Does Trump Parallel Hitler’s Rise To Power?

Do you sometimes see a parallel between Donald Trump’s rise and Adolf Hitler’s rise? Shall I now pause and cringe, anticipating the boos & rotten tomatoes flying through the air? Yes, I know its become cliché to compare anyone contemporary to Hitler. But seriously, Donald Trump is spewing some extreme right-wing rhetoric during a time of economic uncertainty. His campaign appeals to “downtrodden” white people on issues they feel know are true without any supporting evidence, relying on stoked fears of the “other” who is infiltrating and ruining our once great nation.

While much of the country despises and/or fears him, Donald Trump has a big enough base of rabid fans propelling him forward, backed by a national press that cannot help itself (or us) but cover this phenomenon, and it is roping more and more people into a hateful abyss. If this continues, the next thing you know this maniac will be carrying the nuclear football.

After Trump’s rise to power, and for the next one hundred years after, when someone mentions our country, the name “Trump” will be the one thing every school kid associates with the United States. We’ll try to convince the rest of the world that not ALL of us supported him. Just because he rose to power doesn’t mean we’re all Hitler Trump supporters! Someday a kid will shudder, after unearthing evidence his grandfather once supported that lunatic.

Photo by Tony Webster via Flickr

Photo by Tony Webster via Flickr

Donald Trump for President Sign – West Des Moines, Iowa
A photograph of 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump in a residential backyard near Jordan Creek Parkway and Cody Drive in West Des Moines, Iowa, with lights and security cameras.

Right now I cling to the notion that Donald Trump isn’t the ideologue that Adolf Hitler was. If Trump really does believe half of what he says, then the prospect of a President Trump is terrifying indeed. But, I believe the real Trump is probably not as crazy as the character he is playing on television. Don’t get me wrong, I think the guy is a narcissistic asshole, but then so are most politicians (to one degree or another), but I’m not sure he’s as crazy as he sounds. I do think much of it is an act. After all, he’s been doing some form of this subterfuge going on four decades now. The only difference this time is that his deceit has brought in a new ideological component necessary to appeal to a xenophobic and racist political coalition, otherwise known as the Republican base. Even if this is all a marketing gimmick, it is still a frightening idea that he could be our next president.

Of course, I still haven’t completely ruled out the possibility that this is all an elaborate ruse to destroy the GOP.

Photo by Tony Webster via Flickr

Photo by Tony Webster via Flickr

AbsurdityElection 2016IntolerancePolitics

#Adolf Hitler#Donald Trump#GOP#president#racist#Republican#rise to power#xenophobic