Yesterday, one of my Argentine friends asked me if we had political parties in the U.S. aside from the Democrats and Republicans. I replied that no, we don ´t, 99 percent of the votes go to either the Democrats or the Republicans.

“Ah, so you don ´t have democracy”

“No, fascism”

Let ´s be honest with ourselves; the right to choose between a giant douche and a turd sandwich is not democracy. When two hierarchical institutions have a complete monopoly on possibility, information, debate, and news coverage, there is no democracy.

There is no democracy, and such a system cannot rightly be called democratic. It is, in fact, fascism in its highest and most brilliant expression. Fascism defined: a political system in which political possibility is limited by a elitist, hierarchical, and oppressive institution.

Alright, I ´ll bite. Clearly the DNC and the RNC are two distinct, independent institutions vying for state power through the electoral process. I ´m not going to feed you some BS conspiracy theory about how the two parties are secretly colluding screw us all. That ´s why I said it is fascism in its most brilliant expression, because it carries the façade and illusion of democracy.

If you are a CEO, a Wall St. bigwig, or another member of the top 1% who have more wealth than the bottom 95%, the Democratic-Republican machine is your fascist party. Collectively, they work to limit political possibility to things that make you richer while making others poorer. Nothing could be better. (See “Citigroup concludes that U.S. is no longer a democracy”)

Perhaps you prefer one party over the other, but there is a good chance that you give “campaign contributions” to both, ensuring access regardless of who wins. Both will be there to bail you out when you destroy the economy. Neither will even begin to threaten the systems that keep you rich while millions are poor and economically powerless to determine their future. Neither will challenge the fact that you have a seat at the table while the rest are nothing but beggars, protesting in the street.

Even better, the politicians don ´t seem to be aware of what they are doing. To the contrary, they are engaged in heated  debate over the future of the country. All the better, as it hides that deeply held consensus that makes the few the masters of the many. Fascism at it ´s finest.

If you are poor, there is no democracy, only fascism. Neither party will ever address the inequality of power that keeps you shackled to poverty. They only work to “create jobs.” Not jobs that will give you a dignified existence, but jobs that allow you only bare subsistence.

If you are an illegal immigrant, there is no democracy, only fascism. Whether Washington is red or blue, you remain marginalized, exploited, and without basic human rights.

If you are a Palestinian, there is no democracy, only fascism. The genocide continues, courtesy of funds from Capitol Hill.

And if you are one of the tens of millions of U.S. citizens who can ´t stand either party, there is no democracy, only fascism. Sure, there is freedom of speech, but what good is it without freedom to listen? Media monopolies speak louder and stronger than any blog post. Sure there are “free and fair elections,” but what good is it when two institutions have an ideological monopoly on the realistic outcomes of these elections? Everywhere you look, “There is no choice,” “A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush.” There is no choice, aka FASCISM.

Hasta la victoria siempre,

Enrique Gales

How do we fight fascism? Organize for autonomy, of course: http://whitmanpioneer.com/opinion/blogs/offcampusblogs/henrygalesoffcampus/2011/09/10/on-ideology-from-below-and-to-the-left/

CITIGROUP CONCLUDES THAT US IS NO LONGER A DEMOCRACY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy87kzKxkP8&feature=related

Douche and turd: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douche_and_turd