Right Wing Whack Jobs and the Obama = Hitler Comparison
The Right Wing Whack jobs are at it again. A simple google search brings up hundreds of web pages making comparisons between Obama and Hitler. Now we’ve got a Republican Congressman in Georgia making the same comparison. It isn’t merely ugly, nor merely intellectually dishonest, this is about twisted vvalues of Republicans.
I’n thinking we may be in for a very long haul. The comparison’s of Barack Obama to Hitler seem to be coming forth even heavier now than in the Spring. FoxNews’ Tom Sullivan made the comparison as early as last February, and There’s Glenn Beck, too. But you can also see it on YouTube, not just once, but lots of times. Heck, during the campaign the GOP tried to convince voters that a vote for Obama was a vote for the Holocaust. And now Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia is using the comparison explicity. From FoxNews:
A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist or fascist dictatorship.
“It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he’s the one who proposed this national security force,” Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “I’m just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism.”
Broun cited a July speech by Obama that has circulated on the Internet in which the then-Democratic presidential candidate called for a civilian force to take some of the national security burden off the military.
“That’s exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it’s exactly what the Soviet Union did,” Broun said. “When he’s proposing to have a national security force that’s answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he’s showing me signs of being Marxist.”
OK, nevermind that Broun has Obama’s policies wrong, purposely distorting them so he can ratchet up fear. That’s the standard MO for a Right Wing whack job. Let’s not even pay attention to the fact that Broun doesn’t seem to know there is any difference between National socialists and Marxists. We already know that the drool segment of the right wing whack job movement is a bit short on the schooling side. I’m just wondering how this isn’t condemned on every single minute of air time.
It is clear to any thinking person that any comparison between Barack Obama and Adolf Hitler pretty much ends with the notion that they are members of the same species. I suppose we will also agree that Hitler himself is a symbol of the most vile hatred to visit our planet. Barack Obama, to anyone with his or her eyes open, is black, someone who Hitler would consider a member of an inferior race, and he provides hope to all who are disenfranchised. That last bit, appealing to the masses, is the lame link these folks cling to. No, it didn’t just begin when Obama spoke in Berlin to a million people. The Right Wing whack jobs are using the big crowds Obama plays to and the mass appeal he garners to imply his is a similar movement. Of course, it is a weak analogy. By the same token any popular leader is like Hitler. Reagan, for instance. Such an analogy is simply intellectually dishonest, and the prevalence of such fervent dishonesty indicates some sort of psychological disorder to me.
Yeah, someone’s going to go there, so I might as well be the one to note that for some of these right wing whack jobs this is an example of transference. The major comparison one could legitimately make to Hitler would be a restriction of freedoms. Right now that’s what the Right Wing Whack Jobs themselves are all about. They seek to limit the freedoms of gay and lesbian citizens. They seek to suppress the votes of African Americans. They seek to do away with access to abortion. They support Gitmo and they supported a President who recklessly invaded another country on trumped up pretenses. Now they transfer these seemingly heartfelt ideals onto someone they oppose. Hey, that’s seriously mental.
I suppose it is encouraging that FoxNews reported on the irresponsible and ugly statements of Congressman Broun of Georgia. But they did so giving some credit to Broun’s twisted argument. As usual, FoxNews should be condemned for that. Gee, that’s not news. Broun’s final remarks are, I suppose, both his most incendiary and his attempt to innocently get himself off the hook. Also from FoxNews:
We can’t be lulled into complacency,” Broun said. “You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I’m not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I’m saying is there is the potential.”
All I can say is, if you are not comparing Obama to Hitler, Mr. Broun, then don’t compare Obama to Hitler. Hey, that’s simple, but not surprising it passed right by your simpleton brain. And if you truly believe there is a comparison, as it seems from your words, then get boldly in front of your words. Declare yourself now, man, as our savior from this potential evil. Stand your ground. I’ll be the first to report you to the Secret Service once you do so.
This is about the twisted values of those on the Right Wing fringe, and about those Republicans who court the votes of those whack jobs. My advice to those Republicans in general is that if you want a viable party in the near term, then ditch this ugliness as soon as possible, just as fast as you ditch the Radical Right Wing Christian Clerics. America is maturing to a more tolerant and mature place where such ugliness will not be accepted. I fully expect them not to listen to me.
FISA? Obama doesn’t like gay marriage? When are we leaving Iraq? Doesn’t he want to send more troops to Afghanistan? Isn’t the Supreme Court decision about abortion not follow the Constitution? Didn’t the Democrats invade Iraq too? Don’t they approve the budget every year that includes Iraq spending? Doesn’t Nancy Pelosi have an even lower approval rating than Bush? Haven’t Democrats called Bush Hitler for a long time? Ah, just another hypocrite that doesn’t understand he is just like all the hillbillies that voted for Bush.
