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When I was twelve, my father gave me a worn paperback copy of Shirer’s “The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich.” It took me five years and all of high school to get through that book but it was one of the most important literary actions I completed in this life.
I have never stopped thinking about the lessons of human darkness and depravity I learned from Shirer’s magnum opus.
I saw Donald Trump coming down that escalator and knew exactly what I was looking at. Still do.
Too many of our fellow citizens do not care about history and what it can tell and teach us. History can’t and won’t solve the day-to-day difficulties that the lower and diminishing middle class face in managing their lives. They have lost the control of their destinies and the look to these New Fascists who falsely promise to restore that. It is history whispering, repeating. But they hear not. And put all of us in peril.
Thanks for the illuminating quote from Wiegand. While Trump may be diminished his imitators like DeSantis are outdoing him in fascist style: promoting hatred of immigrants, and non-heterosexuals, twisting teaching of history, firing of school boards, creating "fraud" police, and illegally redistricting to eliminate 2 black districts. It is critical to defeat him and to elect Crist and Val Demings.
I agree with the comparisons of Trump's rise to power with that of Hitler's. The light bulb went off for me when I visited the Holocaust Museum in 2016. Trump has stolen Hitler's script, leading a fascist movement to gain power by stoking fear and grievance.
However, there are significant differences between Hitler and Trump. Hitler actually believed in the fascist ideology and eugenics. He was a thinker who was well read and wrote his books himself. He was poor and detested the wealthy. Trump, on the other hand, is a grifter who doesn't read or write. He doesn't have beliefs. As J.K. Rowling said when asked about which Hogwarts house Trump would be in, he would be in none of them. He is a "Muggle." He only cares about his popularity and his fortune, and he lies about both. He's a con artist and a hypnotist. Trump is a narcissist, and I'm not sure he cares about other people enough in order to be called a fascist.
We certainly won't know for sure until, as you say, the story is over. Personally, I worry more about the connection to Putin and future true fascist leaders of MAGA, like DeSantis, than Trump himself. Like the Wizard of Oz, one day the curtain is finally going to open and expose him for what he is. The grievance against the elites and hatred of outsiders will still remain, unfortunately. For now, we need to keep the orange Muggle and his fascist followers out of power before this story turns even darker.
The parallels between the MAGA movement and the rise of Hitler are both stunning and chilling. Steve, I agree that we must recognize this looming catastrophe and call it out before it's too late. But we are in an age where even the most important news is forgotten in a few days, the inept and complicit media having moved on to the next shiny object. History becomes meaningless when we can't be bothered to remember what happened last week.
The upcoming election will tell us much about whether the power of MAGA is waxing or waning. I pray to every deity there is, or to the universe if there is none, for the latter.
Too many fellow citizens do not understand how our government works. A groundswell of support from people who believe that all of their ills can be fixed by the federal government. They are voting for fascist government believing the lies purported by the likes of DeSantis, Cruz, Cotton and others will lower their taxes, increase their wages, lower their rent. When in truth it is only state government that controls so many of these issues.
Everyday news outlets give DeSantis a national voice, they did the same thing for trump. DeSantis can not improve my life I don't live in Florida. A senator or congressman can not improve my life they represent the state they come from. The United States needs to teach civics at every level of education. People need to understand how government works and that state government is controlling their lives.
We are now living with the huge divide between states. All being controlled by Governors and state legislatures.
Thank you again for your daily lessons. I am a pedestrian student of history so I know what you have written is true. Fascism may have started in Italy but its total brutality was realized and brought to bear by Hitler and his Reich. Many in this country are afraid to make comparisons of the Orange Jesus and Hitler. However, I see Trump for what he is, a malignancy that given another chance would reproach the cruelty of Hitler enough to make the Fuehrer blush. Trump fains victimhood like a poet uses words and his followers lap it up. Our free speech laws were meant for an ideal society where learning was held high in reverence, but they are now being used against us to spread a misogynistic view for America by men who have received more benefits of wealth than most could ever dream possible. The view from the extreme right is in deed that of Fascism. Their lies are spread like manure and its crop is a cancerous growth that will consume this country. I also thought Trump was only a buffoon until I saw his cruel selfish side. His path will be disastrous for not only the U.S but for all humanity. He has many disciples and everyone of them equally as cruel as their master, the Hustler.
