It's an epithet that has been used -- and certainly misused -- but what is fascism exactly? Simply put: it's government that favors the corporation and not the individual. Mussolini defined and installed the "corporate state." Hitler had his version and of course there were others.
This political philosophy sought to demonize the labor movement and keep the oligarchical system in place in alliance with the banking cabal. There were many moneyed interests in this great country of ours that were absolutely swooning at Hitler's machinations and they longed for such a system here. A coup was in fact planned, in 1933, by banks, oil and other powerful interests. They thought they could convince the revered and charismatic General Smedley Darlington Butler to lead half a million veterans to help them with their coup. The plan was to install a sort of co-president, who really ran things and FDR would just be a ceremonial president. But when General Butler (the only soldier to receive two medals of honor) blew the whistle after leading the plotters on, it all fell apart. The General's book, War Is A Racket, includes his searing indictment of government and the oil empire; he said he did not want to sacrifice one Marine to help the oil czars and their minions with any more foreign conquests.
Today, no such coup was necessary because now it has been revealed that Justice Department lackeys stretched and tortured the law to issue secret rulings, which essentially state that the president alone can determine what laws he has to follow and that his interpretation of the Constitution is the final word. So now it is official: we are a Fascist country!
Some people saw it coming but they were ridiculed, marginalized, or ignored, or all three -- in that order.
With that in mind:
"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger...It works the same way in any country." Hermann Goering