this thread on daily kos already has 217 comments (when i was there a minute ago). and i think it is not a far-fetched assertion that there is an american fascism, represented by the bush administration, or at least its most rabid supporters. let me try to substantiate this with a definition of "fascism." it's a difficult word because, unlike communism or even democracy, fascism does not come complete with canonical texts. in fact, it may be less a coherent political philosophy than an amalgam of historically-condititioned emergent beliefs. but here are what seems to me the essential elements:
(1) hyper-nationalism
(2) racialism (though not necessarily of a genocidal variety: someone like franco is a case in point).
(3) militarism of a "romantic" variety: centered around uniforms, insignia etc.
(4) totalitarianism: a movement to consolidate as much power as possible in the hands of the state bureaucracy.
(5) industrialism: rapid economic growth, but in particular this is required to equip the emerging war machine.
(6) messianism: the vaguely religious (in the case of the classical european fascisms, explicitly christian) sense of grand national voctorious destiny).
(7) cult of personality
(8) a neo-classical or at least anti-modernist aesthetic extending to every aspect of the state's self-presentation: stage sets, news events, architecture, military parades etc etc. kitsch, in the hands of the average hack: a soaring beautiful brutality in the hands of a master like leni riefenstahl.
i would never have accused the american conservative movement of being fascistic until the present administration. my leftist friends or whomever would call reagan a fascist and i would just laugh in their faces: fascists just don't think government is the problem. reagan was more or less the opposite of a fascist. but here, now, the right has a fascist problem.
(1) hyper-nationalism: no leaders of this country in its history have been as nationalistic: rarely has the mood of the nation been so nationalistic.
(2) racialism: it's hard to miss the anti-arab and extremely anti-islamic tone of this moment. most of the humiliations to which our prisoners have been subjected are explicitly attempts to shame or destroy their religion.
(3) we are in an orgy of romantic militarism, driven by political leaders.
(4) we do not live in a totalitarian state. but the use of the terrorist threat to dramtically increase the size and power of the state is hard to miss.
(5) the economic strategies, while complex, fit the model fairly comfortably, and the tendency to enrich defense contractors like halliburton (thin "krupp") is identical.
(6) messianism is suddenly everywhere. really, people think that bush has been sent by god to destroy homosexuals (also a favorite target of hitler) and redeem the world.
(7) still, we don't yet see huge portraits of our looming leader everywhere etc. this is still lacking, i think.
(8) the aesthetic is in development, but conspicuous enough: the inaugural, for example, was generating and making use of an kitsch iconography of "freedom" etc. hitler's word was "peace," believe it or not.
