Most of that is excellent, but #6 can't be an answer to "why is political discourse getting fascist-ish now?" unless fascism has become more fun recently. Is there any reason to think it has? (It's not impossible. If part of the fun is the feeling of being part of something big, that may be easier to achieve in our more highly connected age. But then, that goes for other non-fascist ways to be part of something big, too.)