The press – mainstream and otherwise – is
going over-the-top on Trump-Hitler comparisons. Some are direct, some
more subtle. I offer an examination of this comparison – what is fiction,
what is fact?
Fiction
Let’s look at the history of Hitler
prior to becoming German Chancellor, and see how Trump measures up.
Admittedly, this isn’t an exhaustive listing (just the highlights), but
hopefully, it will suffice:
In 1923, he attempted a coup in Munich to
seize power.
What was this coup?
The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the
Munich Putsch, and, in German, as the Hitlerputsch or Hitler-Ludendorff-Putsch,
was a failed coup attempt by the Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler — along with Generalquartiermeister
Erich Ludendorff and other Kampfbund leaders — to seize power in Munich,
Bavaria, during 8–9 November 1923. About two thousand men marched to the centre
of Munich, where they confronted the police, which resulted in the death of 16
Nazis and four policemen. Hitler himself was wounded.
After two days, Hitler was arrested and
charged with treason.
Trump?
Any “coups” in his background – the deaths of dozens, charged with
treason? Nope………….
(Full text at link below)
Conclusion
Trump is no Hitler.
Nothing in his background comes close to this comparison. Certainly every
other candidate running in the two major parties has more in common with Adolf
than does Trump – just count dead bodies and wealth destruction. Do you
offer more relevant measuring sticks?
In any case, those who seem to be most concerned about this (the political
class, the pundits, the newspaper and television mouthpieces) have ensured the
preconditions for a “Hitler” to take the stage. They have been working on
it for over 100 years.
They have designed and otherwise allowed for a position of almost absolute
power. Trump just happens to be the first one to explicitly offer supposed
“solutions” that implicitly recognizes this fact. He is saying loudly and
clearly: the clothes on this
emperor confer omnipotence and I will act accordingly.
They have designed this
position for a person who will be compliant to their wishes. Trump seems
to be upsetting this design (well, at least for a vocal subset).
They want their own
Hitler – an absolute ruler, just as they have designed the office. They
also want their Hitler on a string; sooner or later (and for better or for
worse), this was going to prove to be impossible.
Our best bet? A
combination of technology / communication and the inability of the state to
meet their promises will move society toward a more decentralized
condition. I believe this to be in our future. Otherwise, the path
seems clear – the only question being time.
