Appearing on Fox & Friends to tell his infantile boss what to think, White House adviser and white nationalist Sebastian Gorka tried out a few new North Korea talking points that will surely appeal to the enormous ego of one Donald J. Trump:

“He’s saying don’t test America, and don’t test Donald J. Trump,” Gorka responded. “We are not just a superpower. We were a superpower. We are now a hyperpower. Nobody in the world, especially not North Korea, comes close to challenging our military capabilities. Whether they’re conventional, whether they’re nuclear or whether they’re special forces. So the message is very clear: Don’t test this White House, Pyongyang.”

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"Hyperpower" sounds like something Roger Corman would come up with in one of his numerous schlocky sci-fi flicks. It's a cheap and tawdry attempt to bolster America's fading standing in the world and it will give Trump his first natural erection not involving Ivanka in years. Expect to hear more of that one going forward, assuming we survive the nuclear war Trump is clearly trying to instigate.

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But ridiculous descriptors aside, it's where Gorka went next that we should pay attention to:

“These are the moments when we have to come together as the nation and support the executive,” he said. “Whether you voted for him or not, whether they’re a Democrat, whether they’re a Republican, these are the trying times. During the Cuban missile crisis, we stood behind JFK. This is analogous to the Cuban missile crisis.”



Gorka added: “Anybody, whether they’re a member of a Congress, whether they’re a journalist: If you think your party politics, your ideology trumps the national security of America, that is an indictment of you.”

Ah. This again. We've been here before and we know how that turned out. Fox News has been trying to revive toxic patriotism since just a month after the 2016 election. A lot of people have forgotten just how effective a tool it was in silencing dissent and the right is desperate to relive the good ol' days. Back in the early Aughts, just the accusation of being unpatriotic was enough to send the media scrambling to beg forgiveness for even mildly rebuking the Bush White House or Republicans. Never mind holding them accountable, even asking uncomfortable questions could get you fired. Just ask Phil Donahue.

You can bet the farm that the instant the first bullet is fired or missile launched between the United States and North Korea, Fox News, AM Hate Radio and right wing websites will immediately start screaming that any and all investigations into Trump-Russia must be suspended "for the good of the country." Jeff Sessions will start drafting dubious legal memos justifying censorship in the name of "national security." Stephen Miller will remind everyone that "the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned" so, no, it's not actually illegal to arrest reporters that spread "fake news" the president doesn't like.

You're free to insist that I'm fearmongering; that this is America and that can't happen here. Let me know how that works out for you when Trump declares an emergency and tries to suspend the constitution. The man salivates over tyrants and dictators, scoffs at the rule of law, and rages against anything that constrains his power. To make matters worse, Trump has surrounded himself with people that despise the very concept of democracy. The moment he thinks he can seize power and eliminate the checks and balances holding him back, he'll go for it and you'd have to be willfully blind or painfully stupid to think otherwise.

There are 453 days left to the 2018 elections. Let's hope we get there.

- This article kills fascists

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