"Liberal Fascism"

I'm reading a hefty book by Jonah Goldberg entitled Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning. His aim is to show how contemporary American liberalism, having been born of the Progressive Era of the 19th century, is heir to the fascist tradition. Goldberg goes to great lengths to stress that he is not equating all liberals with Nazis and the racism that fueled their terror. But he does set out to highlight common intellectual and ideological threads shared by the two. He tells the reader in the introduction that academics have a hard time nailing down a precise definition of "fascism" but he offers his definition and I think it's pretty good.

Fascism is a religion of the state. It assumes the organic unity of the body politic and longs for a national leader attuned to the will of the people. It is totalitarian in that it views everything as political and holds that any action by the state is justified to achieve the common good. It takes responsibility for all aspects of life, including our health and well-being, and seeks to impose uniformity of thought and action, whether by force or through regulation and social pressure. Everything, including the economy and religion best be aligned with its objectives. Any rival identity is part of the "problem" and therefore defined as the enemy. I will argue that contemporary American liberalism embodies all of these aspects of fascism.
- Jonah Goldberg, Liberal Fascism