John McCain is someone with whom ideological differences with the left exists, but are they labeling him a Nazi or a member of the alt-right? I think it's intellectually lazy and dishonest to insist that the left universally assigns the label "Nazi" to anyone they fundamentally disagree with on ideological grounds.
Not universally, just enough in general conversation that it's almost become an event for sizeable numbers on the right to try and coerce people on the left into calling them a Nazi. Heck, it even happens on this forum sometimes and did on GAF as well. It's not uncommon in public discourse, but no, I'm not saying it's Universal either.
It happens far more in American political discourse than British, and I bet you right now for 2020 many of the bots, trolls and more will be going full-time to try and get Democrats and supporters of the Democrats spending more time shouting about how
everyone they oppose is a Nazi or alt-right, than anything else. Especially because sometimes it turns around to the accusations that even people on our own side are alt-right and Nazis (or sympathizers). The Trumpers will do exactly what they did last time on social media with trolling in order to try and wind the left up. A large pay off for them is the left then fighting amongst itself and getting paranoid people on the left are actually Nazi sympathizers and need to be purged. It wouldn't surprise me if some of my own posts in topics like this get reported as "sympathizing with the alt-right/Nazis".
The youth are finding a niche in being provocative because many of them, especially young men, enjoy the rise they get out of seeing such "extreme" headlines and comments written about them. This then grows what they refer to as their meme culture, a community where they see shitposting as having a purpose. It is all objectively very sad, but I can assure you the left doesn't help itself at times essentially pouring gasoline on the fire by being so hyperbolic. My takeaway is what its always been, sometimes its okay to call someone an asshole, or not a very respectable/nice person, without trying to fit them into the box of being a Nazi or alt-right. Sometimes its fine for social consequences to handle assholes, not handcuffs and the police.
Now, don't get me wrong, people from the alt-right and legit Neo-Nazis do love all of this, as it often allows them to blend into the noise and genuinely use all of this as a way to influence and attract people into their ranks. A very serious concern, but that is simply another part of this mess for reasonable people to try and challenge and work through. They also love the fact according to the mainstream, and many on the left, their movements are attributed to having tens of millions if not more, as the left does go overboard at times lumping in people to being alt-right.
More youth than ever uses the internet, and this is why all of this "culture war" isn't quite just idiots online arguing. I'm especially concerned about it as the youth typically have been a main player in left-wing politics, and while they still lead the polls quite substantially, the reach and popularity of a lot of provocateurs online is forever growing. Watch the videos I posted above. Quite a lot of young people. One girl who expresses she is 17, and she has a Kekistani flag and a Pepe tshirt. I wouldn't be surprised to find out she's going to vote Labour, but I'm also concerned the "new wave Conservatives" online will convince more youth to go Conservative. Even small percentages of the youth vote going right, can be the difference in swing locations.
edit: If you want an example of an incorrect overreaction from this community (as we are a left leaning community by large), Google the GAF topics on the Bungie Destiny armour that was said to be Kekistani armour. Right from the start, a vocal group had it set that Bungie had white supremacists/Nazis working in the graphics department and someone needed fired. No other possibility. Then even when an investigation was carried out of the removed armour and it was double Ks, or chevrons (the graphics lingo), it moved onto "Bungie is just covering up white supremacists". I'm sorry, but that was not only incorrect and embarrassing, but it played right into the hands of the trolls online to point and ridicule us. Even the girl videoed above (a rare example of a woman to be caught up in this) is very unlikely to be a Nazi, she's just young (easily influenced) and arguably fucking stupid/careless.
