Would you like the Fascist Party, or the Fascist Party?

(Note: I use the term not in the typical insulting sense, but in a descriptive, clinical sense)

Seems that Tribalism is breaking out all over, and the Cool Kids want you to tell them that their tribe is cool, or you can't play.  The problem for a lot of us is that we don't like their tribes.

I won't presume to speak for Roberta, who certainly doesn't need my help.  I'll just speak for me: both of the Big Government parties are objectively fascist, in the "everything within the State; nothing outside the State" sense:

• Education.  Take your pick: Teacher's Unions or No Child Left Behind - send your kid to school, tell him to sit down and shut up while Nanny indoctrinates.  Sure, there are subtle differences between the content of the indoctrination - bring a score card so you can tell the difference.  Oh, and the Republicans bitch only because the Unions donate only to Democrats.  If the Unions had a clue, they'd split things, and buy off both parties.
• War On (some) Drugs.  I for one cannot see a millimeter's difference between the two parties.  SWAT teams, "no knock" raids, local Po-Po armoring up with tanks - the State is the Master, and expects us to be suitably deferential.
• War On Terror.  The only difference I can see is that Republicans like to kill the enemy using the 3rd ID, and Democrats like to use Predator Drones.  Oh, and Democrats think that an apology rope-a-dope will actually make a difference to the people we're fighting.  Other than that, Obama is the 3rd term of George W. Bush. 
• Big Spending.  Payoff to friends, punishing their enemies, all to strengthen the State and the Party.  Republicans say Oh noes look at teh deficit!!!eleventy!!  Where were they in 2005?  They'll be different how?  Ah, they've learned their lesson.  Riiiiight. 
• Homeland Security.  TSA.  Wiretaps.  Fourth Amendment.  Coke Party, Pepsi Party.  Whatever the Republicans implement, the Democrats will use, and vice versa.  It seems that a majority of Democrats in Congress support the NDAA which allows American citizens to be arrested and detained, indefinitely, not subject to habeas corpus.  Power has its uses, but is always reserved for the State.  But don't you "wiretap" the police, Citizen.

I could go on, but you've all heard it before.  And so cutting to the chase - both of the Tribes on offer are pretty indistinguishable, other than the speed they would have us lurch towards the abyss.  There's "Bad" and "Worse" to choose from.

Or you could phrase it as "boil the frog fast" or "boil the frog slow".  Obama has done something unique in American history - he's rallied perhaps a million people to take to the streets to protest Big Government overreach.  The Stupid Party is stupid of course (this memo brought to you by the Department of Tautology), and so there's reason to think that the "boil the frog fast" option is preferable - because turning up the heat may actually make the frog jump out of the water.

And so, color me unimpressed with arguments like those served up by Mr. Quick, that his tribe has a lock on virtuous public policy, and the rest of us are mindless, drooling morons for not falling into line.

Look, I wasn't the sharpest Chess player, but I could look at least a couple of moves ahead.  The arguments to vote Republican have so far been entirely unconvincing.  Sure Obama will be a disaster.  Mittens will be better?  I'm willing to listen, but quite frankly, Romney himself has been very careful indeed to avoid saying anything about what he'd do once in office.  So all I can do is look at the record he put together when Governor, and the record of the recent GOP Congress.  Those records are "boil the frog slowly".

The others are in the same ballpark, other than the Wookie who doesn't have a chance because he's the only one not a fascist, who explicitly rejects increased Government power, who explicitly says he would devolve power to the States and to the People; stick a fork in him, the GOP will work to elect Obama rather than him.

And so, they're both objectively fascist.  Both of them.

Given this, if I'm forced to choose tribes, I'm voting for Obama.  Crank up the BTUs, baby, and boil the frog so fast that he notices.  Let's see if we can get two or three or five million people protesting in the street.  At that point, the Stupid Party may think that they gain more by being somewhat less fascist, by devolving power to the People.

Or they don't, and the frog cooks.  I'd rather know that the Fed.Gov has enough power to take us all the way to the scene of the crash.



Hit something hard - I don't want to limp away from this s***.

Postscript: Frank James analyzes gun control under Republican presidents (with a side dish of just who appointed the most liberal Chief Justice in history; you could add Bush Senior's appointment of Souter, Nixon's appointment of Blackmun, and Ike's appointment of Brennan to this).  Please read his post in full before commenting on how we have to vote for Mittens for the sake of the SCOTUS and Second Amendment.