Aperiodic Commentaries by C. Clark Kissinger
Misplaced Euphoria
November 9, 2025
With the onset of the Great Depression, popular support for the Nazi Party in Germany soared. In 1928, the Nazis polled only 2.6% of the vote. But by September of 1930, the Nazi share of the vote had risen to 18.3%. Then in July of 1932, the Nazis polled an astonishing 37.3%, becoming the largest party in the German Reichstag (parliament) with 230 delegates. Their rising vote, plus their Stormtroopers in the streets, made the Nazis seem unstoppable.
But opposition to Nazi outrages also grew, and a seeming miracle occurred. In November of 1932, new elections were held and the Nazi vote plunged to 33.1%, for a loss of 34 seats in the Reichstag. A general euphoria prevailed among the anti-fascist forces. A corner had been turned! The Nazis were not unstoppable! The pro-democracy forces would now surely prevail in the next elections!
Two and a half months later, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor (Prime Minister). Soon after, all opposition parties were outlawed and the first concentration camp for political prisoners was opened at Dachau in Bavaria.
This little bit of history should give some pause to those who are ecstatic about recent election results in this country.
Certainly, America in the 2020s is not Germany in the 1930s. But fascists are still fascists. Donald Trump, JD Vance, Pete Hegseth and Stephen Miller have no intention of ever allowing national political power to fall into the hands of the Democrats, or any other oppositional force. The Trump/MAGA team believes that only those who stand for “traditional American values” (white supremacy, male supremacy, Christian supremacy, xenophobia, traditional gender roles, and American global dominance) are fit to rule. And they are supported by a cohort of billionaires.
Just as in November of 1932, the time we have left is now very short. Among the many millions opposed to the Trump/MAGA fascists are people with many different views of what a decent future would look like. But the point is this: None of us will the get any of those futures unless the Trump/MAGA forces are prevented from consolidating fascist rule. All those who want to see a decent life for future generations must now come together and unite as one behind the common demand that Trump Must Go Now.
This can be done. By refusing to surrender the future and our humanity to a vengeful fascist maniac. By millions rising in massive, unrelenting, nonviolent protest and resistance—amassing in Washington, DC. By defying and refusing to comply with fascist dictates. By walking out. By shutting down. By fearlessly using our platforms and influence to inspire and challenge others to join us.
At this point, to wait for, and place our hopes on, rigged-in-advance elections yet to come is to court disaster.
What’s In a Word?
November 1, 2025
An editorial in the New York Times titled “Are We Losing Our Democracy?” begins with “Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns.” But like so many institutions of the establishment, most noticeably the leadership of the Democratic Party, the New York Times cannot bring itself to use the appropriate noun: fascism.
The Times goes on to list 12 areas in which fascism is being consolidated in the United States, while resolutely refusing to use the word fascism. Yet the longer the truth is evaded, the more difficult it becomes to defeat fascism. To call it something else just throws dust in people’s eyes.
The liberal establishment does not eschew the word fascism because it doesn’t believe that what we are facing really is fascism. Most of their wiser heads know full well that it is. Rather, the problem that ties their tongue is that if they admit that what we are facing actually is fascism, then what is called for is resistance on a qualitatively different level—a level to which they are not yet prepared to go.
Others are not waiting, however. On Wednesday, November 5, thousands are mobilizing in Washington, DC, to launch a campaign to drive Trump from power before it is too late. As the call from RefuseFascism.org reads:
“This Can Be Done. By refusing to surrender the future and our humanity to a vengeful fascist maniac. By millions rising in massive, unrelenting, nonviolent protest and resistance. By defying and refusing to comply with fascist dictates. By walking out. By shutting down. By fearlessly using our platforms and influence to inspire and challenge others to join us.
“By doing all this day after day. Coming back stronger in the face of attack and repression. Uniting, not dividing, across many viewpoints and backgrounds. Fostering a collective spirit of courage and righteous fury. Willing to sacrifice for the greater good of defeating this fascism.
“We begin now. On November 5th, from across this nation, we pour into DC. From that day forward, we don’t stop until the regime is removed.
“History is full of examples where people who had right on their side fought against tremendous odds and were victorious. It is also full of examples of people passively hoping to wait it out, only to get swallowed up by a horror beyond what they ever imagined.
“The future is unwritten. WHICH ONE WE GET IS UP TO US.”
