GOP Failure of Leadership on Tea Partier Abuse of the Holocaust
Published November 12, 2009 @ 02:52PM PT
The use of Holocaust imagery and rhetoric by the GOP's so-called Tea Party Patriots has progressed from annoying to downright disgusting.
Last week, several House Republicans joined right-wing ideologue (er, Representative) Michelle Bachmann for a 5,000-person strong protest of Obama's health care reform in front of the US Capitol. Directly in front of the speakers, which included House Minority Leader John Boehner, was a 5-by-8 foot sign with a famous image of a pile of dead bodies from a Nazi concentration camp and the words, "National Socialist Healthcare, Dachau, Germany, 1945." No one condemned the horribly disrespectful use of the tragic image, and many even denied seeing it when confronted after, despite numerous eye witness and photographic accounts that place the rather large sign in plain sight of the podium.
The Anti-Defamation League, National Jewish Democratic Council, and others are calling on Republicans to put an end to the vile abuse of Holocaust imagery by their constituents. ADL sent a letter to Boehner and several others condemning the failure of Republican leadership on the "inappropriate and profoundly offensive" use of Nazi symbolism athealth care protests. Bachmann issued a belated statement essentially agreeing that the incident was distasteful, calling the incident "regrettable" but failing to apologize for neglecting deal with -- and thus implicitly supporting -- the issue when it arose at the rally she organized last week. And as Rep. Steve Israel commented, "It shouldn't have taken peer pressure, media inquiries or national outrage to get Rep. Bachmann to take a stand in defense of Holocaust victims."
The Dachau poster is not a lone example, but represents an increasingly distasteful penchant for health care-Holocaust comparisons by GOP stalwarts. That the trend has progressed as long as it has is a testament to irresponsible and reprehensible Republican leadership -- and it only does a disservice to their cause, as legitimate criticisms ofhealth care reforms get lost in the crowd of hyperbolic poster slogans.
In respect of the 12 million lives lost in the Holocaust, it is time to put an end to this, yesterday.
[Photo from ProgressOhio's Flickr stream, Creative Commons license.]
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Comments (3)
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Michelle became involved in the anti-genocide cause at a young age, and has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns, ever since.
I'm so glad I found this article. I cannot believe how they run amok openly trying to destroy the president and our agenda.
Watching CNN the other day, the report on anti-american sentiment in the US. They showed scary taliban-looking guys in the street decrying Obama.
THAT's when they said "Does free speech go too far?" and I wondered, what's the difference, besides the dress and color of skin, between the muslim anti-american haters in this country and the american anti-american haters FROM here?
I'm sorry, but they all look like they are spewing the very same hate to me. All protected by free speech or not at all.
Bachman and the others hide behind this freedom while screaming they've lost their freedom. The only consolation I have is that they will go down in history as the fringe freaks that they are, people who openly tried to destroy this country.
Plus, they just can't allow us to enjoy making things better.
Posted by CherokeeGirl for Change on 11/13/2009 @ 10:22AM PT
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I personally feel that no one has the right to censor the public. If they feel it is so wrong for people to feel the way they do, and for them to relate our current situation to the holocast, then how come they don't address the situation?
How come they don't explain all the crap and corporate lobbyist going on in the white house and in congress right now? There are a lot of very scared people right now, and it isn't because of the tea party people or the republicans. It's because of the NWO and the fact that our country is no longer controlled by the people we put into office.
They can't ban anyone from using any pictures or relating things the way they will, but what they can do is be honest. They can speak up and address the concerns of the public. If they don't, it will get worse than just pictures, and that is something I hope to never see.
I vote freedom, and I vote against the patriot act and against this nonsense war. I also feel that until they put regulations on vaccine makers, pharmaceutical companies and fluoridation in the water, that they are committing genocide.
When they can address those concerns and the concerns of millions of American's who are now afriad that if they don't get modern health care they will get fined or punished. Or the millions who are worried about the fact that we are going farther into recession than ever.
I don't condemn Obama they way everyone else does, but I feel he needs to stand up and be the man he said he would.
NO MORE WAR, NO MORE PANDEMIC or MANDATORY VACCINATIONS, NO FORCED HEALTH CARE and NO POISONS or HORMONES in our Food, Water or air.
When the government can HONESTLY address these issues, they won't have to worry about people claiming things are going to become like the holocast.
I was a former democrat, but now I believe in neither party, their both corrupt. I vote freedom.
Posted by Amused Consensus on 11/16/2009 @ 01:28AM PT
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Hey Amused, you sound like a liberal because they are the ones that address each issue with the facts of each issue and don't paint everything with a broad brush. I have many complaints and dissappointments as well, with the new administration. I think Geithner should be fired. I think Eric Holder should be held accountable for not holding anyone accountable. I think FISA should be reversed, I want our war criminals held accountable. I want a congress that isn't bought and paid for who finds any excuse in the book not to implement a clean public option, medicare for all.
I have many dissappointment, but a nazi schwastica-sign holding ignoraums teabagger, i will never be.
They should take a lesson from the Bank protesters. Now there's a group with a unified message that means something. Didn't see any nazi symbolism there.
Posted by CherokeeGirl for Change on 11/17/2009 @ 11:58AM PT
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