One of the more interesting recent phenomena in America’s ever-growing “Cold War” with itself is the assertion on both sides of the political aisle that the other side is pursuing a fascist agenda. Who is right?

One of the rabid left’s primary arguments contending President Trump to be a fascist surrounded his use of executive orders. It is true that Trump was on pace, should he have won a second term, to exceed President Obama’s total executive order count by a wide margin.

But President Biden, having already signed 53 executive orders as of August 6, is on track to approximately double Trump’s executive order count (220) by the time his first term has concluded.

Furthermore, Biden has the support of both chambers of Congress.

One could argue that Trump was forced to use executive orders to counter the partisan gridlock that hamstrung the passage of legislation.

However, Biden does not have this problem. It is laughable how the left has gone radio silent about this supposedly fascist tendency now that their standard-bearer is in office.

From the perspective of the right, though Biden’s enormous executive overreach is certainly cause for concern, it is not the primary reason that his socialist cabal poses the greatest threat to American democracy in our nation’s history.

Despite the assertion that fascism and socialism are diametric opposites, they are fundamentally cohesive. They are both completely committed to the repression and elimination of any dissent to their singular school of thought.

History has shown that the full adoption of socialism has, in almost every instance, resulted in an oppressive and murderous authoritarian regime: Vladimir Lenin’s and Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union, Mao Zedong’s China, Fidel Castro’s Cuba, Pol Pot’s Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh’s Vietnam, Kim Il-Sung’s North Korea, among many others. Any student of history knows this.

What about Nazi Germany?

The Nazi Party of Germany’s official name was the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. The Party was founded on the principles of the destruction of the bourgeois, the destruction of capitalism, and the destruction of free markets. Marxism, anyone?

Fascist Italy? Mussolini began his career as a socialist, committed to the same goals as the Nazis.

What is the primary component leading to the inextricable tie between socialism and authoritarian government? Complete intolerance of any opinions or beliefs that diverge from that of the Party. As George Orwell so eloquently wrote, “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Does this idea of “thought fascism” sound familiar?

Look at cancel culture. Consider censorship, and social media’s growing role in helping to further socialist aims by inundating its users with progressive values. Think about how media in general, via stringent censorship, keeps individuals from considering all pertinent information. Our society, our democracy, and our way of life are predicated on the idea of the free exchange of ideas and rational argumentation. It should be up to individuals to decide for themselves what to believe. Taking away that choice is not only condescending and insulting to our intelligence, but engenders a significant degree of mind control.

Often, we can no longer even engage in a rational debate with a radical leftist without the latter spraying spittle into our face, flying into an apoplectic rage, and/or attempting to ruin our lives because we dare to disagree.

Biden’s task is easy. He simply has to throw his weight around to muzzle free speech and influence society’s cancelation of anyone who dares to speak out and disavow ideas such as critical race theory, defund the police, or vaccine mandates. You see it in academia, business, sports, pop culture, media. You see it in your social and family life.

We are no longer allowed to speak our minds. There is currently no legal ramification, though we are not far from this eventuality. But the consequences to one’s career, one’s social status, one’s ability to live as a free individual are just as debilitating, if not more so.

We are significantly closer to an ideologically totalitarian state than most are willing to admit.

Ironic, isn’t it? Considering that we fought in the deadliest war of human history, to rid the world of fascism.

Socialism is, and has always been, fascism. Make no mistake, we are at war for our very way of life, for our ability to exercise our basic individual liberty, guaranteed by our Constitution.

This time, rather than fighting on the beaches, the landing grounds, the fields, the streets, and the hills, we must fight on the airwaves, in classrooms, in the workplace. We must fight at cocktail parties and the family dinner table.

And, despite whatever waves this might create, we must never surrender.

Jack McPherrin is an intern at The Heartland Institute.