A Harbinger of Elections to Come
October 16, 2025
Twenty-three days ago, Adelita Grijalva was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat by the voters of her district and her election has been certified by the secretary of state for Arizona. Yet Rep. Grijalva is locked out of her office, she cannot take her seat on the floor of Congress, nor can she vote on legislation. Why? Because the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson has refused to swear her in.
Trying to put less ominous spin on this story, some pundits have asserted that this is all because the Republicans are afraid of adding another vote in the House to compel the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
If only the reason were that mundane! The real reason is that the MAGA Republicans are fascists who do not believe that any Democrat can or should legitimately hold public office. To this end, voting districts are being redrawn, voting rights laws are being gutted, Republicans who win by-elections are being promptly sworn in, and political power is step-by-step being concentrated in the hands of the executive branch and its military.
Those who are pegging their hopes on some future election to take power away from the MAGA fascists need to come to grips with reality. The Christian fascists of the MAGA movement believe that they are on a mission from God to “take back the country.” They have no intention of being bound by future elections that do not come out the way they want.
What is required now is a massive, nonviolent political earthquake from below with the central demand that TRUMP MUST GO NOW! Nothing less is commensurate with the threat we face. All out for No Kings Day, October 18. Then on to the national convergence on Washington DC, November 5.
L'État, c'est moi
September 21, 2025
It took the banning of two late-night show hosts to drive home to many people just where we are at. There was a time when political figures would brag about how in China or in Russia no one in the media would dare to make jokes about Chairman Xi or President Putin. If they did, they would be off the air in a hot minute. But here in AMERICA… we have the freedom to criticize our leaders without fear of retribution. No more.
As the call from RefuseFascism.org for the November 5 convergence on Washington starkly puts it, “Fascism is not a looming threat. It is upon us now.
Still people ask, “Is it really fascism? Nobody can take Trump seriously for long. Won’t this get corrected by the normal operation of the system? After all, we have a constitution, we have elections, we have laws.”
To understand why there is nothing “normal” about what is happening, it helps to remember the ABCs of fascism:
A) Fascism comes about when a section of the ruling elite decides that the weakness and permissiveness of representative democracy, with its checks and balances, divided leadership, civil liberties, and social laxity, make the state no longer capable of dealing effectively with crises, imperialist rivals and internal dissent.
B) A political movement led by a populist demagogue is then launched which calls for the re-establishment of traditional values and a restoration of “the way things used to be” before society was invaded and weakened by alien elements and alien ideas that have defiled what the country is presumed to stand for.
C) This requires a Great Leader who can speak for the people who feel they have lost their traditional way of life, their privileges and entitlements that flow from living as white people in imperial America. A Great Leader who can forcefully expel all alien elements and ideas, requiring only that political power be concentrated in the executive branch, unencumbered by antiquated laws, courts, “independent” agencies, and legislatures. Such institutions should serve to strengthen and support the Great Leader, not thwart his great mission.
To aid in purging the disloyal elements and alien ideas, it will necessary to squeeze out of existence traditional civil liberties and legal rights, like freedom of speech and assembly and legal due process. It will be necessary to purge the mass media of dissenting views and analysis, to defund the universities that fail teach the officially approved truth, and eventually to unleash armed gangs of fascists operating outside any laws but with the tacit approval of the state.
Here it is helpful to remember that the traditional values to be strengthened and restored are white supremacy, male supremacy, Christian supremacy and fixed gender roles. The alien elements to be expelled are undocumented immigrants and refugees. And the alien ideas to be expunged are those of secularism, empathy for the oppressed, science, protection of the environment, gender fluidity, internationalism, and all opposition to capitalism.
There is also a D to the ABCs of fascism, and that is that once firmly established, fascism cannot be voted out. Traditional political leaders who have not jumped on the bandwagon will capitulate. Election results unacceptable to The Great Leader will be nullified. Adverse legal rulings will be overturned by a Supremacist Court, beholden to The Great Leader. And as if that were not enough, The Great Leader is also Commander-and-Chief of the armed forces and head of the national police agencies.
It must now be recognized that we are nearing the point of no return.
For the decent people of this country, there can be no living with this fascism. Any decent outcome for our future and our children depends now on defeating and driving from power the Trump/MAGA fascist regime. And this, in turn, can be accomplished only by millions rising in massive, unrelenting, nonviolent protest, noncompliance, and resistance. By defying and refusing to comply with fascist dictates. By make society ungovernable to the point where the rulers become deeply split over the efficacy of retaining the Trump Regime.
