Yes, it is undeniably fascism we have today and here are the reasons why

The most effective litmus test is the question; does our current socio-economic system have the characteristics of fascism, and does it have the same goals as fascism? We have a great deal of history in the rearview mirror to examine to see if this is the case.

The primary objective of fascism in its early stages is to form a parasitic symbiotic relationship between private interests and the government. The symbiosis between legislators and lobbyists who represent corporate interests is a mutually beneficial feedback loop, so there are considerable economic incentives to strengthen and expand the power of this relationship.

Because legislators in the United States are paid modest salaries, there is an immediate moral hazard that arises in the form of legislators greatly expanding their wealth by representing the interests of those that can pay the highest dollar through favors, and of course campaign contributions to help those pliable legislators get re-elected.

It is in this way that capitalism forms a partnership with the government to ensure that the legislature writes laws that benefit capitalism and private interests at the expense of the public interests. These benefits come in many forms such as removal of laws that protect the public, protect the public domain and public property. They also take the form of removing the laws that address the inherent moral hazard that capitalism has. That would be laws that punish bad behavior and laws that reallocate the negative costs of capitalism from the public back to capitalism. Probably the most accessible case study of this last dynamic are Pigovian taxes that are levied on tobacco. Tobacco use has an immense social cost that must be reallocated back to capitalists.

Over time, this relationship expands throughout all government institutions and agencies to the point where corporate and private interests wield the power of the government. The government, at all levels, becomes the proxy for private interests. At this point, the public is reduced to a tax generating resource whose sole function is to continually replenish the tax coffers which have been drained. This sets up several conflicts, and the end result is the reoccurring crisis of overproduction that capitalism experiences. We characterize the Great Depression as a crisis of overproduction.

The battle of the public vs private domain was and is fought in the courts, not at the voting booth. It is in this way that private interests can circumvent the democratic process, avoid bad publicity and carry out their plans largely in secret. Since the press is largely a tool for private interests, the public is unaware of the decades of erosion of the public power that has been usurped by corporations.

I have an extensive list of law cases that have dismantled democracy in the USA, but I am writing a series that will explore this more fully, so let's take a look at the characteristics of fascism.

When we examine this we look at Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Franco's Spain, Salazar's Portugal, Papadopoulos’s Greece, Pinochet’s Chile, and Suharto’s Indonesia. What we find are several key characteristics and strategies these regimes have in common and employ to take possession of the government.

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism, Nation above all else. This results in an isolationist geopolitical strategy.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights – Because of fear of enemies and the need for security; people in fascist regimes are typically persuaded that human rights can be ignored because of “need.” The key case here is when during the Civil Rights Movement, police were given immunity because the public was convinced that this was the only way to achieve safety.

3. Identification of Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause – The population is rallied into a patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, religious, ethnic or political factions are demonized. This vilification of immigrants or other forces, serve as a distraction and provides a method for the regime to avoid taking responsibility for bad policy that has created social fracturing.

4. Supremacy of the Military – Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of public funding and the domestic agenda is neglected. Congress does not even review the military budget in detail anymore, it is given a rubber stamp of approval even though, the Pentagon has never passed a complete accounting of its expenditures.

5. Rampant Sexism – Governments of Fascist Regimes are almost exclusively male-dominated. Gender roles become more rigid. The purpose here is to disenfranchise women from the political and economic process.

6. Controlled Mass Media – Sometimes the media is controlled directly by the government, sometimes it is controlled by regulation, sometimes it is controlled by proxy through corporations. In the USA, a mere 6 firms control 95% of what 330 million Americans see, hear, read and watch.

7. Obsession with National Security – Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government to control the masses. Trump's stochastic terrorism is well known to everyone.  

8. Religion and Government are intertwined – Governments in Fascist Regimes tend to use the most common religion as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Separation of church and state is eroded.

9. Corporate Power is protected above all other considerations– The Industrial and Business Aristocracy of a fascist nation are often the ones who put government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial relationship. Government becomes the proxy for corporate power. The most recent evidence of this dynamic is the overturning of the Chevron decision by SCOTUS, which removed the teeth of the EPA to act as an authoritative agency with the ability to levy fines and remediation procedures. There are literally hundreds of these cases at the state and federal levels.

10. The Power of Labor is suppressed – Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely or are severely suppressed. So corporations are allowed to engage in anti-union activities and most recently, this regime has dissolved the National Labor Relations Board.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and The Arts – Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education and academia. This has taken on the form of STEM being pushed as the only education option. Case in point, the Florida legislature has removed all sociology curriculum in every university in Florida.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment – Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power over the population to enforce laws. The USA incarcerates over 2 million and 10 million per year churn through the pay to play justice system, with 5 million being newbies. It is in this way that the rich are separated from the poor. There are over 400,000 held in jails across the country that have not been charged or convicted of a crime. The incarceration rate of the lowest state in America has a higher incarceration rate than any country in the world. - prisonpolicy.org

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption – Government is filled with groups of friends, associates, relatives who appoint each other to government positions. Positions are given as a reward for fealty to the dictator.

14. Fraudulent Elections – Elections in Fascist regimes are a complete sham or compromised and feature smear campaigns, sensationalism and sometimes assassination of candidates. There is undeniable evidence that the 2024 election was corrupted.

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