Can I get an ETA on those jackboots?

[Elok]

How long will it be, in your opinion, until a substantial portion of the American hard-right turns genuinely fascist? For the purposes of this poll (wait for it, please) we'll consider the dividing line to be the point where they secretly or actively begin forming militias.

All the ingredients are there: fervid nationalism with accompanying xenophobia, anti-intellectualism, lots of guns, addiction to charismatic leadership without regard for qualifications, crummy economy, ineffectual national leadership. I give them about a year before they realize nobody's gonna bring the scones to their tea parties, maybe a year and a half after that before the rhetoric gets them ornery enough, then a final half-year for the transition. So three years.

[Drake Tungsten]

How long will it be, in your opinion, until a substantial portion of the American hard-right turns genuinely fascist?

Never. Plenty of Americans will also never give up on their bed-wetting fears of impending American fascism.

[Elok]

Oh, I'm not afraid of it. I never suggested they'd accomplish anything.

[DaShi]

Never, they'll be eaten alive by those wishing to profit from the movement. Although the bulk of a revolutionary movement consists of common-folk followers, they still need intellectual leaders. Since the teabaggers are so fervently anti-intellectual, they'll be exploited by those wishing to take advantage of them and easily squashed by those smarter than them.

[Hauldren Collider]

How is being against large government anti-intellectual?

[Guynemer]

Strawman.

[Dinner]

A substantial portion already are. They like the idea of warrentless wire taping, they're against letting people have a fair trial before being imprisoned for life, they want to penalize people (denying them entry to the country or denying them equal treatment if already in the country) because of their ethnicity and/or religion, and they just loved, loved, loved the idea of the President being able to break the law when ever he wanted when Bush was President.

[Hauldren Collider]

"They"? Who's this "they?" Who's to say these "tea party" activists are the same "they"?

I'm hearing a lot of general bull****. Not only are all of those things totally overblown all the time Oerdin, but fiscal conservative != fascist and nativist. Nor are they particularly affliliated.

EDIT: I suppose you didn't necessarily specify tea party, but regardless I think being both religious and conservative doesn't make you anti-science, fascist or nativist. You might have a case for creationists being anti-science but applying a "kook" brand to such a large group of people is just as bad as all the ills of which you are declaring them guilty.

[Elok]

A substantial portion already are. They like the idea of warrentless wire taping, they're against letting people have a fair trial before being imprisoned for life, they want to penalize people (denying them entry to the country or denying them equal treatment if already in the country) because of their ethnicity and/or religion, and they just loved, loved, loved the idea of the President being able to break the law when ever he wanted when Bush was President.

No, I mean literally fascist in the original sense: an unusually thuggish hard-right party backing a despotic leader using a combination of political and paramilitary supporters. Relies on extra-legal violence, intimidation, extortion and other shady dealings in addition to the above-board.

[Theben]

IF not in the next 3 years, it'll be awhile.

[Snotty]

Never, the concepts of freedom and liberty are too deeply ingrained on every side of the equation.

Top marks for including a 1984 reference in your banana option though

[Ecofarm]

No, I mean literally fascist in the original sense: an unusually thuggish hard-right party backing a despotic leader using a combination of political and paramilitary supporters. Relies on extra-legal violence, intimidation, extortion and other shady dealings in addition to the above-board.

Oh, you mean like Chavez. God I hate those right-wing nuts.

[Ben Kenobi]

Where's the option, "Obama will beat them to it?"

[Theben]

Somewhere permanently etched in your front lobes. By your posts, I'd wager with a chainsaw.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Oh, you mean like Chavez. God I hate those right-wing nuts.

Chavez was the head of a hard right party?