This means now coming together despite long-standing differences and refusing to be divided. It means being willing to listen to new and unaccustomed voices and analyses, and seeking for the truth. It means defending both public figures and our next-door neighbors from fascist attacks. It means fostering a collective spirit of courage and righteous fury, and a willingness to sacrifice for the greater good of defeating this fascism. For there is no easy out, no shortcut to a decent future at the point.
What must be done now is that people begin to organize nonviolent resistance everywhere. People must turn out for the No Kings demonstrations across the whole country on October 18. Then we must be all out for the national convergence on Washington, DC, on November 5, where hundreds of thousands will surround the White House, surround the Capitol, surround the fascist-packed Supreme Court with one common demand: The Trump/MAGA fascist regime must go—NOW!
A different future is possible, but only if we seize the moment!
Trump’s New Private Army
September 4, 2025
The Washington Post ran an interesting article on an “ICE Career Expo” held by ICE in Arlington, TX. 3,000 people showed up. ICE is planning hire 10,000 new officers this year and it has already received 130,000 applications.
As the Post described it, “The recruiting push has come with militaristic branding that evokes World War II-era U.S. propaganda posters featuring Uncle Sam, casting immigration enforcement as a defense against an ‘invasion.’ At the hiring expo, a video played on a large screen in a dimly lit room touting ICE’s role investigating human trafficking and drug-smuggling, and showing agents in fatigues and bulletproof vests.”
The scene was, however, more redolent of the rise of fascism in Germany.
The financial figures tell the story. Trump’s budget request for “homeland security” for fiscal year 2025 was $112.4 billion—of which $60.6 billion is for “discretionary funding,” meaning Trump can use it however he wants. $11.3 billion is budgeted in FY 2025 for ICE alone. That can buy a lot of masked men with guns.
All generals and admirals who command U.S. military forces require Senate confirmation. In ICE, however, only the Director of ICE requires Senate confirmation. All other officials—all those commanding ICE agents on the ground—are political appointees, serving at Trump’s pleasure.
The Nazi SS (Schutzstaffel—protection detachment) started out as an armed security force for Nazi rallies and leaders but grew into a full-scale private army for the Nazi party. It answered directly to Hitler, and the SS was responsible for staffing all the infamous Nazi concentration camps.
Today, ICE already maintains 120 detention facilities (https://www.ice.gov/detention-facilities) and is building more.
Everyone needs to be building for the second “No Kings Day” on October 18 and then the November 5 national mobilization in Washington, DC, to launch “The Fall of the Trump Fascist Regime.” No one should be sitting at home watching.
What would you do if you REALLY thought Trump was a fascist? A matter of principle.
August 18, 2025
The shameful return of most of the Democratic state legislators to Texas casts a sharp light on the danger we face. People give a lot of lip service to how bad Trump is, but very few are coming to grips with the reality of fascism and what it means for the future of humanity.
Many have said that the Texas Democrats had no choice. After all, they have families and jobs. They can’t stay away forever.
Really? Why not?
Are there really no decent people in Texas who would step up to support the families of the Texas legislators and the legislators themselves in exile? Although the same legislative opportunity did not exist in Weimar Germany, if they had had a similar chance should not the opposition legislators have left Germany to block the grant of full power to Hitler? What would have been the moral argument for NOT doing so?
And even as the Texas Democrats return to Texas, does that mean they have to take their seats in the Legislature and let the fascists gerrymander the state’s congressional districts? People will point out that if the Dems don’t show up, they may be arrested.
So?
What’s so bad about being arrested in a righteous cause? What is the higher calling here? Acting as tribunes of the people or warming seats in the state legislature?
“The whole point of principle is that you have to fight for it when it is not easy to do so. There is no need for principle if the only time it is applied is when it doesn’t matter.” –Bob Avakian
The military occupation of a national capital has happened before
August 11, 2025
One of the key steps in the coming to power of fascism in Germany was the seizure of the state government of Prussia which included the German capital Berlin and its police, all done in name of preserving public order. Here are the first two articles of the federal government’s emergency decree:
Decree of the president of the Reich concerning the restoration of public safety and order in Greater Berlin and the Province of Brandenburg of 20 July 1932:
On the basis of Article 48 (1) and (2) of the Reich Constitution, I decree the following for the restoration of public safety and order in Greater Berlin and the Province of Brandenburg:
§ 1. Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich shall be suspended until further notice. Therefore, restrictions to personal freedom of the right to free expression of opinion including freedom of the press of the right of association and assembly; interference with the secrecy of correspondence, mail, telegraph and telephone; orders for house searches, and seizures and limitations of property are permissible outside the legal limits otherwise determined for them.