Thank again for your words of truth. I am standing my watch and will do my part to see Fascism dead and buried deep in the ground where I hope and pray it will not rise again in this century.
Thank you for this, Steve. Watching “The US & the Holocaust”, my emotions and thoughts this week have been a bit all over the place. Then the Trump, GOP show happening in real time. Thrilled with the court rulings yesterday, but I do understand that it will not make a difference to many in this country and especially to the GOP elected officials. For me Trump is an abomination. I want him charged, shackled and hauled off. That is probably not going to happen, but any failure to hold him accountable could set the stage for disaster for this country. My fear, is it to late now to stop the madness.
Like Steve says, Trump is a fascist and his story is still unfolding due to the republican leadership backing him 100%. The people don't know what a fascist is. Democratic candidates have to tell them. Orban is a fascist. Do any of us want to trade living in the US with living with Orban's government. Look at what the Italians did to Mussolini. Killed him and hung his body up by the feet, so they could spit on him, kick him and ultimately destroyed him. They tried Fascism and really didn't like it. We won't either. So let's make sure it doesn't happen.
Excellent. And urgent, given the hold Donald Trump has on the media who gives him voice. Loudly. Without confrontation. Weak and destructive. To Americans Now. The most watched and read and listened to media of the day gave Donald Trump the means to bluff his way to power. He threw them tidbits like candy for an insider's peek into his "lifestyle," and Trump gloated. And lied about it, making it the result of work and expertise. HE put his portrait upfront, that of a successful businessman. Not all fell for it and so many warned the country then. But we know that his lies prospered and blossomed when faced with political confrontation. The truth did not become mainstream. There is no quality in the work he did then, other than Fraud. He came to power offering freedom and offering greatness to Americans. He fooled all by using his position to enrich himself and his family. Today, all he has to show to Americans about his stint as President of the most powerful country in the world is HOW he got away with it. His record of criminality against a peaceful nation, his own, is astounding. And should not surprise anyone. But it still exerts control over those who "like it." Support it. Because they want it too. I trust that the institutions of the country will prevail for its citizens and for democracy. I say trust. I personally need proof. I do not want Donald Trump near power ever again. Nor any of the men and women who still, to this day of accountability and revelation, support him. Your essay today is the most visionary of all. Thank you.
I think everyone should be encouraged to watch US and the Holocaust in conjunction with your newsletter. It’s very difficult to watch, but extremely emotionally and intellectually educational. America fails to understand how ignorant we can be about our own history, Constitution, and religious freedoms. What we we were taught about our history and “Manifest Destiny” never examined how it was really a white male supremacy, racist and genocidal, and an example for Hitler to follow Naziism’s basest forms. I fully believe in Democracy, but the dumbing down of America is frightening to me. It’s not enough for the media to mock Trump and Maga representatives like Marjorie Taylor Green when she spouts that the Constitution calls for a National Christian nation. Within the segment the media needs to correct her gross information. The Republican Party needs to boldly, loudly condemn Trump and detach from him, diminish his “authority” in all ways possible, but I fear their ability to discern power and service is vanishing.
Thank you very much for this Steve. Last night I watched a short bit of tRump's interview on his propaganda machine, Fox News, where he pretty much hung himself. Could it be that Fox is purposely providing the noose now?
