[hnriot]

One would hope that the US population wouldn't vote in a party of fascists. And if they did, then they get what they deserve. American voters aren't known for being particularly bright (they voted in a drunk who couldn't put together a complete sentence, twice!) but voting in fascists is a little far fetched.

[fooqux]

Obviously their running platform wouldn't be "I'm more of a fascist than the other guy". No, it's probably going to happen like it usually does- somebody gets voted in for being less of a nutjob than their opponent, something bad happens, and the elected official uses that as a excuse for all the horrible policies that follow. It's already happened at least once here with McCarthy; he was just a freakin senator, one of many across the nation.

It almost happened once again with 9/11. Bush basically gutted Habeas Corpus, since he decided that anybody arrested under suspicions of terrorism wasn't allowed the protections afforded under it. The government could arrest you, send you to secret prison, and that would be the end of it since you were never allowed a trial.

True, none of the above examples are true fascism. But, they are scary steps in the right direction. Fear is an excellent political motivator, and with our fear-mongering media we have, that's a more powerful tool than ever. Invent an enemy scary enough, and it seems people will actually hand you their rights while thanking you for it.