Ali Velshi and Transgender Journalist Agree Florida Road Testing Authoritarianism in U.S. ‘Just Like The Early 1930s’ in Germany
MSNBC host Ali Velshi on Sunday both agreed with and expanded his guest’s characterization of recent proposed legislation as a “road test for authoritarianism” à la Germany circa 1930s.
Velshi was joined by transgender activist and journalist Imara Jones to discuss bills that are proposed in various states which he said are “aimed at limiting the rights of transgender Americans across the country.”
Velshi focused in on a bill in the Florida state senate that pertains to child custody under some conditions, such as when a child’s parents are in disagreement about “gender-affirming care.”
Velshi brought up the bill and asked Jones “what exactly are we talking about here in this Florida bill?”
Jones said that it is “the predicate to separate parents from their children,” and said it is not a surprise to see the proposed bill in Florida. “Because usually where we see one action work when it comes to anti-trans and other Christian nationalist legislation, it becomes the model for things to happen across the country.”
As the conversation continued, Jones called such legislation a “road test” and invoked the image of Nazism.
“I think that what we’re seeing across the board right now is a road test for authoritarianism in the United States. How can you sort of separate, demonize, stigmatize an entire group of people in order to build the type of society that religious zealots want,” said Jones.
“They’re trying this. And eerily, what I get confused by is why people don’t see that that’s what’s happening and don’t understand that in some ways that we are — This is a prototype, just like the early 1930s were in Germany,” Jones continued. “I’m not saying that this is an equivalent period in terms of what is ultimately going to happen…”
Velshi jumped in to confirm the characterization and expand on it.
“But they did road test everything in 1930S Germany, right? They went after trans and gay people first and they and they and they tried that out,” said Velshi. “And society was like, well, I don’t really understand them and it doesn’t really matter to me.”
“That’s exactly right. And the same thing is happening here,” Jones replied, confirming that they were each directly drawing equivalence between the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, and the bills before the Florida senate and other state legislatures.
