Fascism is an ideology; a state of mind. “How far” is exactly as far as the thought behind the actions, however they manifest. An act need not ever be successfully implemented for it to nevertheless be fascistic.
That's fascism. What about "fascist state"?
What about one? Are you asking about organizational structure? Look at what the Bush cabal did after 9/11. They
orchestrated took the opportunity to consolidate all governmental power in the Oval and the Pentagon, effectively bypassing (and thereby destroying) the traditional "separation of powers" between the Legislative, Executive and Judicial AND bypassed the Constitution with the
AUMF. It was so masterfully done, in fact, that it remains in place today in spite of Obama's many attempts to unfuck it.
The fourth estate (press) have been the last piece in that puzzle and have been under attack since they "lost" us Vietnam in the minds of many and while Faux News and Breitbart and Alex Jones etal were building their audiences, the fourth estate has finally been sufficiently sidelined or otherwise rendered ineffective with the Trump occupation, which is likewise a "fascist state" condition.
The militarization of the police has already been completed under Reagan with the still ongoing phony "war on drugs" and now ICE stormtroopers. The destruction (or erosion of confidence) in the "Intelligence" community has been effectively implemented in a depressingly large segment of America and the death of white supremacy has fueled much if not all of what we're seeing.
So we have all of the trappings of a fascist state--or at the very least an authoritarian one--already entrenched; dormant if you will, waiting for full activation, which we are certainly seeing signs/attempts of with Trump. The fucker has repeatedly made references to his own supremacy and authoritarian desires that just keep getting deflected as "jokes" or "locker room talk" or any other of a number of "this can't be what he really means" assertions by people who can't possibly know what he really means.
It is unquestionable that Trump is a puppet of Russia, whether directly or indirectly. Literally every single thing he has done benefits Russia (and, less so, but still prominently, Russia's new trade partner, China) while at the same time destroying America, both domestically and internationally.
He is torching the place in the guise of building a bright bonfire to light the way for the righteous and they are either profiting off it or too fucking stupid to see that's what's going on. But he is destroying it and profiting off its destruction while at the same time fomenting a condition of restructuring/rebuilding that will either be positive if the Dems manage to take back control or radically fascistic if Trump manages to win a second term. Destroy it today and you have no choice but to take radical action to rebuild it tomorrow. These trade wars will cripple us if they are allowed to continue. America will look like Detroit in the nineties and if that happens, no one will give a shit about jackboots and stormtroopers because they're be needed to stop the food and water wars we'll be entrenched in.
So, I really don't see what the point is in trying to nail down a concrete, unwaveable definition of what is or is not a "fascist state" and then try to compare the two to see whether or not we qualify. If there is a leader acting in a fascistic manner then you are living in a fascist state. It has nothing to do with what Mussolini or Hitler did or did not establish. Again, it's an ideology; a philosophy; a state of mind that drives a leader's actions, regardless of the bureaucratic structure that may be in their way and/or normally act as a failsafe.
A perfect example of what I mean is the current immigration atrocities. The intent of Sessions/Trump/Etal is to purify the race (i.e., reverse the death of white supremacy through miscegenation that has steadily eroded the white power structure and is basically on course to expire in this decade as "minority" birth rates and immigration policies surpass white birth rates).
That is the real reason behind the "zero tolerance" and detention camps, but the fascists are in a structure where they could not just openly send in the jackboots; they first had to work the system to their favor.
It was easily done and gives all the appearance of following the "rule of law," but of course is just as terrifying as what the Nazis did to the Jews and Gypsies and mentally and physically infirm, etc.
So do you look at the structure of America and the fact that we have elections that will (hopefully) correct all of that and say, "See, we're not a fascist state"? I don't see what that gets you. It doesn't fix anything. It doesn't change the ptsd in thousands of children that are right now indefinitely imprisoned and separated from their families (and by some accounts being abused in other much more horrific manners).
To each and every one of those children (and their families and friends), they are all the victims of fascism in the guise of the "rule of law," but it is without question fascistic. We know this because literally every single argument that has ever been made in favor of these actions is false or deliberately misleading. Undocumented immigrants are overwhelmingly positive and provide nothing but a net benefit to our economy and society. We are a nation
stolen founded on undocumented immigrants.
The very delineation of "documented" or "undocumented" is utterly meaningless. It's a bureaucratic bullshit process that means nothing, tells us nothing and changes nothing. It has never mattered one iota whether or not you have an official piece of paper with a stamp on it. We just made that shit up as a means to limit and control; a pretense to harass and politicize.
So, yeah, again, I see no difference between fascism and a "fascist state." Call it "fascist state of mind" and you're done. And yes, most definitely, the Trump occupation is a fascist state of mind regardless of the fact that it will shortly end. Hopefully MUCH more shortly than via election.
.
