A poorly sourced article was pulled isn't facism. These sorts of comparisons are almost always silly and so broad as to be useless in that virtually any scenario can be made to fit.

any parallels whatsoever with other situations when a country is taken down a disastrous path by a totally inappropriate leader?

Many of the similarities that you link to Hitler or Mussolini can be found in any properly functioning government. Read a few books about American ambitions in the Phillipines, or our pre-war actions in WWII, or even in the intelligence community during the Revolutionary War. That's just America, of course. There are many books written about the "secret" actions of countries other than our own, both modern and ancient. I can guide you to a few if that sort of knowledge interests you.


None of this is new, unexpected, or alarming.

Which was a long drawn-out process, taking about 100 years to complete. The Roman Senate was paralyzed for decades while the rich bought all the land and the poor had to go on the dole and had nothing to do. The Senate was a creature of the elite, making the common people vulnerable to demagogues who promised land reform. The Republic was a creature of the elite. Gradually, the institutions of government were discredited and only dictators seemed able to get things done. I'd say we've been heading down this path since Nixon, and have maybe 20 or 30 years to turn it around before it is really too late. Trump is failing due to his own stupidity. But the next would-be dictator will be smarter and more careful.

Most of our perception of the press comes from the post FDR press, and then the post Watergate press. But the vast majority of our history was more about a press like Fox.

The boomers will die out in the next 20 years. The demographics of Texas and Florida are going to change to look more like California. The future holds an America more connected culturally to South America than Europe. This isn't necessarily all good, but it is the "last gasp" of a generation that is disappearing.