The Truth Behind the New Tea Party Movement
by Loren Adams, 21 February 2010
“People who believe ABSURDITIES will soon commit
ATROCITIES.” — (Cited from
Voltaire by an intuitive Italian living during the Age of Fascism and the Great
Depression followed by World War II who settled in New York where she passed
down first-hand accounts to her children and grandchildren.)
Indeed, the experience was indelibly inscribed in her
memory; so she strongly desired her descendants never to fall into a similar
web. First, she observed young Nazis inflamed by the rhetoric of lies spewed
from exceptionally charismatic leaders — such as Benito Mussolini and
Adolf Hitler. She watched as millions of Italians and Germans, primarily of the
working class, hyper-religious, and less-educated rural provinces (the
“red-states,”) believed the deception of racial and political purity. Then she
beheld these masses — energized by oratory trickery — turn their
false rage into violence, persecution, and finally death camps — where
nearly 10 million were slaughtered and gassed, including 6 million Jews —
not including the 50 million deaths due to needless war.
How could so-called “Christians” fall into such an
antichrist snare? The answer is the assimilation of falsehood fused with the
turndown of truth. In this vein, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels were not
exclusively to blame; there was a collective willingness to believe untruths to
fortify a sense of national pride where pompous pageantry and flag-worship supplanted
reason, sanity, and true Christianity itself.
World War II would never had been — had there not been
the forerunner — the celebration of lies. “They shall believe a lie and
be damned.”
Current parallels can’t be missed. Millions of Americans now
believe absurdities so inconceivable, they would’ve been laughed to scorn just
a few decades ago. Now the “birthers,” “deathers,” and “tea-baggers” gain
national spotlight daily — as lead characters like Sarah Palin, Rush
Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Tom Tancredo tour the nation, inflaming the
righteous, making an entire industry out of senselessness. Meanwhile on Capitol
Hill, Republicans are solidly obstructionists with zero “dissent” – “lock-step”,
in Nazi terms. There is no civil democratic debate anymore, just partisan
combat.
Some dismiss the movement, “Oh, they’re just making it
easier for Democrats to win. Isn’t it fun to watch them destroy themselves?”
But the historic pattern is clear: “Absurdities will give
way to atrocities” — no laughing matter. Silenced voices of the past: The
White Rose Society, union leaders, and progressive Social Democrats from
Germany’s underground — call out from their graves to us today, “Beware,
America. Your next step is worse than the seemingly harmless belief in the insane.
Acting on falsehoods will produce atrocities most implausible.”
Hitler was not born in Germany, yet the rightwing gave him
totalitarian power. Obama was born in America, yet the rightwing delegitimizes
his presidency by deliberately lying about his birth.
America’s rightwing and Nazi Germany’s run parallel.
Parallel 1: Rural vs.
Urban Blocs
Fallow ground for Nazis laid in rural Germany and among the
religious right — evangelical fundamentalists. Its greatest strength was
in rural and small-town Germany, primarily in its South.
The Republican base predominates rural USA and among the
religious right — evangelical fundamentalists. Its greatest strength is
in rural and small-town USA, primarily in its South. Sarah Palin praises rural
and small towns as “real America” — as if the rest of the USA isn’t.
Nazi opponents were “liberals,” labor unions, academians,
and Germans of the industrialized provinces.
Republican opponents are “liberals,” labor unions,
academians, and Americans of the industrialized states — now popularly
called “blue-states.”
The Nazi Party won seats in the Reichstag from the
less-populated provinces but lost the urban centers.
Republicans win less-populated states but lose urban
centers.
Parallel #2:
Propaganda Effectivness
Fascists’ power was significantly based on propaganda.
Joseph Goebbels was the best in the business and the Nazi Party owned the
airwaves.
Rightwing American power is credited with effective
propaganda tools. The GOP is far more successful than the DNC in that department.
FOX, talk-radio, and right-wing rags have a far larger audience than left-wing
counterparts.
The Nazi movement had several outstanding salesmen. Their
opponents, the Social Democrats, didn’t. (Can one be named from the era?) Salesmanship
bests a defective product and is crucial to success.
The movement now seen riding the new rightwing crest has
many great salesmen. Progressive Democrats, don’t. Obama is seen selling the
misconception of bipartisanship over the needs of the American public and thus
cannot be considered progressive in speech. Consequently, progressives have
lost hope for the real change so powerfully promised yet undeniably
undelivered. They’ve now either fallen asleep or gone dormant due to cynicism.
In modern America, marketing is the only game that matters.
Republicans know that; Democrats don’t.
Parallel #3:
Energizing Evangelicals
Nazis energized the evangelicals in Germany. Hitler
appointed one of their leading ministers as “Reichbishop” of the state, Rev.
Ludwig Mueller. Nazis also commissioned the revision and publishing of the
Bible (completed in 1938) to inject Nazi bias against Jews.
Republicans energize the evangelicals in America with
rhetoric laced with religious terms, claims of “born-again” experiences by
politicians, and character wedge issues such as abortion, gay rights, and
plastering the Ten Commandments on courthouse walls. The Republican base is the
evangelical community, numbering around 100 million.
