I really should start a list of this sort of thing; liberals and other Bush-haters who see nothing wrong with ad hitlerum arguments who nonetheless think my book, unread, is ipso facto beyond the pale. Today Sullivan posts a letter with apparent approval that conservatism/the Republican Party has gone fascist. The reader is merely fleshing out Sullivan’s own view that :

“What matters is faith in a leader and unremitting violence in accomplishing goals. Whatever else this is, it isn’t conservatism as I have come to understand it.”

So in response Sullivan’s reader assures us that:

“What American ‘conservatism’ has become fits closely within the definition of fascism: an intensely nationalist movement intent on defining membership in the ‘nation’ on linguistic, religious, and (increasingly) ethnic/racial criteria…”

I’m not going to wade too deep into this (though, anyone who thinks the GOP has waged “unremitting violence” to have its way is beyond reason and the idea that conservatism is “increasingly” defined by “ethnic/racial criteria” knows next to nothing about the history of the 20th century or the conservative movement).

But do note the hilarious irony and lack of self-awareness here. On the same day this letter is posted the conservative base is braying about how Bush has betrayed them and the party has lost its way. But we are told the defining characteristics of this new fascism are A) loyalty to the leader, B) loyalty to the party and C) belief in “ethnic/racial” homogeneaity (and D, that violence thing).

So Bush, The Leader, is betraying fascist principles by leading The Party to invite 12 million ethnic, racial and ethnic outsiders into the Nation. Meanwhile, the base is showing that it’s faith in The Leader is something other than fanatical.

If you want to say conservatives are fascists for blinding following Bush, okay let’s have that argument (though I think it’s idiotic). Or, if you want to say that the Republican Party is fascistic because it champions ethnic purity, okay, we can have that fight too (though I think that, too, is fairly absurd). And, if you want to argue that Bush isn’t a fascist, but his loyalists are except when they aren’t, uh ok, we’ll chat about that as well.

But please, why not wait until after the immigration fight blows over, because the headlines alone show how silly all these positions are.