Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Hitler-Trump comparison more hysteria than history

02X061_2417_9Les MacPherson, Saskatoon StarPhoenix

   Like every other successful national leader who is not a raving lefty, Donald Trump is compared by his less imaginative critics to Hitler.
   As usual, the comparison does not stand up to scrutiny. Hitler, for instance, started a world war and murdered six million Jews. Trump has never started even a regional war or murdered anyone. So there’s that.
   And this: Hitler was the worst anti-Semite in the history of the world. Trump was grand marshal of New York City’s 2006 Salute to Israel parade.
   Hitler wanted to conquer the world. Trump is isolationist. You cold hardly find two more divergent foreign policies.
   Hitler infamously used mob violence to intimidate and silence his political rivals. Trump isn’t doing that. Rather, it is Trump’s rivals using mob violence to intimidate and silence him and his supporters. Again, this is the exact opposite of Hitler.
   Granted, Hitler had significant popular appeal, as does Trump, but so what? If popular appeal is a crime, all ascendant politicians, good and bad, are guilty, including Barack Obama, but I don’t hear anyone comparing Trump to Obama, or Obama to Hitler.
   Hitler certainly was a bully. Trump, not so much. Among those endorsing him are his two ex-wives and his former butler of 20 years. Who knows a man better than his former butler and ex-wives? Who is in a better position to identify a bully? Who is more likely to see a man at his worst? No one, I submit.
   Departed household staff and ex-wives of famous men more often write books about how awful they are. In Trump’s case, they can’t say enough good things about him...Read complete article here...

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