Soft Fascism Florida-Style: Ron DeSantis’s War on Amendment 4
A fascist to the core. That’s how retired US general Mark Milley, who directly served Trump as the chair of joint chiefs of staff, as described in Bob Woodward’s upcoming book. As Milley put it, “He is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person to this country.” And while they may be true, it’s important to keep in mind that Donald Trump is far from the only aspiring fascist in contemporary American politics. The Schedule F/Project 2025 scheme orchestrated by the Council for National Policy is a group effort, after all. And as we’re going to see, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been laying the groundwork for the kind of ‘soft fascism’ that we should anticipate a lot more of under a second Trump presidency. The kind of ‘soft fascism’ that is shaped less by Trump’s personal madness and more by the theocratic ambitions of the movements that have long animated the Republican Party. Which brings us to DeSantis’s war on Amendment 4, a ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s state constitution up to the moment of viability, coming months after Florida Republicans put in place a restrictive new 6 week abortion ban. After first trying to get Amendment 4 thrown off the ballot, the DeSantis administration has proceeded to spend taxpayer funds on an anti-Amendment 4 public messaging campaign includes tv and radio ads. An unprecedented investigation into the Amendment 4 ballot signatures has also been opened, with police showing up at people’s homes to confirm they signed the petition. Local election supervisors are also under suspicion of verifying invalid signatures. And as we’re going to also see, there’s no possible way this investigation can get the Amendment 4 removed from the ballot even if it succeeded in revealing some fraud. It’s pure intimidation. More recently, the Florida government has threatened television station employees with criminal charges if they air a pro-Amendment 4 ad. Why? Because the state claims the ads — which raise questions about whether or not women’s health is adequately protected under the new 6 week abortion law — pose a threat to public health because the new law in no way endangers women. Yes, if you run an ad suggesting the new Florida abortion law — one of the strictest in the US — could put women at risk, you could be criminally charged. So if you were wondering how the GOP is planning on handling public discontent over the unpopular policy that are about to be imposed on the public at large, look to Florida. Ron DeSantis is one of the Council for National Policy’s favorite politicians for a reason.
“Some Folks Need Killing!” Mark Robinson, David Lane, and the CNP’s American Renewal Project
“Some Folks Need Killing!” So declared North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson on June 30. At a church. With the full endorsement of the church’s pastor, Reverend Cameron McGill, who explained how Robinson only meant the people ‘trying to kill us’ should be killed. Two days later, Heritage Foundation President and Project 2025 leader Kevin Roberts made his now infamous “Second American Revolution” speech, warning that the revolution would remain bloodless “if the left allows it”. Days later, Donald Trump laughably disavowed knowing anything about Project 2025. And while Roberts’s comments have received ample attention, Robinson’s “Some Folks Need Killing!” comments have remained an under-explored topic. Because as we’re going to see, Mark Robinson has become quite a celebrity on the far right. With one very notable fan base: The American Renewal Project dedicated to recruiting conservative pastor to run for office and the Council for National Policy (CNP) figures behind it. Not only is Robinson the star of American Renewal Project events, but it turns out Reverend McGill is a recruiter for the group too. That project, formed in 2005 by political activist David Lane but with roots going all the way back to the formation of the CNP in 1981, is what we’re going to explore in this post. Because as disturbing as Robinson’s “Some Folks Need Killings” comments may have been out of of context, they are a lot more disturbing when placed in context. A Christian Nationalist dominionist context that warns of plans for a lot more than just ‘some’ killing.
Oligarchs for Theocracy: Project Blitz, the Council for National Policy, and God’s Insurrection
“One nation under God.” It’s a familiar phrase for modern Americans. But how about the phrase “One nation under God, and one religion under God”? That was the call recently made by Michael Flynn. As we’re going to see, Flynn wasn’t just speaking for fellow theocrats when he called for an end to the separation of church and state. He was voicing the views of some of the most powerful lobbies operating in DC. Groups like the Council for National Policy (CNP) that represent the merger of corporate (Koch) and theocratic interests. A network that for all practical purposes is the Republican Party’s oligarch establishment, pushing a theocratic agenda with a goal of not just conferring special rights for Christians but effectively ending democracy itself. Because as we’re also going to see, just as you can’t separate the GOP establishment from the theocratic CNP, you can’t separate the GOP’s party-wide push to overturn the 2020 election results from the CNP either. The death of representative democracy in the US is very much a ‘God’-ordained project.
FROM THE LECTURE SERIES
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