Many years after that but still decades ago, when I was at South End Press, we published a book titled Friendly Fascism. The author, Bertram Gross, made a case that a stylistically friendly version of fascism was coming our way. It would be fascism with a smile, fascism that urges us to have a nice day. It would be the real fascism, but in a deflecting disguise. Stealth fascism. Fascism with a human face. Who would have guessed that the word “friendly” was the mistaken part of the author’s warning?

I’ve hypothesized for a while that ZNet is actually a limited hangout — a place that tells some truth, but otherwise spreads propaganda that serves the establishment in some fashion, generally with funding by the CIA.

I hope Mike really is on the CIA payroll, even if unwittingly, because if not, he’s clearly a moron.

Mike, “friendly fascism” did arrive. That was exactly what the Biden administration was, you idiot! Of course Trump sucks and will be just as authoritarian and will further Palestinian ethnic cleansing and won’t give people health care and won’t raise the minimum wage and will continue working with Big Tech to implement AI-based security state totalitarian measures and all the rest.

But the left is never asleep whenever Republicans are in power. It’s when the Democrats are in power that the left goes to sleep, and things like vaccine mandates that literally violate the Nuremberg principles are actually supported by the left. Biden and the Democrats supported literal Nazis in Ukraine — Nazis that were described as such by liberal media outlets like the New York Times and MSNBC. Nazis who are openly proud about being Nazis.

But somehow, to Mike, the Democrats weren’t fascist. Why? Because the Democrats were friendly and polite. Oh the Democrats are so polite and cultured. And that’s all it takes to get managerial-class descendants like Mike to ignore — to not even be able to see — Democratic fascism.

I really don’t care that Mike Albert and ZNet are Democratic water carriers, though. I do care, however, that people are going to see this and associate this crap with participatory economics. The existence of Mike and his website are the biggest present impediments to any discussion of parecon in the broader left.

Mike and his horrendous website — a site that was once so legitimately radical it was featured in a movie by Hollywood A-lister Mark Wahlberg — do more damage to the cause of participatory economics than anything else possibly could, by making parecon look like nothing more than a CIA psyop.

I don’t care that Mike is damaging his legacy. I do care that he’s damaging the most important work he ever did, and work that I believe is vital if the left is ever going to actually win anything and not just be a bunch of fucking cuck pussies — quite apart from the legitimate morality of pareconish values.

Mike, please just hurry up and die already. Lydia misses you.