Learning from history is tough, even for those who remember it. Parallels are never exact. The importance of each difference between then and now is a judgement call. Consider a darkly hilarious cartoon by Jen Sorensen:
Yes, the resemblance of the armed guard to a Nazi storm trooper is as subtle as a sledge hammer. Fine by me. Maybe it will overcome the American propensity for historical amnesia and wishful thinking.
Much to my dismay, Hillary Clinton is the only Trump opponent who might conceivably be elected. The progressive purists who disdain supporting Clinton are confident that something like what happened in Germany in 1932 and 1933 could not happen here and now, with a Trump victory. Yes, our traditions of liberal democracy are stronger than those of the Weimar Republic. The pertinent question is not whether our traditions are stronger but whether they are still strong enough, after years of relentless assault from the pseudoconservative coalition of bigots and plutocrats that controls staggering amounts of dark money and has already taken over the GOP. Dammit, the answer is not obvious.
The prospect of a Trumplestilzken in the White House is a frightening prospect! I hope all those who know better show up November 8!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I hope so too. Sad to see how many people content themselves with ridiculing Trump and his supporters, w/o doing anything to support Clinton.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mellow Curmudgeon for President.
LikeLiked by 3 people
If only POTUS could work from home in the Hudson Valley with a fast Internet connex … 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well said…..we voters just need to pay better attention than we normally do….this thing could work out disastrous for the country….chuq
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. A few in the MSM may be waking up. (The 10-03 issue of TIME has a good piece on the Trumpery of far-right politics in Europe.) Whether enough voters wake up remains to be seen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
AS it appears…few will be awake when they vote….
LikeLike
Here’s hoping you don’t go sleepwalking into Trumpland. Brexit was bad enough.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Reblogged this on saywhatumean2say and commented:
Dammit, the answer IS NOT OBVIOUS! ~~dru~~
LikeLiked by 2 people
I pray that such foolishness is avoided. Otherwise, I dread to even think what nightmare might ensue…
LikeLiked by 1 person
As a Brit following the ‘Trump phenomenon’ from the UK, it’s hard not to feel like a shocked by-stander. Don’t claim to understand the US healthcare set up in any detail, but I’m saddened to read in my newspaper, in a league table of life expectancy, that the US falls below Western Europe, & is equivalent to countries such as Rumania.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In short: The ACA (Affordable Care Act, AKA “Obamacare”) is an absurdly complex kluge that still improved on what came before in healthcare. Rather than fix the ACA, Trump & friends want to go back to what came before. US politics is a concerted effort to make the old Monty Python skits look calm, sedate, and sensible. That effort is succeeding.
LikeLike