The 114th post from the Journal of American Greatness originally published in June, 2016.

Robert Kagan—who gives arrogant, fatuous, pompous windbags a bad name—a few weeks ago published what remains the single worst “conservative” piece on the Trump phenomenon so far.  We won’t bother to refute the main argument, since it’s really no different than Sullivan’s, only shorter and simpler, and we’ve already addressed the core issues at length.

Kagan writes that “this is how fascism comes to America.”  By “this” you might think he means this.  Orthis.

But no.  He means Trump.

Now, it’s true that Kagan’s piece ran before the San Jose violence.  But it was written after the Illinois violence.  After the riot in St. Louis.  After the mayhem in Arizona.  After Burlingame.  And after several other street-thug anti-Trump “protests.”  Kagan mentions none of that.

No, Kagan’s “evidence” for Trump’s “fascism” is Trump’s “attitude, an aura of crude strength and machismo, a boasting disrespect for the niceties of the democratic culture.”  Meanwhile, actual people commit actual acts that are in perfect keeping with the historic reality of actual fascism and Kagan has nothing to say.  Except to condemn … Trump.

He’s supposed to be a historian and expert in international affairs.  You’d think, then, that he’d be familiar enough with fascism to recognize signs of it when he sees it.  To be clear, we’re not saying that these mobs were in any way organized.  (Though neither do we rule out the possibility that George Soros, who seems to enjoy bankrolling anti-American street violence, might be behind it.)  The point is that beating up people for attending a peaceful political rally in support of a cause or candidate you don’t like is the textbook definition of fascist “ground game.”

If Kagan had an ounce of intellectual honesty in him, he’d know that, retract this embarrassing column, and apologize.  But being on the left means never having to say you’re sorry.  Since Kagan hasa lot to apologize for, perhaps that’s the real, deep-down reason why he returned to the Democratic Party.

—Decius