Trump Of The Will
There are more than a few ways the style of The Donald resembles the style of The Adolf.
Gregg noticed a distinct similarity between Der Fuhrer's plane landing in Leni Reifenstahl's "Triumph of the Will" -- descending from the clouds like a Wagnerian god -- and Trump's plane landing on Saturday in Arkansas.
The Adolf:
The Donald:
Gregg: You can compare the way Hitler campaigned and the very vague things he said he would do and the more specific things. And the way Hitler appealed to people's baser selves and their unhappiness with the establishment.
And then people woke up and there was martial law.
More Gregg: Trump is a sleeper agent to take down the Republican party.
I think that we got to this point -- with a bunch of rotten children of various ages as our choices for president -- by years of the Democrats and Republicans being slightly different flavors of corrupt.
> the very vague things he said he would do and the
> more specific things
I'm not sure I understand - some of his promises are vague and some are specific? If so, isn't this true of all politicians?
> And the way Hitler appealed to people's baser
> selves and their unhappiness with the establishment
Bernie Sanders does too (and most politicians do appeal to people's baser selves).
The fact is, if you want illegal immigration cracked down on, and immigration and h1b visas reduced dramatically, there is no other candidate to support.
If your job is taken by an immigrant, legal or illegal, or an h1b visa applicant, you don't really care about many other issues.
Prior to Trump's candidacy you used to write about all the immigration and h1b visa issues regularly - I haven't seen a post about this in a while.
Snoopy at February 28, 2016 4:22 AM
Oh wait... here's a similar image to the above 2 with Mitt Romney. He must be like Hitler too... although you voted for him:
http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/REU-USA-CAMPAIGN_-3.jpg
Snoopy at February 28, 2016 4:25 AM
Nicely trolled, Amy.
dee nile at February 28, 2016 4:38 AM
Bernie Sanders does too (and most politicians do appeal to people's baser selves).
Snoopy, why the butthurt?
I'm not saying Trump is "like Hitler" -- I'm just saying his style is similar and his appeal is also.
I wrote about immigration in December. Here's one of the posts.
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2015/12/15/the_idiots_in_h.html
"A person doesn't have a civil right to immigrate to our country."
Amy Alkon at February 28, 2016 6:05 AM
Where Trump and Sanders got their fan clubs:
Peggy Noonan talks about "the rise of the unprotected":
http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-and-the-rise-of-the-unprotected-1456448550
Amy Alkon at February 28, 2016 6:39 AM
2 of the 4 below statements are HRC's and 2 are Hitler's. To me all 4 appeal to "people's baser selves and their unhappiness with the establishment." All 4 are worthy goals. It just depends on how they are accomplished.
"Give working families a raise, and tax relief that helps them manage rising costs."
"Close corporate tax loopholes and make the most fortunate pay their fair share."
"... the [government] shall ... undertake to ensure that every citizen shall have the possibility of living decently and earning a livelihood."
"The [government] has the duty to help raise the standard of national health by providing maternity welfare centers, ... and by the greatest possible encouragement of associations concerned with the physical education of the young."
Bob in Texas at February 28, 2016 7:02 AM
Leni Reifenstahl created the political video. ALL political ads look like they were done by her, not just Trump's.
And all politicians will have quotes that sound like something Hitler said, because he was a politician and didn't just talk about murdering people all the time, sometimes he had to get stuff done besides slaughter. Hell, anyone who wants to build a highway probably shares quotes with Hitler.
NicoleK at February 28, 2016 7:11 AM
With all politicians ( and Islamic Jihadists) It is rarely their ideas that are the problem, (one world Islamic government, cradle to grave health care, free education, deport all the illegals)
It is the means they are willing to use in order to bring these things about.
Without a meaningful system of checks and balances on government power a lot of bad things become easily possible.
Obama's single most dangerous policy has been the deliberate erosion of those checks and balances.
Isab at February 28, 2016 7:17 AM
For the record, I'm not a fan of Obama -- or of any of the current crop of candidates.
I'd like to vote for Romney in this election. Don't agree with him on everything, but he at least is a grownup.
Amy Alkon at February 28, 2016 7:26 AM
Here's an article on who seems to support Trump:
The best predictor of Trump support isn't income, education, or age. It's authoritarianism.
http://www.vox.com/2016/2/23/11099644/trump-support-authoritarianism
Amy Alkon at February 28, 2016 7:27 AM
Cernovich:
https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/703945191649120256
Amy Alkon at February 28, 2016 7:31 AM
"More Gregg: Trump is a sleeper agent to take down the Republican party."
While that might sound like Gregg is wearing a tinfoil hat; I'm wearing the same hat!
Like you, Amy, I don't care for any of the current crop of candidates. You are spot on in that there aren't any grown-ups left. (the adults seem to have stayed home and left the playground to the brats)
But, one of my fears is that the Clintons (and their friend Trump) know full well that Hillary could NOT win against any decent Republican; even another Bush could beat her hands down.
