Capitalist crisis polarises to both left and right By Andrew Taylor, Sept. 10, 2016

The Trump’ campaign cannot be correctly described as a fascist movement. An accurate analysis of the concrete situation is crucial or "the boy who cried wolf" appellation can justly be attached to those who casually overuse the characterisation. 

To say that the big crowds at Trump rallies are the spark of fascism in America shows a lazy mouth and/or an ignorance of the social basis of fascism. It overstates the case. Capitalist crisis polarises the people both leftward and rightward. But Bernie Sanders was not Lenin. And Trump is not Hitler. The latter's America-firstism and racism is repellent. Nativism must be fought, but clarity of analysis must likewise be upheld.

Dimitrov detailed fascism as "the open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinistic" elements of capital...The accession to power of fascism," acc to Dimitrov "is not an ordinary succession of one government by another, but a substitution of one state form of class domination...by another form - open terrorist dictatorship."

Gramsci wrote that only when the masses have suddenly passed from a state of political docility into a fight against the Big Capitalists, then the Big Capitalists resort to a Bonaparte. This is not happening in America in 2016. The major arms of the US state from Wall Street to the Networks are lined up behind Hillary Clinton.... Paul Wolfowitz the neocon brain behind the Iraq war is for Hillary.  As are both of the bickering Big Media buddies, The Wall Street Journal and the liberal New York Times.

Fascism becomes embodied in a political movement/party and comes to power as a party of punitive assault because of the immense strength of a powerful left working class movement. Is there a powerful Left movement in the USA ? Are the capitalists in a panic and so discarding their distaste for dictatorship? No they are not. The big capitalists and Wall Street and leading Neocons are backing Hillary because of her globalism and aggressive militarism.

If one looks at examples of fascism, whether as in Italy in 1922, ‘1930’s Germany , or mid 1930's Spain - in each case there were immense militant Left movements of the people that were ascendant, threatening radical , fundamental change. Only when Liberal democracy and its parliaments could no longer ensure the continued dominance of capital was the fascist alternative permitted.