Steve Scalise fanboys out over far-right fascist

U.S. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, who is up for re-election Nov. 8, is over the moon for newly minted Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, despite — or perhaps because of — comparisons that have been made between her and fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

“I’m a little excited about [Meloni’s] message,” Scalise told Washington, D.C. reporter Matt Laslo, according to RawStory. “She’s run on a campaign of standing up to this far-left wokeism and the anti-energy policies that are destroying a lot of European countries.”

He continued, “To have somebody pushing back on that far-left agenda in Europe shows: It’s happening in Europe, and it’s going to happen in America on Nov. 8.”

Meloni, who has neo-fascist roots as a member of the Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) political party, ran on an extreme, nationalist campaign, railing against immigration and promoting “family values” messaging. She is the country’s first far-right leader since Mussolini.

Like many of his fellow Republicans, Scalise has become increasingly far-right in his policies, which have echoes of fascism. He has pushed back against “wokeism” — a vaguely defined term used by conservatives to describe environmental and pro-human rights movements or ideas — as part of a larger fight by his fellow party leaders to maintain white supremacy.

For Republicans like Scalise, “family values” is a code for forced birth, despite previously upheld American constitutional rights to privacy that once applied to abortion access.

In some ways, Scalise’s policies are actually more extreme than Meloni’s, as the House Whip and native of Jefferson Parish supports the nationwide ban on abortion.

Meloni, on the other hand, has said she would uphold an Italian law that protects the right to abortion, though she supports further limitations on access.

Scalise has also pledged his ongoing support for policies that disproportionately harm women, people of color, the LGBTQ community and the environment. He also vehemently opposes any form of gun control — despite being the victim of a mass shooting himself.

Scalise, who is expected to handily win re-election, has also come under renewed scrutiny for his support of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, was not shocked by Scalise’s comments praising the neo-fascist leader.

“Not surprising,” he told Laslo. “They’re for authoritarian, non-democratic government.”

This year Gambit’s editorial board decided to focus our endorsements on local issues and offices. We did so largely because it better represen…