So, what better way for Clinton to win than by destroying the Republicans?
With each new report of another of Trump's outrageous statements I do wonder if he isn't "testing the waters" to see just how outrageous he can be before folks turn against him.
And, wow! He has said some real outlandish doozies, hasn't he? And still his supporters don't seem to turn against him. Instead it seems as if they support him even more! So, the question becomes just how low will he have to go before folks turn against him?
On the other hand, I sort of get why folks are supporting him - he isn't one of the typical DC insiders. Mind you, he is very much a crony capitalist as he has no problem with using the government to get his way. His use of eminent domain to get property he wants is a good example of this. But, still, he isn't a part of the usual gang of politicos that both parties give us to choose from; and, that is one reason why so many folks like him.
Yea, there are two things I fear about Trump. First is that he is a Clinton Trojan Horse to help Hillary win by destroying the Republicans (It's not like they needed much help though). Or second, he really does win and all his arrogance isn't just for show - it really is the way he will try to govern.
Neither outcome is good. I do NOT want Hillary, and not just because we don't need Bill in the White House with all the free time in the world to molest interns and staff. And, I've had enough with 8 years of one narcissist, I do not want another.
charles at February 28, 2016 8:11 AM
Gog Magog submitted this comment/link on a previous post:
"Disturbing and Wrong
Awesome!"
It seemed worth repeating here in case anyone missed it. Absolutely hilarious! Thanks for the laugh Gog.
charles at February 28, 2016 8:24 AM
Americans will not wake up to martial law. They'll have to vote it in for themselves.
Hitler was not elected chancellor. He was appointed by Hindenburg (against his better judgement) when he had been assured by the the right wing of German politics that they could control Hitler and the Nazis.
Weimer Germany was a parliamentary democracy. When one party did not have a majority, the president chose someone to form a coalition government. Hindenburg preferred someone other then Hitler as chancellor, even though Hitler had the biggest voting bloc in the Reichstag, 33% of the seats were held by the Nazis. The most the Nazis ever had was 34% of the seats.
Having the biggest bloc of seats, Hitler refused to join any coalition that would not involve him being chancellor. The first attempt at forming a coalition government without Hitler failed miserably. So, the monarchists and conservatives convinced themselves that they could control Hitler by giving the Nazis a few small cabinet posts and Hitler the chancellorship.
What they failed to see was that the Ministry of the Interior, given to Hermann Goering, controlled the police of Bavaria and several other states. So, it was the office Hitler needed to solidify his domestic control and eliminate his political enemies.
When Hindenburg died, Hitler had the Reichstag appoint him president and combined that office with the chancellor's office. He was then the head of the government and the head of state.
The Reichstag later gave Hitler emergency powers since the Communists had just burned down the Reichstag building, or so the Nazis fooled everyone into believing.
Hitler had run for the presidency before and lost. A majority of the German people never voted for Hitler as president or chancellor.
Trump or Cruz or Sanders or Clinton will have a harder time getting declared dictator than Adolf had.
Our system combines the head of the government and the head of state positions in the presidency, but installs several checks and balances against abuse of power, checks and balances which have been under attack since the very beginning. In one of its first cases, Marbury v Madison, the Supreme Court assumed the role of judicial review. Presidents have been angling for power over Congress since Washington and Congress has been angling for power over the president for just as long. Obama may have exceeded his authority many times, but his attempt to rule as a king ran aground against a Congress that finally remembered its job to act as a counterbalance against executive overreach.
Trump, or Sanders or Clinton, will have a difficult time becoming a dictator than Hitler did.
I wonder if the socialist Bernie Sanders is more likely to try to assert dictatorial powers then the narcissist Trump. Socialism is based on centralized control of society. Should Sanders lose the nomination, Clinton has already shown a blatant disregard for rules that restrict her preferred actions and a lack of ability to compromise on policy. So, it would appear that Sanders or Clinton would be more likely to try and become dictators than Trump.
Republican Trump actually has some common ground with the more left-wing Democrats. He likes universal health care, he likes eminent domain, and he likes tax hikes (just not on himself). Why be a dictator when your political opponents are already in line with you to help you get your agenda passed?
Both Trump and Sanders represent a profound dissatisfaction of voters with the current political situation.
The parents and grandparents of millennial gave us Clinton-Dole, Bush-Gore, Obama-McCain, and Obama-Romney. Millennial are poised to give us Clinton or Sanders vs. Cruz or Trump and then claim they did a better job of picking candidates.
Conan the Grammarian at February 28, 2016 10:45 AM
@Charles: Yea, there are two things I fear about Trump. First is that he is a Clinton Trojan Horse to help Hillary win by destroying the Republicans (It's not like they needed much help though). Or second, he really does win and all his arrogance isn't just for show - it really is the way he will try to govern.
Yeah, you beat me to that one. I'm pretty sure by this point that our next president will be HRC.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at February 28, 2016 11:01 AM
Ever watch a Hitler speech in front of the Reichstag? The legislators and other attendees pop up and down like puppets and give a standing ovation for every sentence Hitler utters.
