Ben Shapiro’s Latest Tour de Force Exposes Who Is Behind America’s Authoritarian Moment

Townhall.com ^ | October 24, 2021 | A. J. Rice

[Kaslin]

Remember when they deplatformed Parler, accused American grandmas of insurrection, and digitally silenced the president of the United States? Remember how they did all of this after Black Lives Matter and antifa rioted for months and radical mayors and prosecutors refused to lock them up? Remember how academia, corporate America, and even the military suddenly stepped out of the shadows and pushed the exact same racist theory, all pushing the lie that America is racist at the same time radicals across the country were attacking statues of our founders and even President Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant?

It all felt so snapped in place, so tightly coordinated. What if it was?

That was all just seven months ago. But the preparation was years, decades in the making. Ben Shapiro shows how it happened, who is behind it, and what to do about it now in his new bestseller, The Authoritarian Moment: How the Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.

Shapiro’s book brings the goods like he always does at the Daily Wire and on his national radio show. "The Authoritarian Moment" is full of facts and hard truths about the threat America faces -- not just from China and now the deep wounds Joe Biden is inflicting on the country through his collapse of Afghanistan -- but across the elite level of all of our institutions. They’re all arrayed against America’s founders, against America’s ideals, and ultimately want to control America’s future.

“Human nature does not change,” Shapiro writes in the opening pages, and so because we want safety many of us are willing to trade our liberty for it. At the same time, some man or group always wants power. They’re only too happy to crown themselves as some form of king, assume that power, and use it to destroy liberty. America faces such a moment now, Shapiro argues, but not in the form of a singular king. It’s in the form of institutions the left has captured and now cloaks itself in as it wields nearly unchecked power over the rest of us. Dissent from their line on anything and you will be silenced.

America’s founders knew their history well, from the Bible to the Glorious Revolution, and knew how the human will to power could warp even the best people and institutions. They set up the system of checks and balances in our Constitution and body of laws that placed leaders and branches of government into healthy competition against each other, creating what Shapiro calls this “extraordinary” moment in which the United States and much of the world lives in republics, not under monarchies or dictators. It’s an extraordinary time the United States ushered in alone, and has led since its inception. It’s also a moment that those who want to amass power seek to discredit and ultimately destroy -- by any means necessary.

Shapiro doesn’t pull any punches. He asserts that the rioters on January 6, 2021, were authoritarians of the right. That is, they sought to overthrow the constitutional means by which we pass power peacefully from one president and party to the next. But those authoritarians, he says, were checked by other members of the political right -- Vice President Mike Pence most conspicuously. There are authoritarians on both sides. The right checked its authoritarians that day, but the left, Shapiro says, not only does not check its authoritarians, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and its antifa allies, the left actively encourages them and gives them succor from the very top.

This explains why America is suffering a dangerous authoritarian moment now, with the greater threat to freedom coming from the left. It’s the left through Big Tech that is silencing dissent. It’s the left, after capturing corporate America, that is attempting to brainwash Americans into dividing ourselves forever by race and other innate and immutable characteristics. It’s the left that’s doing everything it can through the New York Times’ dishonest 1619 Project on one hand and critical race theory on the other to crack up and destroy America at its foundations -- so it can then replace those foundations with its own authoritarian, totalitarian form of society and government.

Shapiro traces how we got here, from the Frankfurt School’s first study of the authoritarian mind to today and now capitalist companies like Coke swiftly unmasked themselves as Marxist indoctrination centers. He shows how Facebook and Twitter have become the vanguard of a new movement that endangers free speech even as the mainstream media militates against the freedom of speech despite the fact that doing so is not in their long-term interests.

Now Americans censor themselves. Not just on Facebook. More than two-thirds of us self censor even in private conversations. Anyone could turn from friend to informant, and they don’t even need a government to push them into as there was in Mao’s China or Stalin’s Soviet Union or the old communist bloc. They turn informant because our institutions encourage it. They’ll ruin your life just for the likes.

If you read just one book about the current crisis of liberty in America, make it Ben Shapiro’s "The Authoritarian Movement." Shapiro brings the facts and marshals them into a cogent picture of what is really happening in America and across the West. While the picture he paints is stark, and entirely accurate, Shapiro offers some hope and some tangible tools to use to fight back against cancel culture and the digital brownshirt authoritarians who currently command all of the institutions.