The parallels between Hitler and Trump are many. Let's not overlook that both were loved and admired. Both were considered saviors. Both were master manipulators. And both were incredibly successful. Had Hitler not run out of gasoline, his armies might have taken Europe and more. (By the way, at the end of the war, the Allies found enough Zyklon-B gas -- the gas used to exterminate millions in the concentration camps -- to kill another 100 million people.) We must never underestimate Trump. Only we are to blame if we do.
The fascist argument is, of course, spot on. But just this morning, on the news of trump’s lawyers trying to argue executive privilege to not have his inner circle testify to a grand jury, it occurred to me that even more than fascistic characteristics, it is the mob mentality that is at work here. Trump demanded loyalty from day one. He was the boss after being sworn in. He was in control of the facts. How dare anyone say that his inauguration was not the biggest? How dare Comey not follow orders and say there was no investigation going on regarding him and Russia? He put his children in positions of power in the WH. He fired career civil servants and installed his cronies. None of them, including himself, were in any way qualified to do any of the jobs they were supposed to do. He bullied his perceived enemies, the leaders of other countries, and flirted with our real enemies, because he was the boss, and it was his prerogative to command. If our friends didn’t do as he said (Zelensky), he tried bribery and then threatened to punish them; he withdrew from long-standing and hard fought-for agreements (Climate), because they were his enemies’ accomplishment. He wanted to withdraw from NATO because he wasn’t the boss of it. He had no idea of the harm he did and didn’t care because when you’re the boss, people better fall in line, or you will punish them. Regarding 1/6: of course the mob boss is not going to just hand over the keys. The new boss gets the crown when the old one dies. Oh, wait. That’s another system. But does anyone know an actual retired mobster? That’s not in jail? Didn’t think so.
There are no attorney/client privileges when the two are committing a crime. There should be no executive privilege when a crime is being committed. His lawyer cannot argue that it would be a fact finding mission. The facts are already on the table. We just need corroboration.
And who was it that successfully put a mob boss behind bars some decades ago? Go talk to Adam Schiff!
When I was twelve, my father gave me a worn paperback copy of Shirer’s “The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich.” It took me five years and all of high school to get through that book but it was one of the most important literary actions I completed in this life.
I have never stopped thinking about the lessons of human darkness and depravity I learned from Shirer’s magnum opus.
I saw Donald Trump coming down that escalator and knew exactly what I was looking at. Still do.
Too many of our fellow citizens do not care about history and what it can tell and teach us. History can’t and won’t solve the day-to-day difficulties that the lower and diminishing middle class face in managing their lives. They have lost the control of their destinies and the look to these New Fascists who falsely promise to restore that. It is history whispering, repeating. But they hear not. And put all of us in peril.
“We're our own warning.” - Becky Chambers
Thanks for the illuminating quote from Wiegand. While Trump may be diminished his imitators like DeSantis are outdoing him in fascist style: promoting hatred of immigrants, and non-heterosexuals, twisting teaching of history, firing of school boards, creating "fraud" police, and illegally redistricting to eliminate 2 black districts. It is critical to defeat him and to elect Crist and Val Demings.
I agree with the comparisons of Trump's rise to power with that of Hitler's. The light bulb went off for me when I visited the Holocaust Museum in 2016. Trump has stolen Hitler's script, leading a fascist movement to gain power by stoking fear and grievance.
However, there are significant differences between Hitler and Trump. Hitler actually believed in the fascist ideology and eugenics. He was a thinker who was well read and wrote his books himself. He was poor and detested the wealthy. Trump, on the other hand, is a grifter who doesn't read or write. He doesn't have beliefs. As J.K. Rowling said when asked about which Hogwarts house Trump would be in, he would be in none of them. He is a "Muggle." He only cares about his popularity and his fortune, and he lies about both. He's a con artist and a hypnotist. Trump is a narcissist, and I'm not sure he cares about other people enough in order to be called a fascist.
