#1083 That Whole Nazi Thing

Recently I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in the political arena. Everybody’s calling each other Nazis. Even Rush “Joseph Goebbels” Limbaugh has gotten into the act.
The tactic seems to be, call the other guy Nazi-like first and maybe people won’t look at how your own actions are Nazi-like.
I made mention of the King Bloviator because he has been among the most recent to hurl the Nazi epithet. But confusingly, he accuses Obama of socialism on the one hand, and then compares the Healthcare reform logo to the swastika on the other.
Then on the left side of the spectrum, Democratic congressmen compared the tactics of the folks being disruptive in town halls as being like those of the Nazi Brown Shirts.
So bear with me, as I attempt to correct a couple of historical inaccuracies. Most experts will agree that Nazism is the totalitarianism you get when you pursue the ultimate “right” side of the political spectrum. Communism is the totalitarianism on the extreme left. On the mild left, with various degrees of socialism, are countries like, say, Sweden or Great Britain. They have socialized health care.
Socialized health care is like Social Security or Medicare. And it has its issues. Many in our country would prefer privatized medical care, and more power to them. But to say our grandparents are socialists because they get a social security check every month from the government may surprise them.
Notice how at this point in the discussion, we are somewhat removed from gassing boxcar loads of Jews and Gypsies.
So for “Rush to Judgement” to compare socialized healthcare to Nazism is a stretch even for him. True, the actual name of Nazism is National Socialism, but that was just a trick Hitler used to first get elected. His other tactic was to send his brown-shirted bullies into opposition meetings and yell and scream and push people around. They were a para-military group, who hid under the mantle of free speech while intimidating the opposition. And it worked.
Most people steer clear of confrontation, especially when the brown shirts’ friends outside have guns strapped to their thighs.
They must have a helluva a private medical plan they’re trying to protect...
America, ya gotta love it.