America is in an authoritarian moment. Our country has experienced one before, during the heavy-handed, jack-booted presidency of Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Liberty survived him and if Americans right, left, and center who love liberty band together, be brave, and fight back, it will survive this one, too, but it’s up to us. America owes Ben Shapiro a debt for describing this terrible Authoritarian Moment, and for providing a map to get ourselves out of it.

[mund1011]

The fact that the video of the storming of the capital was filmed by a BLM supporter, who was arrested when BLM was blocking traffic and shots were fired at motorists, should be a really obvious clue who the rioters really were.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Anyone witnessing hundreds of rallies with tens of thousands of Trump supporters knows 06JAN was a set up. Trump supporters do not behave this way.
Why are the turds running the “investigation” withholding all of the video evidence? Because the truth would be clearly shown how this was orchestrated?
Sorry Ben, “authoritarians of the right” had jack shit to do with 06JAN.

[beaversmom]

Do you remember what he did to her?

[enumerated]

“…they are on our side, that is if the objective is saving the country rather than comprehending conservativism though the exclusive lens of political personality.”

That’s disingenuous and insulting.

My decision to care whether or not a self-described conservative supports President Trump has zero to do with “political personality”, and everything to do with “saving the country”.

Ben Shapiro thinks that the January 6 “rioters” were authoritarians of the right - attempting to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power. Anyone who holds that view is NOT on my side.

The January 6 protesters were protesting the certification of a stolen election. How better to save the country?

[yetidog]

I certainly did not intend to be insulting, rather to say that basing ideology on a political figure (or events like 1/6 etc) is divisive within the conservative movement. We are not going to win this thing until enough people realize that Marxism is a national death sentence and vote in national leadership which will undoubtedly include all flavors of conservativism...that is, if our capacity to vote has not yet been completely corrupted by the Democrats.

[SunkenCiv]

Remember when they deplatformed Parler, accused American grandmas of insurrection, and digitally silenced the president of the United States? Remember how they did all of this after Black Lives Matter and antifa rioted for months and radical mayors and prosecutors refused to lock them up? Remember how academia, corporate America, and even the military suddenly stepped out of the shadows and pushed the exact same racist theory, all pushing the lie that America is racist at the same time radicals across the country were attacking statues of our founders and even President Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant? It all felt so snapped in place, so tightly coordinated. What if it was?

[enumerated]

Apologies. I shouldn’t have said it was insulting or disingenuous.

What I meant to say was that it is wrong to presume that identification with a particular politician is about personality, or that it is not about saving the country.

When I call myself a Reagan Conservative it has nothing to do with his delightful personality, and everything to do with saving the country.

Likewise, when I proclaim my support for Trump, or protest an election being stolen from him, it has nothing to do with his not-so-delightful personality, and everything to do with saving the country.

Reducing Trump support to a “cult of personality” is a narrative pushed by the Left, as is the idea that the January 6 protest was “divisive”.

It is true that the Right needs a big tent to build a majority - but that need does NOT require that we dilute our beliefs one iota. We can accept help from people with different agendas without sinking to the lowest common denominator.

I won’t respect Ben Shapiro’s views until he respects mine (which he doesn’t). On the other hand, if he wants to vote for Trump and encourage others to, I’ll gladly accept the help.

[wintertime]

Re: “Shapiro offers some hope and some tangible tools to use to fight back”

So?...What are these tools?

[heylady]

I listen to Ben Shapiro but I can’t say I agree with him on either the effectiveness of the vaccines or severity of Jan 6th. I prefer Michael Knowles who also comes right out and disagrees with Ben on both issues. On Friday Knowles said the use of the word authoritarian is way over used.

[RedMominBlueState]

Totally agree

[MarvinStinson]

Shapiro doesn’t pull any punches. He asserts that the rioters on January 6, 2021, were authoritarians of the right. That is, they sought to overthrow the constitutional means by which we pass power peacefully from one president and party to the next. But those authoritarians, he says, were checked by other members of the political right -- Vice President Mike Pence most conspicuously.

HORSE****

[paulcissa]

Ben Shapiro is a SCHMUCK. I’d never spend a dime on his BS drivel.

