Authoritarianism!

It is an equal opportunity offender.

Lately, I’ve been focused on the authoritarianism coming from the left, largely because they have been engaged in a propaganda war that claims President Trump and the right are the real authoritarians, using the media to distract from the authoritarian agenda they pursued while they were in power.

The rapid rise of authoritarianism on the political left has become increasingly apparent, particularly in the Democratic Party’s recent embrace of policies and rhetoric that mirror collectivist ideologies. This shift toward authoritarian collectivism within the Democratic Party has been alarmingly swift, and it demands scrutiny.

Consider the state of the Democratic Party today compared to the Clinton administration’s just thirty-two years ago. Back then, the Clinton government’s policies resembled those of a modern Republican administration, absent something like Obamacare. Fast forward to the present, and we see Democrats openly advocating for the confiscation of the means of production, endorsing avowed Marxists, and tolerating overt racism against white people within their ranks. It is a political party that includes Jew-hating Islamofascists, some of them elected officials. The past four years saw a mentally compromised president leading the nation, with an unelected, shadowy cabal seemingly pulling the strings behind the White House curtains. This is a far cry from the Democratic Party of the 1990s and a stark illustration of how quickly authoritarian tendencies can take root.

It’s critical to acknowledge, however, that authoritarianism is not exclusive to the left. As a commenter on one of my Facebook posts rightly pointed out - my apologies for not recalling their name - the political right is not immune to authoritarian impulses. French philosopher Jean-Pierre Faye’s “horseshoe theory” offers a compelling framework for understanding this phenomenon. It suggests that the political spectrum is not a straight line but a horseshoe, where the far-left and far-right bend toward each other, converging on authoritarian methods despite differing motivations. A clear example is the support for Israel: both the far-left and far-right often do not back Israel, albeit for different reasons. This convergence highlights how authoritarianism can manifest across ideologies.

What’s striking, however, is the American media’s apparent blindness to left-wing authoritarianism. While quick to spotlight perceived right-wing authoritarianism - often without evidence - the media largely ignores the left’s encroachments on liberty. This selective vision distorts public discourse and shields the left’s collectivist agenda from scrutiny.

The Republican Party, by contrast, faces a steeper climb toward authoritarian collectivism, though it’s not entirely immune. Some Republicans flirt with soft socialism, reminiscent of post-war British policies, but the party’s foundation in constitutional principles act as a bulwark. The political right tends to revere the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and the Anti-Federalist Papers as guiding principles. These documents are studied not as obstacles to be circumvented but as the bedrock of liberty. They warn against all forms of authoritarianism, making no distinction between left and right. They underscore how easily human nature can erode the systems designed to protect freedom.

The left, however, often views these documents as impediments, seeking ways to bypass their constraints. This mindset fuels policies that centralize power and diminish individual liberty, whether through economic controls or social engineering. The left’s comfort with collectivist rhetoric and Marxist ideals, coupled with its tolerance of divisive identity politics, signals a troubling embrace of authoritarian methods. Meanwhile, the right’s commitment to constitutionalism - while imperfect - serves as a check against such tendencies.

The danger lies in the ease with which liberty can be lost.

The founding documents remind that authoritarianism, in any form, is the enemy of freedom. Both sides must remain vigilant, but the left’s current trajectory, cloaked in moral superiority and abetted by a highly selective media, poses a particularly insidious threat.