You have Obama so far up your butt that he could kill children on National Television and you would applaud and say that you agreed with his policies. Look at his transition website under “service” and read aloud for everyone to hear all of his serivies and “corps” that he wants to start. He wants to mandate civil service. He wants a youth corp, an elderly corp and everything in between. The parallels between his beliefs and push towards nationalism and Hitlers are very close. They both came in a time of political, economic, social and national bankrupcy. They pushed for massive sweeping changes. They told the citizens that they would have to suffer and serve for the common good. They would have to all pitch in with their time, work and money to rebuild a lost country for the betterment of all………
When you pull Obama out of your butt, take a few hours and read up on the history of Adolf Hitler and his rise to power, and do some actual unbiased researchand then return and re-write this article.
Hey remember there were more choices for president, and you voted for the evil of two lessers instead of voting for someone who really was a “change”. Grow up, get over your partisan politics and start writing about people who really want to change the way our government runs, not just the name of the party in power.
The only thing Obama is going to change is the name on the plack on the desk in the Oval office.
“The Plan: Big Ideas for America”–a book co-authored by Rahm Emanuel says on pages 61-62:
“It’s time for a real Patriot Act that brings out the patriot in all of us. We propose universal civilian service for every young American. Under this plan, All Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five will be asked to serve their country by going through three months of basic training, civil defense preparation and community service. …
“Here’s how it would work. Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service. They’ll be asked to report for three months of basic civil defense training in their state or community, where they will learn what to do in the event of biochemical, nuclear or conventional attack; how to assist others in an evacuation; how to respond when a levee breaks or we’re hit by a natural disaster. These young people will be available to address their communities’ most pressing needs.”
Some folks think the idea doesn’t go far enough. Some say children 6-17 should be recruited in their own battalions. Maybe the name for this “army” could be “The Obama Youth.”
As a matter of fact, Marxism and Nazism were ideologically incompatible; Nazi propaganda made much of the “struggle against Bolshievism” during World War II–even when it announced the death of Adolf Hitler in that bunker underneath Berlin as was the final HQ of the Nazi regime.
Moving from the ridiculous to the dangerous, have you seen FreeRepublic’s “Country First” “call to action” in response to their paranoia about Obama about to “undermine Our Antient and Pecuilar Soverignty and Soverign Identity as a Nation”?
The GOP would secede from the nation is they were all in one state; maybe that should be their new agenda. Just like in the past when slaves were repatriated to a singular nation, Nigeria; the GOP should consolidate into one state and live weirdly if not happily ever after.
Part of the reality is that they are experiencing growing pains; Melt Pot growing pains. Their definition of the Melting Pot is one where everyone that comes into America agrees to be void of any culture, void of any religion other than small “c” christianity, void of any other than english speaking languages and of course and most importantly the melting pot means someone that agrees to be a lock step conservative theocratic neocon clone .
The concept of a minority white America is so threatening that the GOP has increasingly become the desperate and intolerant ends justifies the means party that it is.
Fortunately for America, their policies have and will continue to be chipped away by an informed voting public that no longer fall prey to fear mongering. This internet generation of bloggers and increasingly progressive news blogs has made toe the line network news less important and influential; indeed Fox news is wholeheartedly considered a joke by everyone other than the GOP base.
It is a new day in America, the pendulum has swung to the Left after the destructive Bush/Neocon/christian conservative years. The dig in their heels Palinistas are going to repeat with renewed fervor their distortions, their hate, their lies, their misrepresentations and they will continue to disenfranchise the voting American public.
It is expected that there will be daily rants of Spaghetti Tactics of flinging hate to see what sticks; it didn’t work in the campaign and America is the wiser for it. It is expected that the elected GOP will do whatever it can to obstruct the Democratic policies.
The agenda for the GOP is one of survival, not one of what is good for the nation. I am reminded on day one of the GOP convention, where because of the hurricane, the quote of the day was that they were putting on their American hats and removing their GOP hat for the day. They don’t even lie about their loyalties. Democrats don’t change hats, our vision is not for our party, individually and collectively it is for our America.
To many white racist and quasi racist small “a” americans, the GOP represents the tradition of white rule; the GOP will eventually be reduced to the voting insignificantly few of these prejudice voters that will increasingly become irrelevant in this nations future.
Encourage others to become familiar with their tactics, their methods; only through education and discussion will we rid ourselves of those that would bring a nation down with prejudice and intolerance. America’s destiny is in our hands; our evolution as a nation has slowly changed social morays that were destructive. At every step the GOP has hindered social evolution in America. With the internet, despite their handle on network news we are succeeding.