Lawmakers need a history lesson on the rise of autocrats and fascists

So far this winter, Republicans have introduced multiple bills in the Iowa General Assembly designed to battle a fever dream of conservative buzzwords and bugaboos, most pumped with disinformation and exaggeration from politicians and pundits.

The latest, education bills House File 2330 and House File 2329, are smorgasbords of right-wing resentment and grievance. The original bills took on the largely mythical Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools, plus social emotional learning (SEL), a longstanding and successful technique that prepares children to learn. SEL is the latest target for conservative demonization. (The House, thankfully, dropped the CRT and SEL bans from the bill it passed on Feb. 28.)

With these bills, Republicans stray far beyond their expertise (with a few exceptions for the former educators in their ranks) to dictate what Iowa schools should teach about history. HF 2330 would, the Des Moines Register reports, mandate lessons on the “history and meaning of the United States flag and national anthem,” the “cultural heritage of western civilization, the United States and the state of Iowa,” and “the study of and devotion to the United States’ exceptional and praiseworthy history.”

It seems that legislators themselves need a history lesson – on the patterns found in the rise of autocrats and fascists. Many Iowa Republican politicians, the governor included, are following some of those patterns, whether consciously or unconsciously.

- The exaltation of nationality, with citizens constantly fed information touting the nation’s superiority and exceptionality. Contrary information, such as a history of racism, inequity or exploitation, is downplayed or eliminated.
- Elevation of a preferred culture over others, with the claim that its influence is supreme and foundational.
- Attacks on intellectuals and experts and the institutions housing them, such as universities, that challenge the dominant party’s perspective.
- Attacks on freedom of thought, including book banning and burning and stringent limits on libraries.
- Demonization of a minority or underclass, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender citizens, racial minorities, or immigrants. Autocratic leaders often blame these underclasses for society’s ills and pass laws discriminating against them. Denigrating an underclass creates an enemy for the leaders’ followers to unite over, sometimes leading to violence.
- Favoritism toward and/or endorsement of a particular belief or religion. Lawmakers will attempt to write tenets of the favored belief into law.
- Limits on or active persecution of opposing parties and their elected leaders.
- Voting restrictions designed to limit the voices of opponents and racial minorities.
- Limits on labor organizations seen as menaces to the dominant party’s power.
- Bills that would do some or all of this are before the Iowa Legislature this session. They’re threats to democracy and do little to improve daily life for Iowans.

What legislators can do to solve real problems: address agricultural pollution that fouls our rivers and streams and is killing us with cancers; support public schools so everyone, whether from the smallest town to the largest city, can get ahead with a good education; improve nursing home regulation to protect our most vulnerable citizens; ensure Iowans have food and adequate shelter so they can maximize their potential; and ensure health care that rural Iowans need.

Those are accomplishments Republicans could truly brag about.

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