[Jacquerie]

<>So?...What are these tools?<>

I wondered about that as well.

Article V and the Machiavellian Moment.

[Pelham]

“The Federal Reserve, the Income Tax and the insane World War I were total disasters—yet Woodrow Wilson is gonna get canceled because he was a vicious racist...”

Poor old Woodrow Wilson gets blamed for so much.

Probably due to dunces like Glenn Beck and Dinesh d’Souza and their shoddy “histories”.

The Income Tax required an amendment to the Constitution. Lincoln’s attempt to impose the first US income tax was struck down.

The second President to call for an income tax was none other than Teddy Roosevelt. Congress passed the 16th Amendment in 1909 when either Roosevelt or Taft was President and ratified in February 1913 a month before Wilson took office.

The Federal Reserve was another product of the Teddy Roosevelt-William Taft years.

The National Monetary Commission was created by Congress in 1908, the enabling law, written by Republicans Nelson Aldritch and Edward Vreeland, was signed by Teddy Roosevelt. Its purpose was to propose reforms to the American banking and monetary system, which it did. Woodrow Wilson actually campaigned against creating a central bank but did sign the bill.

World War One was one the rare instances where Congress used their authority and declared war.

The declaration of war passed in the House by 373 to 50, and in the Senate by 82 to 6.

[Elsie]

You are correct, January 6th was NOT Authoritarian, it was a Militant Response to an Authoritarian Ambush Attack.

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Call it whatever you want: it's is STILL within our rights to do so!!!

 

---

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

 that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

 that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--

 

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,

 deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --

 

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,

 it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,

 laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form,

 as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

 

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes;

 and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable,

 than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

 

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design

 to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government,

 and to provide new Guards for their future security.--

 

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies;

 and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

 

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations,

 all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.

 

To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

[Elsie]

“He asserts that the rioters on January 6, 2021, were authoritarians of the right. That is, they sought to overthrow the constitutional means by which we pass power peacefully from one president and party to the next.”

Sounds like someone channeling King George!

Publication of The American Crisis[edit]

First page of Paine's The American Crisis

But the morale of the Patriot forces was boosted on December 19 when a new pamphlet titled The American Crisis written by Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense, was published.^[12]

These are the times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

Within a day of its publication in Philadelphia, General Washington ordered it to be read to all of his troops. It encouraged the soldiers and improved the tolerance of their difficult conditions.^[13]

[Elsie]

...if he promised to restore society.

This individual IS coming.

Things will get straightened out: for a while anyway...

[logi_cal869]

“Sounds like someone channeling King George!”

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RIGHT???!!!

Thanks for that. Really. If you saw the project I’m working on, you’d understand. I doubt that I’ll have the wherewithal to put it in HTML (there are a LOT of images), but I will share it here at FR right soon.

[Elsie]

I doubt that I’ll have the wherewithal to put it in HTML (there are a LOT of images),

Practice a bit.

And, there are websites that allow a word processor type approach that spits out an HTML version of what you've created.

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I don’t know how to post a pic.

 

You do NOW!!

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Merely paste the address ( like THIS one) http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc70/tpjdmm/knock-knock.gif

 

between the QUOTES, and you're good to go!

 

 

<img src="">

 

Here's how it works:  <img src="http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc70/tpjdmm/knock-knock.gif">

 

giving you...

 

 

 

 

 

If you want your cursor to display a message when on the picture, than add THIS

 title="" between the img and the src text with your messge inside the quotes like this:

 

<img  title="Here's Johnny!" src="http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc70/tpjdmm/knock-knock.gif">

 

...or at the end....

 

<img  src="http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc70/tpjdmm/knock-knock.gif" title="Here's Johnny!">

 

 

[Elsie]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-create-and-edit-an-html-document-with-microsoft-word-2002-a758a850-c33c-5535-ab1c-71fbea348cfb

 

 

[Navy Patriot]

Call it whatever you want: it's is STILL within our rights to do so!!!

You are correct, The American People and Patriots were within their Rights to gather and access DC Government Areas, while the US Government Agents had no right to prevent them OR engage in conspiracy to subvert any election.

I was replying to Ben and Media's lying use of language.