We certainly won't know for sure until, as you say, the story is over. Personally, I worry more about the connection to Putin and future true fascist leaders of MAGA, like DeSantis, than Trump himself. Like the Wizard of Oz, one day the curtain is finally going to open and expose him for what he is. The grievance against the elites and hatred of outsiders will still remain, unfortunately. For now, we need to keep the orange Muggle and his fascist followers out of power before this story turns even darker.
The parallels between the MAGA movement and the rise of Hitler are both stunning and chilling. Steve, I agree that we must recognize this looming catastrophe and call it out before it's too late. But we are in an age where even the most important news is forgotten in a few days, the inept and complicit media having moved on to the next shiny object. History becomes meaningless when we can't be bothered to remember what happened last week.
The upcoming election will tell us much about whether the power of MAGA is waxing or waning. I pray to every deity there is, or to the universe if there is none, for the latter.
Too many fellow citizens do not understand how our government works. A groundswell of support from people who believe that all of their ills can be fixed by the federal government. They are voting for fascist government believing the lies purported by the likes of DeSantis, Cruz, Cotton and others will lower their taxes, increase their wages, lower their rent. When in truth it is only state government that controls so many of these issues.
Everyday news outlets give DeSantis a national voice, they did the same thing for trump. DeSantis can not improve my life I don't live in Florida. A senator or congressman can not improve my life they represent the state they come from. The United States needs to teach civics at every level of education. People need to understand how government works and that state government is controlling their lives.
We are now living with the huge divide between states. All being controlled by Governors and state legislatures.
Thank you again for your daily lessons. I am a pedestrian student of history so I know what you have written is true. Fascism may have started in Italy but its total brutality was realized and brought to bear by Hitler and his Reich. Many in this country are afraid to make comparisons of the Orange Jesus and Hitler. However, I see Trump for what he is, a malignancy that given another chance would reproach the cruelty of Hitler enough to make the Fuehrer blush. Trump fains victimhood like a poet uses words and his followers lap it up. Our free speech laws were meant for an ideal society where learning was held high in reverence, but they are now being used against us to spread a misogynistic view for America by men who have received more benefits of wealth than most could ever dream possible. The view from the extreme right is in deed that of Fascism. Their lies are spread like manure and its crop is a cancerous growth that will consume this country. I also thought Trump was only a buffoon until I saw his cruel selfish side. His path will be disastrous for not only the U.S but for all humanity. He has many disciples and everyone of them equally as cruel as their master, the Hustler.
Thank again for your words of truth. I am standing my watch and will do my part to see Fascism dead and buried deep in the ground where I hope and pray it will not rise again in this century.
Thank you for this, Steve. Watching “The US & the Holocaust”, my emotions and thoughts this week have been a bit all over the place. Then the Trump, GOP show happening in real time. Thrilled with the court rulings yesterday, but I do understand that it will not make a difference to many in this country and especially to the GOP elected officials. For me Trump is an abomination. I want him charged, shackled and hauled off. That is probably not going to happen, but any failure to hold him accountable could set the stage for disaster for this country. My fear, is it to late now to stop the madness.
Like Steve says, Trump is a fascist and his story is still unfolding due to the republican leadership backing him 100%. The people don't know what a fascist is. Democratic candidates have to tell them. Orban is a fascist. Do any of us want to trade living in the US with living with Orban's government. Look at what the Italians did to Mussolini. Killed him and hung his body up by the feet, so they could spit on him, kick him and ultimately destroyed him. They tried Fascism and really didn't like it. We won't either. So let's make sure it doesn't happen.
