"I disagree with him, but it's obvious an argument would be fruitless with him."

Why is it obvious argument would be fruitless?

I myself clarified that I don't think the "is/is not" fascist categorization is valid, and that if we get into it we must discuss the strength and size of the fascist tendency. I consider it to be very large today indeed under the Bush regime.

Fascism self evidently doesn't include everyone... it's victims are on the outside.

Fascism also doesn't have to look identical to Nazi Germany or fascist Italy. We're trying to extract some general principles here. There were liberal and religious opponents of German fascism, cowed into submission.

Contemporary fascism isn't white supremicist nutters... it's men in business suits and executive jets making decisions that consign cities to flood, countries to starve and children to go without health care... its politicians who subvert democracy in the courts and the voting booth. It's plans to privatize the military (aka Blackwater and friends). It's plans to outsource foreign policy (Iran Contra.)

A true fascist regime only has to do some of those things if it is weak. A strong fascist regime, an interlocking power structure of corproations and governments can throw sops to Africa, tolerate "sensitivity training" because it knows it doesn't change anything, and shut John Edwards out of the media so that nothing he says gets heard, until he whithers on the vine.

A society with fascist tendencies keeps a lot of corporate drones ("the great middle") employed and fearful of losing their health insurance so that they will shut up and not think very deeply about the real structures of power in their world.

If only we had a sea saw, a genuine competition between the fascistic leaning and the communitarian leaning. Unfortunately we have a centrist to right wing Democratic party, mostly quite comfortable with serving corporate interests, and attempting to appear idealistic and pro-democracy around election time to appeal to the many people who want to believe that democracy is still possible, and on the other hand we have a radical right wing fascist party (the GOP) that uses ethnonationalism, media control, war and violence in a classic fascist pattern, while also including many modern innovations that Hitler and Mussolini never dreamed of. The GOP and its friends are impressive and dangerous.

Now why would you think that argument with me is fruitless? I'd love to hear your views.