Comparing authoritarians to Adolf Hitler is easy. It is even easier to compare racist authoritarians to him. Which is why it is ultra convenient for the American political Center and Left to make such a charge when trying to rally opposition to Donald Trump. The problem with this approach though, is that it simply will not work. In fact, it likely makes things worse. Don't worry though, this isn't some call for "civility", or some milquetoast appeal for compromise. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
Donald Trump is a petty crook, and even more so, he is a racist authoritarian who happens to be President, while also being a petty crook. He is however, not a Fascist, at least not in the traditional sense that Hitler was. Hitler was an incredibly impressive leader. Yes he was a monster, but none the less impressive. He was the most popular politician in German history. His regime created an economic powerhouse, and the world's most advanced military in the span of a decade. He was an artist, extremely learned and intelligent, advanced orator, and brilliant tactician. Trump is NONE of those things. He is a crass, rude, and narcissistic poster boy for Dunning-Kruger syndrome, who still doesn't have a popular mandate despite a "strong" economy (on the surface at least) and a completely inept opposition party. Comparing him to Hitler does him a favor. He could only wish to be as effective a leader as Hitler.
Here is an example I think illustrates the point effectively. Compare these statements:
Trump: "The beauty of me is I'm very rich"
“I have total net worth of $8.73bn,” he said. “I’m not doing that to brag. I’m doing that to show that’s the kind of thinking our country needs.”
“I’m proud of my net worth, I’ve done an amazing job … The total is $8,737,540,000 US. I’m not doing that to brag, because you know what, I don’t have to brag.”
There are loads more comments of him bragging about his wealth. He even recently stated that he was even "more elite than the elitists".
Now compare to Hitler: "Whenever I stand up for the German peasant, it is for the sake of the Volk. I have neither ancestral estate nor manor… I believe I am the only statesman in the world who does not have a bank account. I hold no stock, I have no shares in any companies. I do not draw any dividends."
Hitler did of course, live in luxury as the Fuhrer, but his rhetoric never included the self-aggrandizement of personal wealth. It was always about appealing to a unified Reich, and the rejection of Individualism in fealty to the State. Trump praises the division he creates. He makes no serious appeal to any sort of unified state. The more division he sows, the easier it is for him and his friends to continue looting the Commons. Hitler's convictions, while self-enriching, also led to vastly improved living standards for the German people (at the expense of some obvious groups), or at least until they began losing the war.
Hitler was also a proud veteran of World War 1, which strengthened his appeal with disgruntled German veterans. Trump is a rich draft dodger, which makes his appeal to Right-Wing patriots all the more laughable and somewhat vexing.
We must belittle Trump for the wanna-be, petty authoritarian that he is, not give him the same level of awe (in a terrifying sense) that Hitler warranted. We must call him out for not being the Fascist that the opposition claims him to be. An effective Fascist would actually be able to rally a popular mandate. An effective Fascist would build an economic powerhouse based on domestic industry and the unity of nationalized Labor, and not maintain the same Neoliberal bubble economy as his predecessors.
Trump's base simply does not care that you call him a Fascist or Hitler. What they do care about is, is he delivering what he said he would? The answer is simply no. He has an effective propaganda network claiming he does, but he hasn't accomplished any of the Populist proposals that rallied his base in the first place. He said everyone would get healthcare. He promised to discipline Capital abroad. He promised to end unpopular foreign interventions. He promised wage and job growth. He promised to protect Social Security and Medicare. He has done none of these things. These are all things I saw Trump supporters reaching out to Liberals and anti-Clinton Leftists with. They have simply given him a pass in the name of partisan support, or they have simply forgotten. It is up to us to remind them of it, and begin cracking his base of support, and show him to be the crook that he is.
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