Hitler may be no statesman, but he is an uncommonly clever and audacious demagogue and fully alive to every popular instinct.
Sir Horace Rumbold, British Ambassador to Germany, February 22nd, 1933
You can catch a lot of heat for comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, although these days it is increasingly difficult not to. It actually isn't a new thing either. The first person to publicly do so, wasn't some wild eyed Bernie supporter roaming a liberal university campus. It was, in fact, the arch conservative columnist, George Will. He subtly made the connection during the 2016 presidential campaign. At about the same time he wrote that conservatives, "should hold their noses, cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton," then vote her out in 2020 when a more suitable republican candidate would be available.
That devious little plan obviously didn't work, although Secretary Clinton did win around six million more votes than the current resident of the White House. Of course the Nazis never held a majority in Germany's parliament, the Reichstag, either until after Herr Hitler declared himself the Grand Poo Bah of all things German.
We aren't to that point yet, although we know Mr. Trump once told a group of donors having a president for life like China does is something we might try, "sometime." Then last year, on the White House lawn, he also asked the gathered media, "Should we go back to 16 years? (four terms in office) Congressman, can we have that extended? The last time I jokingly said that the papers started saying he's got despotic tendencies. No, I'm not looking to do it, unless you want to do it."
Last Saturday in a preview of what next year's campaign will look like a bunch of Trump supporters showed up at a town hall meeting in Glendale, CA. The event was put together by an Armenian group. It was designed to thank Congress for passing a resolution which recognized the genocide perpetrated on their race and others by the Ottoman Empire.
Among those in attendance was Adam Schiff, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. When Congressman Schiff began to speak three people stood up with signs which said, "Don't Impeach." It is reported that when other members of the crowd asked them to lower the signs they refused. Within moments about a dozen others in the audience began to yell at Schiff, calling him a liar.
As the rest of the audience began asking them to pipe down, what the "Glendale News Press," described as a scuffle ensued. In the initial moments of it, those shouting, pulled off their jackets and sweaters revealing their pro Trump tee-shirts. The scuffle continued for 15 minutes.
The three cops at the meeting, which was held in the Glendale library, reported there weren't any injuries. The Armenian group sponsoring the get together issued a statement which said in part, "While as Americans we value our right to free speech, today's actions by a select few were designed to disrupt an event that had no connection to recent political divisions and disrespected the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide."
The statement went on to say, "Though asked to leave, the disruptors instead remained and continued to behave in an appalling manner which lacked any semblance of human decency."
Ernst Rohm and his brown shirts, the SA, would have been proud.
It is highly doubtful Donald Trump, or anyone in his administration set this despicable display in motion, however he certainly inspired it.
He knows it too. It is exactly what he wants from his base, wild anger and intimidation. He fires them up with unhinged xenophobia, while playing to their prejudices and fears with language straight from some mean street he imagines he grew up on. He knows America's dark tendency toward violence and hysteria and he exploits it with practically every word he spews, all the while joking about scrapping the Constitution and becoming a leader for life.
Indeed, like Caesar he will accept the crown only if we offer it, but his every tweet, his every act, is designed to manipulate the weak minded and fascists among us into doing just that.
In a different place and age, Sir Horace wrote about someone else, but when he did, the old boy described Donald John Trump perfectly.
And right now, thanks to DJT, we are on the edge of where Germany was in 1933.
sic vita est
12-16-19
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