Cantor vs Limbaugh, Nazi Analogies
Should we start the clock on how long it takes Eric Cantor to apologize?
“The Republican Party in its roots is a party of inclusion and we ought to be promoting that and making sure that voices are heard,” Cantor, of Virginia, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing today.
Cantor, when asked about Limbaugh’s comments that “Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, also ruled by dictate” and his comparison of the administration’s health-care logo to a swastika, said Limbaugh was wrong.
“Do I condone the mention of Hitler in any discussion about politics?” Cantor said. “No, I don’t, because obviously that is something that conjures up images that frankly are not, I think, very helpful.”
I wonder if that applies to members of the conservative grassroots who analogize health care reform to concentration camps? There’s research which indicates that diverse groups make better decisions than homogeneous ones. And I think the fact that the one Jewish Republican in congress can see that there’s a problem here, despite being a stone-cold right-winger, illustrates some of the issue. Put that guy in the room, and there’s someone to raise a note of caution. But in a lot of rooms, there’s no one from outside the pretty narrow circle of middle-aged white male goyim who dominate the party and that brings with it a certain loss of perspective. That’s a good enough demographic for a popular radio show, but it’s not big enough for a political party.
56 Responses to “Cantor vs Limbaugh, Nazi Analogies”
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November 6th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Matt,
Are you really going to keep banging on this dead horse? This is exactly analogous to the “We support our troops when they SHOOT their officers” poster that showed up at one of the anti-war rallies, and tells you exactly as much about the larger group it is associated with.
Nothing.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
This is a sticky one for Cantor because he’s Jewish. Truth be told that’s a sticky situation for him anyway in Virginia, inclusiveness my ass, so that makes this a mistake for him. He will be apologizing shortly.
I don’t recall Hitler struggling to get Operation Reinhard through the Reichstag. Probably because there was no reichstag.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
But in a lot of rooms, there’s no one from outside the pretty narrow circle of middle-aged white male goyim who dominate the party and that brings with it a certain loss of perspective.
Matt, you dirty sexist! If the past year has taught us anything it is that Republican women are just as stupid as Republican men!
November 6th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Hey! Look at that, Cantor’s finally doing something that doesn’t make me want to punch him in the throat and disassociate myself from the commonwealth.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
[...] must read this. As I said before, I think this piece hits the nail on the head. See article at . VDare, Richmond, CA, Muslim, [...]
November 6th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
The images aren’t helpful? Way to take a stand.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I think the Nazi pr0n we’re seeing at teabagger rallies has more to do with yearning than with fearing.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Oh man. When you’re depending on ERIC FREAKING CANTOR to be the voice of moderation and reason you’re in a lot of trouble.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Matt,
I’m disappointed that you decided to post the same picture of Dachau being exploited by the teabaggers, especially when it’s not directly linked to the post. Cantor wasn’t commenting on the protesters’ use of the image, so it has no place with this post. I would have thought you’d have more tact than to throw it in just for the added dramatic effect.
For that matter though, it saddens me that Cantor hasn’t spoken out about the image’s use.
Then again, it also saddens me that of the 150+ comments on your previous post with this image, only me and one or two other people commented on how inappropriate it was to use that image in this context. People must be more cynical and desensitized than I realized. Sad.
Becky
November 6th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
heedless,
The difference between left-wing crazies and right-wing crazies is that a major political party embraces right-wing crazies. So, no, it’s not symmetric.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Big deal, who cares about a stupid sign.
And this: “Do I condone the mention of Hitler in any discussion about politics?” Cantor said. “No, I don’t…” is even more stupid. You can’t mention Hitler in any discussion about politics? What a moron.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Another “they’ve got the tiger by the tail” moment.
Cantor won’t necessarily APOLOGIZE since it’s hard for anyone, particularly a Jew, to apologize to ANYONE (even Rush Limbaugh) for careless Nazi analogies.
…
But he’s also been thinking “damn I’d make a good president” since well before he started the rumors that McCain was considering him for a running mate. He’ll “qualify his remarks” about Limbaugh shortly. It will happen before the weekend ends so the lazy press won’t report on his backtracking.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
If there is an issue worthy of comparison with Hitler, then that issue should be thick enough to discuss at length, and be truly alarming in its own right. The Hitler tic is lame.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Huh? Why would Cantor apologize?
November 6th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
heedless: There was more craziness than just that one sign.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/11/06/i/
November 6th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
You can’t mention Hitler in any discussion about politics? What a moron.
I think, as a general rule of thumb, that would work.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Led,
I don’t disagree, but the same thing was true about anti-war protests. Every protest is full of crazies, and they rarely offer much in the way of nuanced, persuasive argument. It just isn’t the forum.
Also, who is quoting me while using my handle? I assume it’s accidental, but it still needs fixing.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Besides which, Matthew is just being a complete hypocrite. Matthew himself has been engaging in Nazi analogies forever (in blog years).
Here’s Matthew analogizing Republicans to Nazis way back in 2004!
If there’s anybody who supports calling other people Nazis it’s Matthew Yglesias!
November 6th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
“That would work” – what’s that supposed to mean? Work how?
