PRESS RELEASE
Mussolini, Schwarzenegger, Bloomberg Sound the Same? They Are the Same!
Jan. 10, 2008 (EIRNS)—Compare today's "emergency powers" speech by California Guvernator Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with this week's remarks by David Boren, the Draft-Bloomberg National Unity spokesman, to vintage speeches by Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator in Italy (1922 to 1945), and you get the same corporatist double-talk. No accident, the backers of Schwarzenegger and the election ploy of N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, are financial circles intent on imposing fascist regimes as the outcome of today's economic breakdown crisis. George Shultz and Warren Buffett are personally running the Schwarzenegger operation. On the Democratic side is Felix Rohatyn. The common theme is fierce austerity, imposed by forces "above politics."
Mussolini, 1922: `Economy, Work and Discipline'
On Nov. 16, 1922, Benito Mussolini gave his first speech to the Chamber of Deputies as Premier. He opened by threatening the Parliament that they would be shut down, if they did not go along with what his Black Shirts Fascisti were demanding, which he called, "development, progress and equilibrium."
He said, "In Italy, there is no lack of programs, but there is a lack of will power to translate programs into action. That is what we are here for...." He repeated at one point, "I can dissolve Parliament the day after tomorrow, just as easily as next year...."
"Above the minorities that go in for militant politics, there are 40 millions of Italians who work, who sweat, who reproduce themselves, who ask and have the right not to be thrown into chronic disorder and faction, which is the certain prelude to general disaster."
What economic programs? He said, "My internal policy can be expressed in the following words: Economy, work, discipline. The financial problem is a fundamental problem. We must arrive at a balancing act of the State budget."
After continuing with non-specific proposals, he said, "Let us take an oath to restore our finances and we will restore them; to follow a peaceful foreign policy and we will follow it; to discipline the nation, and we will discipline it...."
His concluding warnings were simple: "This is my program and this I am going to do. Either you help me to do it, or I will kick you out and get on without you."
(Account from the highly favorable coverage in the Nov. 17, 1922 New York Times, "Mussolini Demands Chamber Obey Him or Be Dissolved." The "Times" praised the "great dignity" with which Mussolini forcefully spoke, and included such observations as how "Mussolini keeps in the pink of physical condition.... He insists on sixty full minutes of hard fencing every morning.")
Mussolini, 1932: Fascism Denies Pursuit of Happiness
Excerpts from a Mussolini speech in 1932, titled, "The Doctrine of Fascism":
"Fascism ... does not believe in the possibility of 'happiness' on earth as conceived by the economistic literature of the 18th century....
"Fascism denies the materialistic conception of happiness as a possibility, and abandons it to the economists of the mid-eighteenth century. This means that Fascism denies the equation: well-being = happiness, which sees in men mere animals, content when they can feed and fatten, thus reducing them to a vegetative existence pure and simple....
"If liberalism spells individualism, Fascism spells government. The Fascist State is, however, a unique and original creation. It is not reactionary but revolutionary, for it anticipates the solution of certain universal problems which have been raised elsewhere, in the political field by the splitting up of parties, the usurpation of power by parliaments, the irresponsibility of assemblies; in the economic field by the increasingly numerous and important functions discharged by trade unions and trade associations with their disputes and ententes, affecting both capital and labor; in the ethical field by the need felt for order, discipline, obedience to the moral dictates of patriotism.
"Fascism desires the State to be strong and organic, based on broad foundations of popular support. The Fascist State lays claim to rule in the economic field no less than in others; it makes its action felt throughout the length and breadth of the country by means of its corporative, social, and educational institutions, and all the political, economic, and spiritual forces of the nation, organized in their respective associations, circulate within the State. A State based on millions of individuals who recognize its authority, feel its action, and are ready to serve its ends is not the tyrannical state of a medieval lordling. It has nothing in common with the despotic States existing prior to or subsequent to 1789..."
Schwarzenegger, 2008: `Permanent Victory in California'
In his speech Jan. 10, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, issuing a declaration of fiscal emergency in California, decreed that the state faces a "very tough solution." He said he will eliminate more than 7,000 jobs from the state payroll and make other cuts. His formulation is, "With tough times come historic opportunities, and I'm convinced that the Legislature will help in order to take this temporary problem that we have and turn it into a permanent solution, a permanent victory for the people of California, by joining me to enact true budget reform.
"We simply cannot have a budget system where revenues and spending are not tied together. We must rise to the challenge and fix California's budget system once and for all."
Bloomberg, 2008: `National Unity' Corporatism
On Jan. 6 and 7, 2008, a "national unity" confab, took place in Norman, Oklahoma, co-hosted by former Democratic Senators David Boren and Sam Nunn, backing a potential Michael Bloomberg 'independent' candidacy. At a press conference held Jan. 7 by David Boren, Bloomberg, and a variety of Democrats and Republicans, a mission statement was released, using soft-sell rhetoric to cover the corporatist policies behind the initiative. Excerpts (from coverage in The Norman Transcript, Jan. 7):
"A nonpartisan appeal to a nation at risk: America is in danger. Our ability to meet and solve the problems that face us is seriously compromised...
"Our budget and trade deficits are out of control. We are squandering our children's future. The ominous transfer of our national wealth has made our economy vulnerable, and our economic strength and competitiveness are both declining. Middle-income Americans are struggling to keep their homes and jobs and educate their children.
[Problems abound—overstretched military; vulnerability to terrorism; lack of energy policy; poor education; lack of health care; etc].
"The failures of bridges in Minneapolis and levees in New Orleans are harsh metaphors for the reckless neglect of our infrastructure. These critical issues are uniquely interlocked and we must have a national strategy and prioritization of resources. We are failing to address them because rampant partisanship has paralyzed the ability of our government to act. If we allow polarizing politics to continue, we will remain a nation divided and no matter who is elected this fall, he or she will not have a mandate for governing.
"Too many in both our parties have sought to energize their bases instead of reaching out to address the issues that concern our nation as a whole.
"They appeal to extremes and marginalize those in the commonsense center. In order to break this partisan impasse, we urge the presidential candidates to provide: clear descriptions of how they would establish a government of national unity; specific strategies for reducing polarization and reaching bipartisan consensus; plans to go beyond tokenism to appoint a truly bipartisan cabinet with critical posts held by the most qualified people available regardless of political affiliation; and proposals for bipartisan executive and legislative policy groups in critical areas such as national security. National elections present an opportunity for candidates and citizens to have a serious and civil discussion of the imperative issues facing our country at home and abroad.
"Today, we urge our fellow citizens, including the news media, to join us in asking the candidates to address these challenges. If as a nation we begin to ask, debate, and address these and other fundamental issues, we can renew our commitment to community and empower those we elect to govern effectively. We are convinced that if we establish a government of national unity, we can meet these challenges head on, develop a cohesive strategy prioritizing our responses and matching our goals with our capabilities.
"In short, we believe that if we unify, we can turn America's peril into America's promise and face our future with optimism."
