>Fascism is authoritarian state + popular support of that state.
>Authoritarian state without such support is just a dictatorship.
I think the Grand Guignol of Nazi Germany blurs these distinctions and attempted definitions. Whenever one says "fascism," most people think of Nuremberg rallies, book burnings, and death camps. Plus, long speeches by costumed lunatics. The US state is so far beyond what Hitler and company assembled that you really can't compare the two. When some conservative relative asks me, "Do you think we're as bad as Hitler?", I usually respond, "Hitler was a fucking amateur."
Dennis