To the editor:
In response to Mark Ferrante’s rather explosive letter to the editor on Aug. 19 (“Do you know what real fascism looks like?”), I decided to upload his rhetoric to a highly competent AI LLM (large language model), Perplexity, to check for point-by-point factual inaccuracies. Here is what it said:
Here are key inaccuracies and misleading claims from the letter, analyzed point by point and supported with factual context:
1. Claim: “Democrats have been associating Republicans with fascism for 60 years. Supposedly, in 1964 Sen. Barry Goldwater… was the first to be blessed as a fascist by the Democrats, Hollywood and media outlets.”
Analysis: While there is a long history of both parties accusing each other of authoritarian tendencies, the specific claim that Democrats have used “fascist” language consistently for 60 years is an exaggeration. During the 1964 election, Barry Goldwater was sometimes accused of extremism, but the widespread, direct use of “fascist” or “Nazi” labels for Republican nominees has not been a constant or uniform Democratic talking point over that full period. In fact, accusations of fascism toward Republicans have waxed and waned depending on the political context, and have also been occasionally used by Republicans against Democrats.
2. Claim: “Democrats… likened detention facilities holding criminal, illegal aliens as ‘concentration camps.'”
Analysis: Some progressive politicians and activists did compare migrant detention centers at the U.S. southern border to “concentration camps,” but this was not a universally held or officially endorsed position by the Democratic Party as a whole. The comparison was highly controversial — even among Democrats and Jewish organizations.
3. Claim: “When Donald Trump held a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden right before the 2024 election, the liberal media compared it to the 1939 pro-Nazi rally held there, even going so far as showing footage from that event as the Trump rally was in progress.”
Analysis: There were some comparisons made — in op-eds, on social media and by prominent critics (including Hillary Clinton and some journalists) — between the Trump rally and the infamous 1939 Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden. However, media coverage also explicitly noted the historical differences (the 1939 rally was pro-Nazi and organized by the German American Bund, while the Trump rally was a political campaign event). Criticism often focused more on symbolism or rhetoric than direct equivalence. There was digital counter-messaging by Democrats, but the claim that the mainstream liberal media uniformly portrayed the rally as an exact repeat of the Nazi gathering, or that they showed the two events “as the Trump rally was in progress,” overstates the coverage. Cross-cutting editorial and factual distinctions were made.
4. Claim: “The brave, patriotic men and women who work for ICE are the ‘Gestapo.'”
Analysis: Some critics of ICE’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies have, at times, drawn analogies between ICE and authoritarian police forces, including the Gestapo, primarily as political rhetoric or hyperbole. However, this is not an official Democratic Party platform or a common stance held by most Democratic politicians. It is a rhetorical device used by some activists.
5. Claim: “Today’s Progressives have upped the ante adding…‘dictator,’ ‘Nazi’ and… ‘Hitler’ to their… anti-Republican/Trump repertoire….this strategy has been a key component in their playbook… for decades.”
Analysis: While certain critics and activists on the left have indeed used such terms, mainstream Democratic leaders (including President Biden) have often avoided them, opting instead for milder language such as “threat to democracy” or “semi-fascist.” Only recently have some higher-profile Democrats openly labeled Trump or his movement as “fascist,” often in response to escalated rhetoric or actions from Trump and some allies. The idea that this is a decades-long core strategy is not supported by historical evidence — the actual use of such language by Democratic leadership has been comparatively rare and often controversial.
6. Claim: “Not only is this rhetoric historically inaccurate, but it’s also an outright lie. Sadly, we all know that dishonesty is a staple of the Progressive Left.”
Analysis: Accusing an entire political movement of dishonesty based on the actions or words of some individuals is an overgeneralization and perpetuates divisive rhetoric. Both political parties have had members who exaggerated or misrepresented facts; this claim is unfounded as a blanket statement.
7. Claim: “As we all know the lack of support the Left gives to Israel.”
Analysis: This is false. Mainstream Democrats, including the majority in Congress and official Democratic Party policy, have a long record of supporting Israel’s security and right to exist. Some progressive Democrats have criticized certain Israeli government policies, especially regarding the Palestinian conflict, but official support for Israel remains strong within the Democratic Party.
8. Claim: “Real fascism looks like: Open borders… ‘no jab, no job,’ DEI, the Russian collusion hoax, attacks on the 1st Amendment, attacks on the 2nd Amendment, arresting your political opposition on fake charges, defunding the police, lying about Biden’s health and Hunter’s laptop, objecting to voter ID, classifying parents… as ‘domestic terrorists,’ weaponizing government agencies, communist and socialist teachings… and attempted control of the media… These fascist actions have all been committed by liberal/progressive Democrats. Not Trump, not MAGA, not Republicans.”
Analysis: The listed policies and controversies (e.g., vaccine mandates, diversity education, police funding debates) are not unique to “fascist” ideologies. They are part of contemporary policy debates, with roots in public health, social equity and law enforcement reform.
“Open borders” is a political talking point; the U.S. border is not open, as evidenced by the volume of detentions and deportations under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
“No jab, no job” (vaccine mandates) are public health policy responses seen globally (including by conservative governments); they are not inherently fascistic.
“Defunding the police” was called for by some activists but was not adopted as federal Democratic policy; in fact, President Biden and most Democrats opposed it.
The “Russian collusion hoax” is a political conclusion — there were real investigations into Russian interference, with nuanced findings about contacts and attempted interference.
The claim that only Democrats weaponize agencies, restrict speech or propagate disinformation is refuted by numerous examples from both major parties over time (with both sides accusing the other of such conduct).
“Communist and socialist teachings” are not a sign of fascism; historically, fascism is the antithesis of those ideologies.
Objecting to voter ID laws or investigating bias in education is not inherently fascist either.
Labeling all actions by one party as “fascism” or “not fascism” is both historically and conceptually simplistic and misleading.
9. Claim: “Hypocrisy, hate, violence and fascism are part of your ideology not ours.”
Analysis: Attributing negative traits to an entire party or its supporters is an ad hominem, not an argument, and is itself an example of the polarization and demonization that the letter claims to oppose.
In sum, the letter misstates history, exaggerates opposing arguments and projects highly partisan interpretations as facts. It also distorts the usages of terms like “fascism,” overgeneralizes about “the Left” and ignores the nuances and diversity of opinion within both major political parties on these critical issues.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/us/politics/harris-trump-fascism.html
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3201957/reductio-ad-hitlerum-60-years-democrats-falsely-calling-republican-nominee-fascist/
https://time.com/6306945/donald-trump-democrats-fascists/
https://www.axios.com/2024/10/28/trumps-msg-rally-1939-msg-nazi-event
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-madison-square-garden-rally-dnc-projections/
https://demmajorityforisrael.org/who-we-are/mission/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Majority_for_Israel
https://jewishdems.org/what-it-means-to-be-pro-israel-in-2025/
https://link.motherjones.com/public/28967589
https://www.investors.com/politics/commentary/democrats-have-long-history-of-calling-republicans-nazis/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskALiberal/comments/1jcwe0b/why_do_liberals_call_republicans_racist_and_nazis/
Stephen Bach
Pitman Road
