BUSH AND HITLER:
Is History Repeating Itself?

No one expected Hitler to rise to power. He had failed at just about
everything he had ever undertaken until he discovered politics. In the
world of spin and power plays, a superficial gift of gab and bullish
determination could replace intelligence and idealism without missing a
beat. Hitler found that the path to the top was short: Just tell a discontent
people what they want to hear and make promises you have no intention to keep.

In Hitler's first radio speech after becoming Chancellor on January 30,
1933, he pledged [this is a direct quote from that address] "to revive
in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation" and invoked God's
blessing on the German government. (Hitler was a fervent Christian - a
fact too many have either forgotten or never knew, thanks to sanitized
school history books). But, the Fuhrer soon proved he had no intention
of being a uniter. The Nazis' battle cry throughout their campaign had
been "down with the liberals!" Once in office, Hitler made "liberals" (a
mass group into which he lumped social democrats, gays, Jews, and any
threat to Hitler's model of Christian society) his sworn enemies.

As soon as he was in office, Hitler began ramming through one action
after the other in rapid, aggressive succession. His sidekick Goebbels,
head of propaganda and undoubtedly the bulk of the diabolical brains
behind the operation, gleefully wrote in his diary: "The struggle is a light one
now as we are able to employ all the means of the state [which included the
judiciary]. In addition, he noted, "Radio and press are at our disposal."
 

Hitler believed that to consolidate his power, he needed to create an
"enemy of the state." Contrary to popular belief, the first "enemy"
Hitler formally targeted was not the Jews but the Communist Party. Why?
Because they were the most outspoken activists against his regime.
Hitler was thus the first to invoke the spectre of "the Red Menace." He
intentionally sought to provoke party activists to violent protest so,
under his new aggressive laws suppressing public dissent; he could round
them up and arrest them. Aware of this ploy, the Communists laid low,
believing that Hitler was merely a puppet of reactionaries and his regime
would not last. But the Fuhrer, becoming progressively more drunk
with his new power, was not so easily thwarted.

To facilitate his demonization of the "reds," he sent provocateurs to orchestrate
a staged act of "terrorism." Their dupe was a young revolutionary named Van der
Lubbe, who was implicated in (i.e. framed for) the bombing of the Reichstag
(the equivalent of the Congressional building). This incident gave Hitler the excuse
he needed for "cracking down" on "enemies of the state." He rallied the Germans
against the "terrorists" and passed the odious "Enabling Acts," in which the government
was granted the right to bypass any due process for "suspects." One human right after
the other was revoked: the Jews were stripped of all rights, trade unions were broken,
and rival parties were made illegal. In addition, Hitler began to isolate Germany from
the rest of the world: One of his first actions after assuming power was to withdraw
from the League of Nations.

From the start, Hitler courted the conservative Christian clergy. To their shame,
historically, many clergymen became his closest allies and most effective tools,
as propagandists, spies, and suppressors of dissent. The clergy's most important role
in the beginning, was to fuel anti-liberalism and anti-Semitism. Jews, according to Hitler,
were "the source of every ill that had befallen Germany and of every continuing threat."
[Substitute the word "liberal" and you have the new GOP's main party philosophy].
Historian John Weis pointed out that "Hitler inspired only those who shared his anger."

Hitler made public dissent first all but impossible, then illegal. At
first, whenever groups tried to voice a protest during a public speech,
he would have storm troopers clear the dissenters from the hall. Hitler
also made sure that the media did not provide the public with any
coverage of dissenters or public protests because it was "encouraging of
destructive elements." [Recently when I asked a reporter at the
Associated Press why protests are not being covered, he said reporters
are instructed not to because to do so "would be encouraging of
destructive displays."]. So, what the media faithfully recorded was
Hitler and Hitler supporters. To see an old German newsreel, you'd never
guess there were plenty of dissenters around - at least until they were
all shot or sent to concentration camps.

Hitler was very fond of photo ops. He believed they were his best form
of PR and pounced on them at every opportunity. The files abound with
shots of Hitler with bright-faced Germany families; he especially liked
being photographed with school children. At the same time, Hitler
actively promoted "family values" and high moral standards. He believed
women should go back to being at home with their families and not in the
work force. He also believed there should be little or no separation
between the state and his brand of Christianity, especially since he
firmly believed that the emotional fervor of religion could be used to
effectively to promote the state's objectives.

Under Hitler, worker protections were dismantled, one by one. Soon
workers were laboring for longer hours for less pay. Worse yet, all
trade unions had been smashed, so there was no recourse. Unfortunately,
the Social Democrats were not organized and did not offer a solid front
for opposing Hitler and his initiatives. Soon, they found themselves
overwhelmed by a highly organized, aggressive and fanatically
single-minded army of Nazi Party appointees who did whatever Hitler told
them to do without questioning.

Here we end the story, because we all know what happens next:
the Holocaust and World War II.