#ny-04

Trump is promising to be a dictator and his supporters are expressing support for crimes against humanity committed by the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Three years ago, the Intercept published an illuminating article about the rise of the “Hoppean snake” among far-right extremists, a meme which the Intercept labelled especially “disturbing for its frightening historical reference”. For the uninitiated, the Hoppean Snake in its various forms usually depicts a serpent wearing the military hat of the American-backed Chilean dictator Gen Augusto Pinochet in the foreground while figures are dropping out of helicopters to their death in the background. The meme specifically refers to Pinochet’s known strategy of kidnapping, torturing, killing, and – here’s the point – throwing his political opponents out of helicopters and into the ocean to dispose of them. The Intercept noted that many groups and individuals on the far right, such as the “Boogaloo Bois, Proud Boys, Three Percenters, Oath Keepers, armed Trumpists, and the like wear T-shirts that offer ‘free helicopter rides’.” and when they do so, “they are referencing a program of extermination.” It’s alarming to see such rhetoric from the far-right fringes; imagine seeing this kind of political violence being advocated by a sitting politician or someone seeking the highest office in the land. Well, you don’t have to imagine it any more. Last week, the Republican congressman Mike Collins of Georgia did just that. On Twitter/X,, Collins commented on a widely circulated picture of Jhoan Boada, a man who was recently arrested for allegedly assaulting two police officers in New York City outside a migrant shelter. Boada was one of seven men arrested, and multiple reports refer to him as a “migrant”. After leaving court, Boada was photographed raising his two middle fingers to reporters as he walked away. The picture prompted Republican congressman Anthony D’Esposito of New York to offer the racist riposte: “We feel the same way about you. Holla at the cartels and have them escort you back.” Collins then joined in. “Or we could buy him a ticket on Pinochet Air for a free helicopter ride back,” he wrote. As HuffPost’s Christopher Mathias, who covers the far right, put it on X: “So we have a congressman joking or not joking about extrajudicially executing a migrant arrested for a crime (allegedly assaulting a cop) that tons of non-migrant citizens get arrested for too.” Mathias also notes that the “free helicopter ride” meme has been popular with white supremacists and neo-fascists for about the last seven years. [ ... ] Jews, Muslims, immigrants – everything is a threat. Violence is the solution. Opponents should be assassinated. Fascists are role models. Welcome to the Republican party in the year 2024.

Pinochet was a general who seized power in Chile in 1973. Very likely he had backing from the Nixon administration which was in the midst of Watergate. Pinochet immediately set about torturing and murdering his opponents. He remained in power until 1990 when he lost a referendum on whether he should remain as dictator. He actually expected to win that referendum or he wouldn't have held it; such is the self-delusion of the far right.

Once a dictator comes to power, there are few controls over when he or she leaves. People should believe Trump and his lickspittles when they talk dictatorship.

Snooty ideological purists who condone voting for impotent third parties or sitting out the 2024 election should be publicly scorned.

If Biden wins then you know there will be a free and fair election in 2028. If Trump wins, the best you can expect is a Russia-style election where Putin chooses who his opponents will be.

NOTE: Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who made that racist reply to Rep. Mike Collins, represents NY-04 which is a swing seat south of NY-03 which was formerly represented by fabulist George Santos. NY-04 has a Cook Partisan Voter Index of D+5; Joe Biden got 56.8% of the vote there. So in case you need it, here's the site of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.