The Far Right Returns

One of the oldest tricks in the book is to use extreme terms to demonize and discredit people. Bernard Goldberg discusses this in his bestseller Bias. Now we’re witnessing the use of this tactic on a global scale, as we’re led to believe that a French politician’s success at the polls threatens another Holocaust and the rise of another Hitler.

MSNBC columnist Eric Alterman said that the critics of Jean-Marie Le Pen fear "the threat of a reconstituted European fascist movement." Other terms used to describe Le Pen were "extreme," "virulent," "neo-fascist," and of course "far right."

According to Le Pen’s Web site, his controversial positions include outlawing abortion and ending official recognition of same-sex unions, developing programs to increase the birth rate and pay benefits to women who stay at home with their children. He also favors ending legal immigration, deporting illegal immigrants and eliminating dual nationality, giving French citizens priority for all jobs and public housing, teaching morals in schools, requiring student participation in patriotic events and holidays, and creating 200,000 new prison beds.

Considering the popular nature of many of these proposals, it is amazing that Le Penn only received 17 percent of the vote, coming in second in the French presidential contest.

He was in a run-off with French President Jacques Chirac. The supposed shocking nature of the results were in the fact that Le Penn beat the Socialist Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, who was running for president. He got 16 percent of the vote.

Investor’s Business Daily put the results in perspective, noting the percentage of the vote received by other parties: the Workers Struggle Party got 5.7 percent, the Greens 5.2 percent, Communist Revolutionary League 4.2 percent, Communist Party 3.4 percent, Leftist Radical Party 2.1 percent, and the Workers party 0.4 percent. Together, these parties got more than 21 percent of the vote, or four percentage points more than Le Pen and five percentage points more than the Socialist Jospin.

While Le Pen has been accused of being anti-Semitic, Jim Hoagland of the Washington Post noted that he appealed for Jewish and other votes by promising to bring law and order to areas of the country where large numbers of immigrants are living.

What’s more, the anti-Semitic charge is coming from some of the same people who ignore Arab and Palestinian terrorism committed by those dedicated to the destruction of Israel.

So it’s a political charge, designed to frighten us into believing that European fascism is a real threat.

The fear of being depicted as extreme right-wingers by the media may help explain why some Republican conservatives, including in the Bush Administration, refuse to embrace political positions that are overwhelmingly popular with the American people, such as limits on immigration. President Bush was even arguing for another amnesty for illegal aliens after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That kind of thing leads to conservative disenchantment, and conservative voters sitting on their hands on election day.

Here in the Netherlands the left found out what to do with right-wingers: assassinate them.

Just like they commies did in Prague with the people that didn't want to be lefties anymore (driving over them with tanks) or Honicker did in the DDR with the Stasi. The left will demonize people, and even use the media to spread their lies.

OMG! I wish he would run for president here! This man is sent by God himself!
Not voting for this guy would be a one way ticket to hell!

Jean-Marie Le Pen for U.S. president in 2004 !!!

That kind of thing leads to conservative disenchantment, and conservative voters sitting on their hands on election day.

Absolutely. No doubt about it. Count me in unless Bush goes far right wing.
In 2004, we have a choice. A socialist, or a liberal socialist. Why vote at all?

This week may mark the end of this leftist tactic's success. Fortuyn's assassination shows that all evil isn't confined to the extreme right. And the French election points the way to major realignments in the political sphere. To be sure, Le Pen lost by a landslide, but established elites and orthodoxies have been shaken.

Today's fascism lies almost entirely on the Left. They are the rioters, the burners of buildings, the goons who silence with thuggery that which they cannot defeat with reason. You don't see a lot of conservatives beating the crap out of enviro-wacks or poofs or feminazis. But cross the peacenik crowd and you're liable to get brained with a "Make Love" sign.

The "revolution" has become the "Establishment."

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