Comment on column
The Slim Smith column of Wednesday, “The Dawn of American Fascism?” offered a timely warning of what our future as a nation may be, and that is the way it should be read. My biggest criticism is the analogy to Hitler which I thought was overdrawn. Benito Mussolini, Italian dictator and inventor of fascism, might have been closer to the mark. Mussolini was as authoritarian as Hitler but less murderous. He and Trump share a similar build, the same low moral standards, and the same swagger and bullying manner on the platform.
As for the comparison to Hitler, I do see a resemblance between the characters Trump is predicted to surround himself with, Giuliani, Gingrich and Christie, with the Nazis of Hitler’s inner circle.
All that aside, however, most frightening in the column was Smith’s recognition that “we are a one-party autocracy. There is nothing now to stand in its way.”
Finally, as I write, Hillary Clinton maintains a slight lead in the popular vote. If that stands, the result of this election will be that the people elected her but the Electoral College chose Trump.
William Hairston
Sulligent Alabama
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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