Chomsky warns of the rise of the extreme right in the U.S.

By David Brooks

From the Mexican newspaper La Jornada

Disenchantment with the government and politicians has recently grown to unprecedented levels, surveys say. There is an increase in anger, uncertainty, pessimism and mistrust in Washington, and the fruit of this popular frustration is being harvested by right-wingers.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my lifetime,” says Noam Chomsky. Interviewed by Chris Hedges for the website Truthdig, Chomsky added that “The mood of the country is frightening. The level of anger, frustration and hatred of institutions is not organized in a constructive way. It is going off into self-destructive fantasies,” he said, alluding to populist expressions from the ultraright.

The anti-government feeling has increased in society and only 22 percent say they trust fully in the government, one of the lowest points in half a century, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center.

“By almost every conceivable measure, Americans are less positive and more critical of their government these days. There is a perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government – a dismal economy, an unhappy public, and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials,” summarized Pew president Andrew Kohut in a summary of the conclusions of a series of polls.

The Pew found that only 25 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Congress – the lowest number in 50 years – and 65 percent express a negative opinion. Increasingly more Americans opine that the government has its priorities all wrong, which has a negative impact into their daily lives. Sixty-two percent assert that government policies benefit only some groups, and 56 percent say that the government does not do enough to help the average American.

The increase of anti-government feeling in a segment of society is confirmed by the fact that the number of Americans who say they are “angry” at the federal government has doubled from 10 percent in 2000 to 21 percent today. And 30 percent believe that the government is a threat to their “personal freedom.”

In a reversal of a poll made months ago, the Pew also found that most people don’t want a greater role of the state in the economy, with the exception of the financial sector, where a broad majority wants the government to more strictly regulate the financial companies.

The sector that appears to be most disenchanted with the government is the so-called Tea Party, an ultraconservative group that emerged one year ago in protest against the economic stimulus package. Its visibility grew during the campaign against the health reform bill promoted by the government of Barack Obama.

The movement is mostly formed by white Republican men, 45 years and older, who describe themselves as “angry” or furious at Washington. They are considered to be the most dynamic part of the conservative movement, with the avowed purpose of not only halting Obama’s proposals but also attacking Republican politicians who are considered to be not conservative enough.

Recent polls by The New York Times/CBS News revealed that 18 percent of Americans identify themselves as in agreement with the Tea Party movement, describe themselves as “very conservative,” are extremely pessimistic about the direction the country is taking and are severe critics of Washington and, of course, Obama.

More than 90 percent of them believe that the country is taking the wrong road and the same percentage disapproves of the president and his political management. Ninety-two percent believe Obama is leading the country to socialism – an opinion shared by more than half the population in general, it appears.

On the other hand, the expressions of right-wing popular anger are reflected in larger numbers of “hate crimes,” an increase in the number of racist ultrarightist groups, and unofficial reports of a growing number of death threats against the President. Public security agencies have raised the alert level because of what they call “domestic terrorism.”

Incidents have been reported (and several are under investigation) of acts of intimidation directed at federal legislators and other elected politicians. Early this month, more than 30 governors received letters from an ultraconservative anti-government group that demanded their resignation in three days. Although the letters contained no threat of violence, they caused the federal authorities to warn local police that they could provoke violent behavior. There are other, similar examples throughout the country.

The wave of disillusionment with the government and the leadership has provoked concern among some politicians who still don’t know what impact that feeling could have on the mid-term legislative elections in November. To others, the situation is even more alarming.

“It is very similar to late Weimar Germany. The parallels are striking. There was also tremendous disillusionment with the parliamentary system,” said Chomsky in his interview with Truthdig. “The United States is extremely lucky that no honest, charismatic figure has arisen,” because if that happened, “this country [would be] in real trouble because of the frustration, disillusionment, the justified anger and the absence of any coherent response.”

He recalled that, in Germany, the enemy created to explain the crisis was the Jews. “Here it will be the illegal immigrants and the blacks. We will be told that white males are a persecuted minority. We will be told we have to defend ourselves and the honor of the nation. Military force will be exalted. People will be beaten up. This could become an overwhelming force. And if it happens it will be more dangerous than Germany. The United States is the world power. […] I don’t think all this is very far away.”

David Brooks is Washington correspondent for the Mexican daily La Jornada.