Ever watch an Obama State of the Union address? The legislators and attendees pop up and down like puppets and give a standing ovation for every sentence Obama utters (at least here there are some exceptions to bending over before Der Fuhrer).
Jay J. Hector at February 28, 2016 1:33 PM
More Gregg: Trump is a sleeper agent to take down the Republican party.
In addition to that, don't forget that Obama had Scalia murdered!
JD at February 28, 2016 3:23 PM
On more article with the Hitler meme and I'm deleting Amy from my favorites.
bob nye at February 28, 2016 4:15 PM
"Trump is a sleeper agent to take down the Republican party."
That's like being hired to kill vaudeville.
dee nile at February 28, 2016 4:16 PM
One more Hitler reference and I'm defriending Amy.
bob nye at February 28, 2016 4:17 PM
Dang it Amy. Why did you have to invoke a Vox article. Now I suspect all Trump supporters are bastions of reason, logic, and even smell good. Vox never knows whats going on. Heck, they even claimed that residents of Boulder, CO have an average of 102 toilets per person once.
And the comparison of Trump and Hitler is way over the top.
When you come back to reality there is a simple truth. Trump is a Democrat. He got confused. Registered for the wrong party as part of a drunken bet. To his and many other people's surprise he seems to be succeeding. For support lets look at the views Trump espouses.
1. Kick out illegal immigrants (I know, doesn't support me but it is his main draw.)
2. Single payer healthcare
3. Bush lied, kids died.
4. Vaccines cause autism.
5. Wants a 14.25% one time wealth tax.
6. 20% tariff
7. Big supporter of eminent domain for business purposes
I could go on, and I will. Trump was a registered Democrat from 2001 to 2009. The majority of his political money has gone to Democrats. For crying out loud, he is a Hillary supporter!
None of this matters to Trump supporters. Trump the man and Trump the politician are completely different people. Trump the politician is some sort of blank slate. People write their own political desires on him. When conflicts arise between the man and the politician people just put their heads in the sand and yell 'La la la, I can't hear you' as loud as they can. Unfortunately you can't really separate the two. If we elect Trump the politician we will end up with Trump the man calling the shots.
Also, I was impressed with the Noonan editorial. She makes sense so rarely it really stands out when she finally gets it.
Ben at February 28, 2016 5:36 PM
I don't know, I think comparing the weather in which the two planes landed is a bit far-fetched...
I agree with Ben that Trump is a Democrat... but he's a populist flavor of Democrat, the likes of which that party hasn't seen since they kicked out the Dixiecrats in the late '60s. (Well, there was somewhat of a revival in 2008, but Obama and the party leadership quickly took care of that.) The fact that he's running as a Republican is, to an extent, an accident of history. Sanders is also a populist, albeit one who's much more explicitly socialist than Trump.
But... why is this all happening? The answer is simple: our current leadership had abdicated their functions, but not their titles. This is transparent to a large segment of the population. This segment may disagree on what to do about it, but I suspect that if there was some magical way to combine Trump and Sanders into one candidate, you'd have a winner in a landslide. Why? Because they promise real leadership. Of course, that doesn't mean they are either sincere in their promises nor capable of actually delivering the goods, but they're out there talking about it. They have both taken specific positions on issues that the Washington elite tries like hell to suppress discussion of. The GOP establishment may despise Trump -- but if they fail to understand the Trump phenomenon, then they are destined to wind up like the Weimar government. As for the Democrats: I note that while participation in the GOP primaries is up, participation in the Democrat primaries held so far is down 20-30%. I'm not sure if this is because neither of the candidates excites the base, or if it represents the start of the breakup of the coalition of tribes and special interest groups that have used the party as a flag of convenience for the past half century. Either way, it's not a good sign for the Democratic Party.
I'm starting to think we're about to see a major-party turnover, something that America hasn't experienced since the Civil War era. I can see the possibility of the existing Democratic and Republican parties merging, and leaving the door open for the rise of a new major party. What that party would be about, and who its leaders would be, is not clear at this point. But the results would be a turning point in American history.
Cousin Dave at February 29, 2016 11:25 AM
"the likes of which that party hasn't seen since they kicked out the Dixiecrats in the late '60s."
I'd buy that CD.
I don't have much hope for the Republican party leadership. The Democrat leadership is corrupt as evidenced by Hillary. But the Republican leadership is stupid. I've listened to those guys a few times. They make Al Bore sound like a super genius. They lie foolishly and pointlessly. And they wave around their east coast bias like it's some sort of loyalty pin. Crazy, since the east coast isn't exactly a bastion of Republicanism. But at least they proudly show off how disconnected and foolish they are.
I don't know which party will survive the current crackup. As you point out the Dems are shrinking their tent as fast as they can. But the Repubs are too stupid to take advantage of it. I guess it all shows the value of a public education.
Ben at February 29, 2016 3:45 PM
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