So I was listening to AM talk radio this morning (KSFO's The Lee Rogers Show) and one of the so-called conservative radio show co-hosts played an audio clip of an Obama rally and compared the tempo and crowd fervor to a Hitler speech in the early 1930s.
He and his co-host, Lee Rogers, went to great lengths to explain that they weren't comparing the content of the speech, only the atmosphere and tempo. (Of course they weren't comparing the content. Far as I know, they don't speak German, nor does Obama!)
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This is why I believe that they really were comparing Obama to Hitler. The mere suggestion of a similarity was the reason they brought it up.
C'mon! Obama and Hitler? Are they freakin' serious?
I will compare the two also, in this way. The reason Obama gets his crazy crowds is the same reason Hitler got his.
Much of the country is down. Our spirits have been demolished by the economy, the mortgage meltdown, the credit crunch, the Iraq war, the rampant poverty, the growing distance between the haves and have nots.
If you know your history, you'll remember that the Germans' rise to world power was the result of their treatment after World War I. That's right, the aftermath of World War I caused World War II.
When a country is so beaten down as the Germans were, they look to a charismatic leader who promises hope, fairness, and prosperity. National pride. Some call it jingoism. The Germans called it survival. Inflation was rampant, their economy weak, poverty was rising, etc. All those same things going on here.
What a lot of Americans need right now is hope. A belief that somebody gives a shit about them. Somebody who offers the promise of fairness. Hope. Honesty. Competence. And dare I say...
Leadership.
Whether or not Barack Obama delivers on the messages he makes remains to be seen. However, millions of people are banking on him.
Just like millions of Germans banked on Hitler.
I don't think Obama has an evil bone in his body, unlike Hitler, who made it known before he rose to power that he was an evil, bigoted person.
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11 comments:
As a Canadian with little vested interest, I have to admit that I like Obama and find him an engaging orator. That being said, I was watching a clip on the news the other day and my wife asked me incredulously from the kitchen if I was watching wrestling. When I replied that I was not she asked why then could she hear 'the Rock.' If you know who this is you will be able see the uncanny resemblance that I would never have previously considered.
"rampant poverty, the growing distance between the haves and the have nots"
C'mon Bill, we have the highest quality of life than any (yes any) country in the world. Until people are pooping in a group squat hole while the "have's" watch from their 5 star hotel (actually visible from an Indian hotel) it is silly to claim that this is a problem in the US... at all.
I'll agree that Obama is offering a sliver of hope, which is why he is so damned popular... I just wish I agreed with him... at all... on one single thing....
@Jay Ross: It's well-known that there is a growing chasm between rich and poor. 100 poor people in a room with Bill Gates gives an "average wealth" of $500 million, or a very high standard of living.
But it's deceptive. Ask a black teen in the ghetto selling drugs if he's got any hope. His only hope is not getting shot.
And tell me about the relatively recent phenomenon of "gated communities" and McMansions. How does that reconcile with your views? I'm not suggesting that we're not collectively wealthy, but that the difference between the have's (say top 1 percent) and the have nots (say bottom 1 percent) has grown beyond proportion.
@ canucklehead: That is too funny. Obama is like an anorexic Rock. They do sound exactly the same. Maybe we should check out both their backgrounds?
Or, how about putting The Rock on the ticket as VP? He could double as a stand-in, like all those Saddam doubles.
America vs. Weimar Germany? Not even close. I suppose we can at least give Hitler's followers that - they had real reason to blindly follow the first guy who could stir them up with a good speech regardless of his policies. We can't really say that for the Obama-fainters.
I'm talking degrees here, not absolutes.
America is NOT like Germany in the 1930s.
But there are a lot of people here who need leadership and Barack is the only one around who seems to be able to inspire a sense of leadership.
People come to power at times of uncertainty, and people are more uncertain than they have ever been. The economy has dipped, money is losing its value slightly (partially because of all of the unbacked checks the U.S. government). More importantly, people think that all of these factors are more influential than they actually are. Barrack Obama claims he is going to fix these problems. The problem is that the "problems" aren't really problems they are just cyclical aspects of a capitalist society.
Interestingly, one of Hitler's biggest means to power was the demonizing of people who followed another religion. Obama doesn't do that, and neither does McCain, but the far-right blogs seems convinced that all muslims are terrorists.
Today's the big day. Will America elect Hitler Reincarnate? (if it does, it'll likely be McCain, not Obama!)
Obama won. Obama haters hid in their caves yesterday or pouted like little two-year-olds. I guess they'll finally get to say "I told you so!" in a few short months when America starts handing out money to corporations, takes over the financial industry, and spends itself into oblivion.
Oh, what? Wait a minute there! We've already done that? With a Republican "conservative" in office? How could that be?
Obama is several steps up from the fascist/socialist we call President Bush.
Put the feel of an Obama speech aside and look into the substance for answers:
"It's not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we are all connected as one people." [Obama]
"It is thus necessary that the individual should come to realize that his own ego is of no importance in comparison with the existence of his nation; that the position of the individual ego is conditioned solely by the interests of the nation as a whole ... that above all the unity of a nation's spirit and will are worth far more than the freedom of the spirit and will of an individual. .... This state of mind, which subordinates the interests of the ego to the conservation of the community, is really the first premise for every truly human culture .... we understand only the individual's capacity to make sacrifices for the community, for his fellow man." [Adolph Hitler, 1933]
“…our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition.” [Obama]
“Our nation can achieve permanent health only from within on the basis of the principle: The common interest before self-interest.” [Hitler]
The nation was in shambles. A previous ruler had led the country into an unnecessary war, the economy was failing, and a sense of depression filled the air. Then, a new leader emerged. He was a powerful speaker, offering hope, change, and a fix to the economy. He wrote two books about his experiences and used his literary work to propel him to success. He was an open Christian with some Muslim friends. He called for unity and considered himself an advocate of peace. Some of his political opponents cast him as naive and inexperienced. He also had a lot of radical ties, but the media, and ultimately the voters, were willing to overlook that.
Who is he?
The answer is Hitler.
"Much of the country is down. Our spirits have been demolished by the economy, the mortgage meltdown, the credit crunch, the Iraq war, the rampant poverty, the growing distance between the haves and have nots."
And who do we have to thank for exposing the "haves" and rallying the "have-nots" into a tizzy? You guessed it, CIC B.H. Obama.
Instead of just saying the country is 'down' and feeling bad for themselves, why not look at who is telling the have-nots they deserve more? Who is telling the poor unworking, drug addict, former inmate, single mother of 3 babies from 3 daddies that she should have health care for free? Just for drawing breath in the not-green-enough United States?!
It's not a crazy right wing conspiracy theory, it's the truth. Obama studied Marxism, communism and socialism at length in college (so did I btw) and obviously believes in the possibility of making everyone equal. The problem arises when the "haves" can just take their business (i.e. jobs, income, manufacturing, etc.) to another country and all you are left with is have-nots.
For more on conservative views and insite, visit the Conservative Examiner at:
http://www.examiner.com/x-2927-Minneapolis-Conservative-Examiner
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