§ 2. Upon the promulgation of this decree, executive power shall pass to the Reich minister of defense, who may transfer it to military commanders. For the implementation of the measures necessary for the restoration of public safety, the entire protective police [Schutzpolizei] of the designated area shall be directly subordinated to the holder of executive power.
On the basis of this decree, the elected government of Prussia was deposed. Prussian Interior Minister Carl Severing, who commanded a force of 90,000 Prussian police officers, let himself be led out of his office and ministry by a delegation consisting of the police chief whom Chancellor Papen had just appointed and two police officers. Papen had imposed a military state of emergency under the Reichswehr – a national force of 100,000 men – and, after the Prussian government backed down, occupied the Prussian Interior Ministry, the Berlin police headquarters and the headquarters of the Schutzpolizei (protective police).
Six months later, Adolph Hitler was appointed federal Chancellor.
It is important to understand that fascism does not come all at once. It does come quickly, but in incremental steps; steps which if not resisted lead to disaster.
Democrats are not going to save us. No elections are going to save us. No courts are going to save us. It’s on us. Get with RefuseFascism.org before it becomes too late.
Is it possible for mass actions to force a change in regimes?
July 22, 2025
Below are eight examples where mass protest and non-cooperation created a climate where existing regimes could no longer effectively govern and were forced from power.
Some of the examples are indigenous while others are examples of U.S. client regimes which became a liability and on which the U.S. was forced to pull the plug. None were led by revolutionary communists seeking to emancipate people from capitalism-imperialism. But all did oust onerous regimes and all give a sense of what is possible when millions of people go beyond the tepid dissent allowed by the existing state power and engage in massive, protracted resistance.
To provide a common source of reference, I have used descriptions excerpted from Wikipedia. My comments are in brackets; my emphasis in bold.
1) Iran (1978-9): By 1977, mass protests were underway. A key turning point occurred in August 1978, when the Cinema Rex fire killed around 400 people. While arson by Islamist militants was later alleged, a large portion of the public believed it was a false flag operation by the Shah's secret police (SAVAK) to discredit the opposition and justify a crackdown, fueling nationwide outrage and mobilization. By the end of 1978, the revolution had become a broad-based uprising that paralyzed the country for the remainder of that year…. On 10 and 11 December 1978, the days of Tasu'a and Ashura, between 6 and 9 million anti-Shah demonstrators marched throughout Iran. According to one historian, "even discounting for exaggeration, these figures may represent the largest protest event in history."…
On the morning of 16 January 1979, Bakhtiar was officially appointed prime minister. The same day, a tearful Shah and his family left Iran for exile in Egypt, never to return.
[The unfortunate aftermath of the Shah’s expulsion was a Muslim theocratic regime.]
2) The “People Power Revolution” in the Philippines (1986) which toppled the regime of Ferdinand Marcos.
The majority of the demonstrations took place … from February 22 to 25, 1986. They involved over two million Filipino civilians, as well as several political and military groups, and religious groups led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, along with Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines President Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, the Archbishop of Cebu. It is remembered as a "Rosary miracle" in the peaceful victory. …
…It was then on November 3, 1985, after pressure from the US government,[40] that Marcos suddenly announced a snap presidential election would take place the following year, one year ahead of the regular presidential election schedule…The election was held on February 7, 1986.[41] The official election canvasser,… declared that Marcos was the winner…
On February 16, 1986, Corazon Aquino held the "Tagumpay ng Bayan" (People's Victory) rally at Luneta Park.[59] The event was attended by a crowd of about two million people.[60] In her speech during the event, Aquino announced a nonviolent civil disobedience campaign and called for her supporters to boycott publications and companies which were associated with Marcos or any of his cronies.
[there was then a military coup which had the covert support of the U.S.]
On the morning of Tuesday, February 25,… Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as President of the Philippines in a simple ceremony at Club Filipino.
[While Aquino was from an old ruling class family and enjoyed the backing of the U.S., it was the mass action forced the U.S. to change horses in the Philippines.]
