Mussolini, indeed. He had been a leading socialist editor. Then came the Great war In 1915, when Italy enjtered the war, he broke with the international and became a national socialist. He got along by making deals with all the important institutions, including the Church. Corporatism is the proper name for his way of governing. The Fascist Party was simply his instrument for rewarding friends and intimidating enemies. The Big Difference between Mussolini and Obama is that Mussolini was a militarist. In this respect he is more like Wilson and FDR, who revived Wilson’s war socialism to combat the Great Depression.
History repeats, but seldom identically. There are always differences. Obama is not Mussolini incarnate any more than a cover band is a tribute band.
But the shoe, as I describe it, seems to fit pretty well.