Castro-Rodríguez, MAGA Republicans like the neofascist win in Italy

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MAGAs are happy about a neofascist triumph

by Manuel Castro-Rodríguez

Italian voters elected their version of Ron DeSantis as Prime Minister on Sunday. Giorgia Meloni’s deep ties to the American far-right are unusual for a foreign leader: She counts Steve Bannon as an ally and has spoken twice at US conservatives’ premier annual gathering.

How a party of neo-fascist roots won big in Italy, Associated Press reported on September 26:

“The Brothers of Italy party, which won the most votes in Italy’s national election, has its roots in the post-World War II neo-fascist Italian Social Movement.

Keeping the movement’s most potent symbol, the tricolor flame, Giorgia Meloni has taken Brothers of Italy from a fringe far-right group to Italy’s biggest party.”

Giorgia Meloni said, “We will defend God, country and family.” Why are so many religious citizens drawn to the rhetoric of authoritarian leaders such as Matteo Salvini, Viktor Orbán and Jair Bolsonaro?

A close ally of Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán, there is no reason to believe that Giorgia Meloni won’t do the same.

Meloni’s party has its roots in the Italian Social Movement, which itself emerged in the 1940s to fill the void left by Mussolini’s banned National Fascist Party. Their fascism is apparent in the tricolor flame they incorporate into their party logo — the same tricolor flame that was the emblem of the Italian Social Movement. Ignazio La Russa, who preceded Meloni as the leader of the Brothers of Italy, said — and this is a direct quote — “We are all heirs of Il Duce.” (Il Duce is a nickname for Mussolini.)

‘Very real fears’ for LGBT community after far-right win in Italy, Reuters reported on September 27:

“The LGBT community has ‘very real fears’ after a conservative bloc dominated by the far-right won Italy’s general election, a leading gay rights campaigner told Reuters.”

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares warned that “populist movements always grow, but it always ends in the same way — in catastrophe.”

Italians march for abortion rights after far-right election victory, Associated Press reported on September 28:

Italians marched through Rome, Milan and other cities Wednesday to protect access to abortion, which many fear will be under threat by a far-right party expected to form the next government after leading in parliamentary elections…

The marches were part of nationwide actions aimed at sending a message to Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy Party that protesters won’t stand for any changes to 1978 legislation, known as Law 194, guaranteeing access to abortion. The protests coincided with International Safe Abortion Day.

MAGA Republicans are very happy by triumph of neo-fascism in Italy. For example, Marco Rubio, Mike Pompeo, Tom Cotton, and Lauren Boebert.

Sen. Marco Rubio posted a press release on September 27:

“On the double standard after the election of the Italian Prime Minister (Sobre la doble moral tras la elección de la Primera Ministra italiana”) ‘Aquí cuando un líder es de derecha, inmediatamente te acusa. Mira, ahora mismo en Italia. Yo no conozco a la Primera Ministra personalmente, ni sé mucho de su trayectoria. Pero sé que es conservadora, católica. Va a salir una primera ministra en no sé cuantos años en Italia de la derecha y ya están diciendo ‘es fascista, es Mussolini’…”

By the way, although Proud Boys have identified themselves as “Western chauvinists,” Sen. Rubio refuses to denounce six Proud Boys that are on Miami-Dade GOP exec committee. To call a person who endorses violence against the duly elected government a ‘Republican’ is itself Orwellian. More accurate words exist for such a person. One of them is ‘fascist.’

On August 7, I sent to Miami’s GOP Members of Congress, more than a dozen journalists who work at Miami’s Spanish-language stations, and several Cuban exiles an email with the subject ‘Republicans are buying what fascist dictator is selling’, that you can see at the end of this email, in which I told them:

“Self-censorship at Miami’s Spanish-language stations on how the American right became aligned with Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán continues. Miami’s Spanish-language stations hide the existence of information presented in English-language by prestigious media. For example: this information published by The Wall Street Journal on Aug. 2, this other divulged by Politico on Aug. 4, this other revealed by the New Yorker magazine on June 27, this other diffused by The Guardian on May 20, and many more — It reminds me of Castro’s Cuba.”

Almost two months later, journalists who work at Miami’s Spanish-language stations continue hiding this information — anyone surprised?

MAGA Republicans are very happy by triumph of neo-fascism, but South Florida’s Hispanics who don’t have internet service don’t it. Remember that even don’t know Florida has the highest COVID-19 death rate in the United States, because journalists who work at Miami’s Spanish-language stations continues to fail in their duty as communicators.

Probably, the main strength of Miami’s GOP Members of Congress — María Elvira Salazar, Carlos Giménez, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Marco Rubio — and Gov. Ron DeSantis is how journalists who work at Miami’s Spanish-language stations hide the information that shows:

  1. The damage what these elected officials have done to Floridians.
  2. The suffering MAGA Republicans will cause to all Americans if they win Congress in November: “If Republicans take House, here’s how they can solve US debt and budget problems”, published by Fox News on September 19.

Whenever a Democrat is in the White House, Republicans in Congress rediscover fiscal conservatism. They are rediscovering the dangers of budget deficits, after four years of conspicuous indifference.

Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar still does not respond the invitation to debate made by State Senator Annette Taddeo on September 22. Although seven days have passed since that invitation, South Florida’s Hispanics who don’t have internet service still don’t know that information because journalists who work at Miami’s Spanish-language stations continue hiding this information — anyone surprised?

Just 40 days left until the November midterms. If you are in need of reproductive health care, what is at stake is your ability to control the most personal decisions of your life.

If you are a person from the LGBT community, this is about whether people elected will work to protect your rights, push back against discrimination, and defend your access to life-affirming health care.
If you are a public school parent, this is about whether your children will only learn a distorted, whitewashed version of American history or be told the truth.

If you love and cherish democratic ideals, these elections are about whether the core principles and institutions of our democracy will be reinforced or thrown into deep jeopardy by November’s results.