3) GDR (East Germany) 1989. Many other GDR citizens demonstrated against the ruling party, especially in the city of Leipzig. The Leipzig demonstrations became a weekly occurrence, with a turnout of 10,000 people at the first demonstration on 2 October, and a peak of an estimated 300,000 by the end of the month. The protests were surpassed in East Berlin, where half a million demonstrators turned out against the regime on 4 November.… The massive demonstration in East Berlin on 4 November coincided with Czechoslovakia formally opening its border to West Germany….
On 9 November 1989, a few sections of the Berlin Wall were opened, resulting in thousands of East Germans crossing freely into West Berlin and West Germany for the first time in nearly 30 years. [Egon] Krenz resigned a month later.
[The ouster of the GDR regime was hailed in the west as a victory over communism, but the GDR was state-capitalist regime that had nothing in common with communism.]
4) Serbia 2000. After presidential elections in September 2000, opposition parties accused Milošević of electoral fraud.[137][138] A campaign of civil resistance followed, led by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), a broad coalition of anti-Milošević parties. This culminated on 5 October when half a million people from all over the country congregated in Belgrade, compelling Milošević to concede defeat.
5) The “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine 2004-5. [Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union were heavily involved in the contested 2004 election.] The Yushchenko campaign publicly called for protest on the dawn of election day, 21 November 2004, when allegations of fraud began to spread in the form of leaflets printed and distributed by the 'Democratic Initiatives' foundation, announcing that Yushchenko had won – on the basis of its exit poll.[1] Beginning on 22 November 2004, massive protests[nb 1] started in cities across Ukraine.[42] The largest, in Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), attracted an estimated 500,000 participants…
In Kyiv the pro-Yanukovych demonstrators were far outnumbered by Yushchenko supporters, whose ranks were continuously swelled by new arrivals from many regions of Ukraine. The scale of the demonstrations in Kyiv was unprecedented. By many estimates, on some days they drew up to one million people to the streets, in freezing weather….
According to one version of events recounted by The New York Times,[52] Ukrainian security agencies played an unusual role in the Orange Revolution, with a KGB successor agency in the former Soviet state providing qualified support to the political opposition. As per the paper report, on 28 November 2004 over 10,000 MVS (Internal Ministry) troops were mobilized to put down the protests in Independence Square in Kyiv….
[But Yushchenko was install as the new president. Yanukovych was the Russian-backed candidate and Yushchenko was the U.S.-backed candidate.]
6) The “Jasmin Revolution” in Tunisia 2011, was “an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali…” On 14 January, Ben Ali dissolved his government and declared a state of emergency…. On the same day, Ben Ali fled the country for Malta under Libyan protection.
7) Egypt 2011. It consisted of demonstrations, marches, occupations of plazas, non-violent civil resistance, acts of civil disobedience and strikes. Millions of protesters from a range of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Violent clashes between security forces and protesters resulted in at least 846 people killed and over 6,000 injured.[21][22] Protesters retaliated by burning over 90 police stations across the country. [It is estimated that 11 million people took part in the mass demonstrations centered on Tahrir Square in Cairo.] On February 11 at 6:00pm [Vice President] Suleiman announced Mubarak's resignation, entrusting the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces with the leadership of the country.
[A tragedy of the Egyptian mass actions is that people were misled to believe that the Egyptian army—which is heavily subsidized by the U.S.—was on the side of the people.]
8) South Korea 2016-17. On 3 December 2.3 million people hit the streets in a further anti-Park rally, one of the largest in the country's history. An estimated 1.6 million people gathered around the main boulevards from the City Hall to Gwanghwamun Square and the palace Gyeongbokgung. Another estimated 200,000 people gathered around the city of Busan and 100,000 in Gwangju. On December 10, following the National Assembly's vote to impeach Park,[30] hundreds of thousands gathered for weekly protests celebrating the move.
On December 31, South Koreans celebrate New Year's Eve with mass protest. Over 1 million people take to the street according to Organizer, brought the cumulative number of people who have attended the protests since October to 10 millions, the largest weekly protest in South Korean history.
A Thought
July 15, 2025
elling people to wait for some future election is like telling someone having a heart attack not to worry because they have a regular checkup scheduled for next year. The dizzying pace at which fascism is consolidating power and the need for urgent and escalating action is captured well in the following editorial from the revcoms online newspaper. The situation has become so extreme that even MoveOn is now for mass actions!