Jonathan Rauch

In fact, he was a brilliant guy.

He was a former journalist.

He had been a socialist before he became a fascist.

No coincidence there.

These are smart people and they are intentionally and deliberately manipulating the public discourse and dialogue first to hijack people's minds so that you think about them all the time.

Second, to move the grounded public discourse to an arena where

Liberal Democrats, you know, small d, cannot compete.

And third, to show that they're in control of what can and cannot be said.

All the stuff your mom taught you about what you can and can't say, throw it out the window.

They're in the driver's seat now, and that's the message you get.

Well, remember, this list is not about describing America as being right now in the end state of fascism.

I don't think it will be.

In fact, I'm slightly more optimistic on that score than I was a few months ago.

I'm instead looking at the characteristics of the rhetoric and the leadership.

So one of the hallmarks of liberal democracy, of course, every government has to use violence.

But it's important whether they do that reluctantly and as a last resort and whether they will try to de-conflict a situation, talk it down, minimize the use of violence, or whether their rhetoric and their actions are suggesting, no, this can be a first resort.

You can be standing on a street corner and holding up your phone as a peaceful protester in Minneapolis,

and then hurled to the ground, be swarmed by federal agents, and then be shot multiple times.

And the government's reaction to that will be that you were some kind of, what did they say about Mr. Preti?

Yeah.