Excellent. And urgent, given the hold Donald Trump has on the media who gives him voice. Loudly. Without confrontation. Weak and destructive. To Americans Now. The most watched and read and listened to media of the day gave Donald Trump the means to bluff his way to power. He threw them tidbits like candy for an insider's peek into his "lifestyle," and Trump gloated. And lied about it, making it the result of work and expertise. HE put his portrait upfront, that of a successful businessman. Not all fell for it and so many warned the country then. But we know that his lies prospered and blossomed when faced with political confrontation. The truth did not become mainstream. There is no quality in the work he did then, other than Fraud. He came to power offering freedom and offering greatness to Americans. He fooled all by using his position to enrich himself and his family. Today, all he has to show to Americans about his stint as President of the most powerful country in the world is HOW he got away with it. His record of criminality against a peaceful nation, his own, is astounding. And should not surprise anyone. But it still exerts control over those who "like it." Support it. Because they want it too. I trust that the institutions of the country will prevail for its citizens and for democracy. I say trust. I personally need proof. I do not want Donald Trump near power ever again. Nor any of the men and women who still, to this day of accountability and revelation, support him. Your essay today is the most visionary of all. Thank you.
I think everyone should be encouraged to watch US and the Holocaust in conjunction with your newsletter. It’s very difficult to watch, but extremely emotionally and intellectually educational. America fails to understand how ignorant we can be about our own history, Constitution, and religious freedoms. What we we were taught about our history and “Manifest Destiny” never examined how it was really a white male supremacy, racist and genocidal, and an example for Hitler to follow Naziism’s basest forms. I fully believe in Democracy, but the dumbing down of America is frightening to me. It’s not enough for the media to mock Trump and Maga representatives like Marjorie Taylor Green when she spouts that the Constitution calls for a National Christian nation. Within the segment the media needs to correct her gross information. The Republican Party needs to boldly, loudly condemn Trump and detach from him, diminish his “authority” in all ways possible, but I fear their ability to discern power and service is vanishing.
Thank you very much for this Steve. Last night I watched a short bit of tRump's interview on his propaganda machine, Fox News, where he pretty much hung himself. Could it be that Fox is purposely providing the noose now?
If only more Republicans would read this. All of it is accurate and true.
He went down the escalator. All I saw was a moron. I honestly never gave this treasonous traitor so much credit.
The parallels between Hitler and Trump are many. Let's not overlook that both were loved and admired. Both were considered saviors. Both were master manipulators. And both were incredibly successful. Had Hitler not run out of gasoline, his armies might have taken Europe and more. (By the way, at the end of the war, the Allies found enough Zyklon-B gas -- the gas used to exterminate millions in the concentration camps -- to kill another 100 million people.) We must never underestimate Trump. Only we are to blame if we do.
The fascist argument is, of course, spot on. But just this morning, on the news of trump’s lawyers trying to argue executive privilege to not have his inner circle testify to a grand jury, it occurred to me that even more than fascistic characteristics, it is the mob mentality that is at work here. Trump demanded loyalty from day one. He was the boss after being sworn in. He was in control of the facts. How dare anyone say that his inauguration was not the biggest? How dare Comey not follow orders and say there was no investigation going on regarding him and Russia? He put his children in positions of power in the WH. He fired career civil servants and installed his cronies. None of them, including himself, were in any way qualified to do any of the jobs they were supposed to do. He bullied his perceived enemies, the leaders of other countries, and flirted with our real enemies, because he was the boss, and it was his prerogative to command. If our friends didn’t do as he said (Zelensky), he tried bribery and then threatened to punish them; he withdrew from long-standing and hard fought-for agreements (Climate), because they were his enemies’ accomplishment. He wanted to withdraw from NATO because he wasn’t the boss of it. He had no idea of the harm he did and didn’t care because when you’re the boss, people better fall in line, or you will punish them. Regarding 1/6: of course the mob boss is not going to just hand over the keys. The new boss gets the crown when the old one dies. Oh, wait. That’s another system. But does anyone know an actual retired mobster? That’s not in jail? Didn’t think so.
There are no attorney/client privileges when the two are committing a crime. There should be no executive privilege when a crime is being committed. His lawyer cannot argue that it would be a fact finding mission. The facts are already on the table. We just need corroboration.
And who was it that successfully put a mob boss behind bars some decades ago? Go talk to Adam Schiff!