[Sam the Sham]

He was a rabin, violent socialist (i.e., left winger) before and while he was in power.

The people at the time sure didn't think so. The Italian right had no trouble recognizing the fascists as allies. After all, it was leftists they were killing. Not rightists.

[Clemenza]

And Italian Americans all over the U.S. actually supported him, at least until WWII broke out. Pictures of Mussolini adorned shops from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to North Beach in San Francisco.