Most of us felt that Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow was well written and an easy read. The focus is on the appeal and history of fascism, isolationism, and white nationalism in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. Maddow states directly that the appeal of fascism is cruelty to breed fear.

There were strong connections between political actors in the U.S. and Nazi Germany. For example, Henry Ford wrote a fascist book that Hitler made use of. There was a willingness to let Germany take over mid-Europe and Fascist cells in the U.S. were arming themselves. While people like Leon Lew exposed Nazis, the FBI was only interested in communists, not fascists. Hitler used racism and religious bigotry to divide Americans. German propaganda was sent by congressmen using their franking privilege, meaning there was no cost. And fascist speeches ended up in the congressional record and were printed and sent out for free.

We could not help discussing how all of this feels familiar today. Where are our Eric Severieds who will powerfully expose the violent militias and fascist propagandists, who will show the public how the focus on immigrants and the border is distracting us from the rights that are being closed down for us all?