Parallel #4: Driving
wedges to solidify support
Nazis gained power by vilifying minorities. Every successful
movement, they believed, must have an enemy. Hate for a Middle-Eastern people
(Jews) was #1, followed by socialists, unionists, journalists, homosexuals, and
any class unlike their own. Marginalizing “outsiders” was a means to
solidifying support. Rightwing America gains power by vilifying opponents.
Every successful movement, they believe, must have an enemy. Hate for a
Middle-Eastern people (Muslims) is #1, followed by socialists, unionists,
illegal aliens, journalists, homosexuals, and any class unlike their own.
Marginalizing “outsiders” is a means to solidifying support.
Parallel #5: Wedded
to the Military-Industrial Complex
Nazi financial support came from the defense industry.
That’s what fueled Germany’s recovery from the Depression, not just
construction of the autobahn. The military-industrial complex ruled Germany and
Hitler was its anointed spokesman.
Republican financial support comes from, in large part, the
defense industry. They desire an economy built on defense and the manufacture
of weapons — whether needed or not. The military-industrial complex
(which Eisenhower so eloquently warned against) is Republicans’ primary
financial supporter.
Parallel #6: God is
with us — the elimination of separation between church and state
Adolf’s disciples within the Party concluded he was not a
mere mortal but supernatural. “Hitler is lonely. So is God. Hitler is like
God,” they reasoned. German kindergartners recited this prayer in the 1930s:
“Dear Führer, we love you like our fathers and mothers. Just as we belong to
them so we belong to you. Take unto yourself our love and trust, O Führer!”
At the onset of the last administration, Bush’s disciples
called him “the man of God” and “the man of character.” A prayer card was
issued to U.S. servicemen in Iraq. The DOD directed that these “prayer cards”
be delivered to each soldier at the front without fail. Title: “A Christian’s
Duty” with a tear-out portion to be mailed back to the White House as
confirmation that they were, indeed, praying for Bush (while, ironically, they
found themselves under enemy fire, thanks to the very man they were supposed to
pray for).
The prayer was to be mailed back to the WH from the front. It
read: “Pray that the President and his advisers will be strong and courageous
to do what is right regardless of critics” (A not-so-subtle slam on Democrats
and anti-war activists).
Nazis eliminated the separation of church and state by
appointing “Reichbishop” Rev. Ludwig Mueller, who filled the position because
Hitler recognized he was best able to sway the most Protestant evangelicals.
That segment was quite impressionable; people that believe myths are putty in
propagandists’ palms. Fundamentalists were influenced by traveling evangelists
and trendy doctrines; thus were easy Nazi prey.
From his first days in office, Bush attacked the separation
of church and state set forth in the U.S. Constitution. His “faith-based
initiative” was a direct assault on the nation’s foundation and on principles
which strengthened both state and religion. He openly claimed God sent him on a
mission to protect America and save the world for democracy. Americans most
easily influenced by fake televangelists and trendy religion are more inclined
to support Republicans.
Nazi Germany, on orders from the Führer, ordered belt
buckles manufactured for its soldiers with these words: “God is with us.”
Like Republicans, Nazis were fond of invoking the Ten
Commandments as the foundation of Germany. “The Ten Commandments are a code of
living to which there’s no refutation. These precepts correspond to irrefutable
needs of the human soul.” — A. Hitler
Parallel #7: The
Weakness of German and American Democrats
It wouldn’t have been possible for Nazis to come to power if
leaders of Social Democrats would have stood firmly on principles and not been
so willing to compromise. German Democrats (the majority party) placed
consensus over conviction, and thus Germany fell into fascism.
It wouldn’t have been possible for Republicans to block
healthcare-reform and every progressive proposal if leaders of the Democratic
Party would have stood firmly on principles and not been so eager to
compromise. American Democrats (the majority party) placed consensus over
conviction, and thus America is falling into fascism. It is not just a
perceived weakness, but a real one, which threatens the long-sought majority
— and along with it, America’s future.
Both German and American Democrats of their times were more
fond of appeasement than confrontation. How many times have Democratic
congressmen and senators wept an apology over issues deserving no apology
whatsoever in chambers videoed on CSPAN? They are wanton waverers. To their own
(and their nations’) detriment, Democrats believe if they can get along, the
threat from a Hitler or a Cheney or a Bush or a Palin or a Lieberman will
diminish.
Among German Democrats there was the strange talk of
“taming” Hitler. Their fantasy couldn’t have been further from the truth.
There is talk among American Democrats (Obama notably) of
“taming” Republicans by cooperating, give-and-take, and negotiating. Their pipe
dreams couldn’t be further from the truth. Republican stubbornness is
impenetrable, lock-step like their counterparts 75 years before.
Eventually opponents to the Nazi regime either escaped
Germany or tried to conform to the wishes of the Führer. There was no visible
“defiance” — as Sebastian Haffner (Raimund Pretzel) claims in his
journal, “Defying Hitler.” Strangely, there is no evidence in the book of
successful defiance, only escape. Those who dared to defy, died. Pretzel
escaped to England before the war in 1939.