming up with ideas for invited guests.