Protesters calling for Israel to cease fire in its war with Hamas who have disrupted US public events and infrastructure are practicing “leftwing fascism” or “leftwing totalitarianism”, a senior US House Democrat said, adding that such protesters are “challenging representative democracy” and should be arrested.
“Intimidation is the tactic,” said Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democrat on the House armed services committee. “Intimidation and an effort to silence opposition … I don’t know if there’s such a thing as leftwing fascism. If you want to just call it leftwing totalitarianism, then that’s what it is. It is a direct challenge to representative democracy now.”
Smith was speaking – before the outbreak this week of mass protests on US college campuses, many producing arrests – to the One Decision Podcast and its guest host Christina Ruffini, a CBS News reporter.
Yes - he framed his statement with one of the stock phrases that people use when they want to be able to say something, then later, if necessary, claim that that’s not really what they said
I don’t think a news source has a responsibility to include that bit of transparent rhetorical trickery in a headline.
“I’m not a bigot, but…”
Yep.
The goal is to be able to say something while evading responsibility for having said it.