I’m normally loathe to introduce comparisons or discussions involving Hitler when it pertains to politics. I’ve always felt Donald Trump’s bluster and thuggery to be more redolent of Benito Mussolini if a comparison must be drawn. Godwin’s law being what it is, it seems a good reason to refrain from introducing Hitler into (and thus queering from the outset) any attempt at rational discussion.
Those preliminaries aside, there are some disturbing parallels to be drawn between Hitler’s rise to power and Trump’s ascendance. In this case, it has less to do with The Donald than with the distressing inability of the American Sheeple to think critically. So much of the American electorate have become what Newt Gingrich once referred to as “low information” voters that candidates have learned there really isn’t a downside to appealing to the fears and prejudices of the lowest common denominator. Too many people are unable and/or unwilling to think critically…but they’re quite happy being told whom they must hate and fear.
The faces of Trump supporters too often reveal a predilection for reaction over sober reflection and evaluation. Considering issues and positions can be a lot of damn work and generally requires paying attention to what’s being said. It requires expecting candidates to support arguments as they make the case for why they’re the best choice. Look into the eyes of Trump supporters- or worse, listen to them- and what you’ll recognize are people who believe because they’ve been told what the candidate knows they want to hear. They want to know who to blame, who they’re justified in hating, and what will be done to those responsible for the bad things they see in America today.
“Make America Great Again” is a slogan that Josef Goebbels could have written. Trump’s appeal to collective hatred and fear are in some cases almost mirror images of Hitler’s speeches. When I listen to people saying things like, “He doesn’t take any crap,” or “He tells it like it is,” that isn’t an endorsement of his character or moral fortitude; it’s the delusional ramblings of someone who’s fallen for a charismatic demagogue skilled in manipulation.
As offensive as it may seem to compare a politician to Hitler or even Mussolini, sometimes we must be faced with the reality that not knowing history too often means being doomed to repeat it. In the case of the 2016 Republican Presidential primary campaign, the parallels can’t be ignored. When candidates are working hard to out-demagogue one another and demonstrate to voters that they’d be more anti-democratic and far less compassionate and tolerant than their opponents, it’s difficult not see a resemblance to Germany in the early ’30s.
