[tom_]

It is possibly some groundwork being laid for the argument that the term 'fascism' has been overused so much by 'the left' that it no longer means anything. Should other lines of argument fail, this one can be mobilized as a distraction, giving time to regroup.

[antod]

Well it never had a strict definition once it stopped just applying to the Italian fascist party. In the 30s or 40s it's usage by non-fascists morphed into a subjective umbrella term based on a loose collection of similarities with other groups.

eg for the Nazis, "Fascist" still meant the Italian party despite their own party having quite a large overlap in philosophy. Every political movement seems to care more about internal differences far more than outsiders do (see People's Front of Judea).

It was always hard to pin down and never really ever had a strict definition - just an incomplete collection of possible tendencies (see the Wikipedia article above).

But yeah, usage has always been loose/overused.