Sara Robinson at Orcinus has written a post asserting that the conservative movement in America has taken on a nearly fascistic form. She cites a prominent scholar's analysis of how historical fascist movements evolve and compares it to today's conservative political developments.

Having read Orcinus for a while now, it has become very apparent to me that the far right has acted very unhinged ever since the possibility arose that Obama would become President. They've thrown many a childish insult at him: Muslim terrorist, black supremacist, socialist, etc. Some have even accused him of not being born in America even though he released a birth certificate proving he was born in Hawaii. For me, however, the most damning example of conservatives showing their ugly side was when the government released a report discussing right-wing extremists. The conservatives immediately accused the government of slandering conservatives, even though the report's focus clearly was on far-right extremists, not mainstream conservatives. That conservatives should feel so uncomfortable about a report targeting extremists says to me that they somehow identify with the extremists.

Will the conservative movement eventually evolve into a fascist movement? I cannot say for sure, as I haven't watched conservatives' behavior as closely as the Orcinus bloggers have. Even if they do become fascistic, however, I see room for optimism. My prediction is that the conservative attacks will grow so childish and volatile that they will lose the respect of most right-minded Americans, including a large percentage of their support base. At least, I hope that becomes the case.