Fascism and socialism/communism takes hold in countries because a charismatic leader comes to power and promises to solve all your social or economic problems; and never once are the jackboots and political oppression these individuals will face mentioned. While I wouldn't say Obama is a fascist, I think his presidency demonstrates how big of a risk there is for Fascism in the United States; and it also offers a glimmer of hope that the United States has some form of inoculation against fascism ...
To a certain extent conservatives tend to choose their leaders based on what they see as the best of bad choices, and there is rarely any belief that their leaders are smarter or better than can really be demonstrated. In contrast, progressive leaders are often put on a pedestal and elevated to the level of a "rock star" and are rarely questioned on the substance of their plans; and Obama has been elevated to a level far above typical political leaders to where it is more correct to say that people see him as the "messiah". This has created an environment where the media and a large portion of the voting base believes everything he says and follows him without question regardless of what he is doing. While I don't see him doing this, the kind of power this gives a leader could allow him to erode the essential rights away from individuals until the USA was a fascist state.
What I believe may demonstrate the US is inoculated from this fate is how independent voters, libertarians and conservatives are willing to stand up to the media and fight against the growth in power of the state. While it is obvious that a large portion of conservatives are motivated more by partisanship than principle, the fact that independent voters and libertarians are willing to make a stand in the face of unsupported and unfair claims that they’re "racist" is reason to be optimistic.
