2020 Presidential Candidates

I wonder if Germans in the run-up to full-blown Nazism were as blind to or unfazed by what was happening. As the meme goes, it didn't start with extermination camps, it started with propaganda demonizing the Jews and progressed from there.

Trump and his henchmen are systematically destroying immigration rules, the USDA, environmental agencies, national parks, our health care system, women's reproductive rights, and on and on, while encouraging violence ("fine people on both sides," "I'll pay your legal fees...") and demonizing anyone who dares to criticize or disagree with him.Attachment 2937

I consider the analogy between Hitler and Nazism a false or exaggerated analogy when comparing to the US and Trump. However, it's worth pointing out that pre-Nazi Germany was in the midst of a great depression and the Nazi Party was supposedly responsible for it's return to stability and prosperity, at least for a time. I'd probably go, desperate measures for desperate times.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

I consider the analogy between Hitler and Nazism a false or exaggerated analogy when comparing to the US and Trump. However, it's worth pointing out that pre-Nazi Germany was in the midst of a great depression and the Nazi Party was supposedly responsible for it's return to stability and prosperity, at least for a time. I'd probably go, desperate measures for desperate times.

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The regime in power counts on citizens downplaying or denying similarities, I'm pretty sure. By "desperate measures" are you referring to the removal of Jews and other "undesirables" to the camps? We already have camps full of "undesirables," if not citizens yet. That may be a test of how much we're willing to stomach. Babies literally ripped from their mother's breasts? Fine, as long as I get a tax cut...

It is a common trait of conspiracy theorists to decry the willful blindness of people who don’t share their views.

America isn’t The Weimar Republic. Trump isn’t Hitler. The “Resistance” certainly isn’t the Maquis. We will see the evidence of that next November.

It just may not make a lot of sense to see things in that type of historical context. Some problems we face are in some sense bigger than the Nazis (climate and ecological collapse). And others are seen through a hyper-partisan lens. Not all of the immigration policies for instance are new with Trump, some pre-date him, and truthfully many will probably post-date him depending (I would like to be in the post-date period mind you :) ). I'm talking about policy, not his dreadful personality. Yes some of his policies are definitely worse, but it's sometimes hard to see through how thick the partisanship has gotten.

Anyway golden eras don't produce Trumps, eras of widespread and broad prosperity don't produce Trumps. But we do of course know the prosperity is NOT widely spread. Sure we have indoor plumbing I guess, and homeless families living under the bridge when we take a drive etc.

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Originally Posted by ApatheticNoMore

Anyway golden eras don't produce Trumps, eras of widespread and broad prosperity don't produce Trumps. But we do of course know the prosperity is NOT widely spread. Sure we have indoor plumbing I guess, and homeless families living under the bridge when we take a drive etc.

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America has always had the down trodden and we are remiss in ignoring them regardless of the relative numbers. They were there with Obama and with highly qualified unemployed people going to food banks. But if you consider we are at almost full employment with inflation adjusted rising wages, the rest of us who are not living under bridges are doing quite well on the average. The environment is another issue that I think doesn't have a historical comparison. It's a global problem.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

I try not to let a bonehead like Trump rule my day to day happiness. My life under T is pretty much the same as under Obama and nothing has really changed for me once we got out of the 2007 financial mess. What does make me unhappy is looming environmental changes, but pretty much any Republican would tow the same line as Trump, although with a different rhetoric. Matter of fact the general American public doesn't seem that concerned. If I were a young person being left the environmental legacy of our generation, I'd be extremely unhappy. In some respects we are living in a golden time and place and I feel very fortunate. Trump is irritating, though.

I noticed a new Politico polls say Sanders and Biden are the only candidates to beat Trump.

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Roger, your comments are always so reasonable and they speak truth. Thanks for posting!

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Originally Posted by Rogar

The environment is another issue that I think doesn't have a historical comparison. It's a global problem.

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I think it does have a historical comparison, we just think that climate changes during our lifetime are unique. The climate has always been in a state of flux and we seem to think we can change that.

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Originally Posted by Alan

I think it does have a historical comparison, we just think that climate changes during our lifetime are unique. The climate has always been in a state of flux and we seem to think we can change that.

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I don't want to get into a climate change debate, but only to say it's not that it's changing, but it is the rate of change. There is no real historical comparison, with maybe the closest being a few volcanic eruptions and asteroid strikes. Those were generally not favorable to the life forms of the time.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

I don't want to get into a climate change debate, but only to say it's not that it's changing, but it is the rate of change. There is no real historical comparison, with maybe the closest being a few volcanic eruptions and asteroid strikes. Those were generally not favorable to the life forms of the time.

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It's interesting to read about the Quaternary Glaciation Period and the alternating glacial and interglacial periods which are ongoing. A long term look at our climate shows that we're currently in a cooling trend which began about 6000 years ago and is expected to last for another 20,000 or so years. Fascinating stuff!