November 6th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
A rule about not mentioning Hitler in any political discussion would work, in that it would be a vast improvement over the current state of political discourse.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Huh? Why would Cantor apologize?
Because there’s a fairly recent pattern of Republican elected officials criticizing Rush Limbaugh and then feeling compelled to apologize for that criticism afterward. Or, more like walk it back, regret how it came across, etc.
I can’t believe the guy with a phonographic memory of every Democrat’s gaffe ever thinks he can get away with pretending he doesn’t remember this.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Al is such a fucking maroon that he thinks the Dolchstosslegende was created by the Nazis.
It’s been a very bad week of trolling for you, Al. Relegation to the lower troll leagues is looming.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I noticed that too and was confused until I just decided that Al probably doesn’t know a whole lot about German history and moved on.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Hypersensitive girls like you, Aqua Regia, shouldn’t read blogs. Stick with Time and Newsweek.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
“Goyishacup”, the mind of a gentile, is what my grandfather used to call people like Kantor. It was not a compliment.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Al is such a fucking maroon that he thinks the Dolchstosslegende was created by the Nazis.
Nobody said that it was created by the Nazis. But it was certainly used to a large extent by the Nazis and was an important factor in the Nazis rise to power – and that’s what it is best known for. Which is exactly why Matthew used it.
Matthew’s been analogizing Republicans to Nazis for a long, long time. So it is hypocritical for him to now criticize other for doing what he was doing 5 years ago.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
My bad. I mistakenly posted under heedless when I meant to address you, heedless. Sorry.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Rep. Cantor just stabbed Rush in the back. Pass it on.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
This is exactly analogous to the “We support our troops when they SHOOT their officers” poster that showed up at one of the anti-war rallies, and tells you exactly as much about the larger group it is associated with.
This would be true if the liberal equivalent of Rush Limbaugh (if such a person existed…let’s say Al Franken for the sake of argument) had made comments to the effect of “Support troops when they shoot their officers,” as Limbaugh has made comments to the effect that Obama is like Hitler.
In other words, and Matt pointed this out yesterday too, these people may be crazy but they are being encouraged in their craziness by their leaders, who also provide some of their rhetoric.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
“Hypersensitive girls like you, Aqua Regia, shouldn’t read blogs.”
Have other people noticed that those who advocate for incivility inevitably use the language of sexist assholes? Why is that, I wonder?
November 6th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
“Goyishacup”, the mind of a gentile, is what my grandfather used to call people like Kantor.
I believe your grandfather was saying “goyisher kopf” or “goyishe kop.”
November 6th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
So, basically your garden-variety ethnic slur?
Interestingly, not all analogies turn out to be equally valid.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
“So, basically your garden-variety ethnic slur?”
Sure. If you don’t believe me, would you believe Wikipedia?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs
November 6th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Al, that’s an assertion you really need to back up with links. The only link you’ve posted doesn’t have a single mention of “Nazi” or “Hitler”. Until you can provide evidence, I will assume you are smearing Yglesias.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Cue Cantor apology to Limbaugh in 5…4…3…2…
November 6th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Have other people noticed that those who advocate for incivility inevitably use the language of sexist assholes? Why is that, I wonder?
Because those who use that language are pussies.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Yeah, also funny how some civility-mongers would never pass a chance to call people “assholes” and accuse them of various terrible “isms”. Well, irony has been dead for a long time.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
…and what does mentioning or not mentioning Hitler have to do with civility anyhow?
November 6th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I didn’t doubt you.
But, hey, Wikipedia, that’s a name you can trust!
November 6th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Hey can you give us a link to that research on diversity and decision makeing ?
November 6th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Yeah, also funny how some civility-mongers would never pass a chance to call people “assholes” and accuse them of various terrible “isms”.
Well, that’s a fair point. Of course, I don’t care if people say “asshole.” I’m not thrilled when people bring it back to Hitler, mainly because it’s sometimes tasteless and frequently overused, but I don’t have a strenuous objection to it.
On the other hand, when adults call other adults “hypersensitive girls,” that I do seriously object to, because they’re being sexist assholes.
As for “accusing [you] of various ‘isms,’” well, that’s not uncivil either. And what’s with the quotes? Calling an adult a “hypersensitive girl” is sexist, not “sexist.” If you called for collectivizing the means of production, would you say, “And don’t make me out to be some kind of ‘Marxist’!”
November 6th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
This isn’t an issue. It is more about the politics of taking offense.And as such, it only exists to feed the pimps of offense, whether rightwing or leftwing.
Who really gives a fuck? The teabaggers may be right about healthcare, or – as I think – abysmally wrong, but it makes little difference if they carry signs showing concentration camps or puppy dogs. Indignation is just another draw, like sex, to catch the mooks. Sex, at least, is more entertaining.
November 6th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Hitler was an asshole and an adherent of National Socialism.
November 7th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Personally, I’d like to see Hitler retired as an analogy for current politicians in favor of new, less hackneyed hyperbolic references.
“The health care bill’s provisions for paying for Christian Science prayer ‘treatment’ plumbs depths of ignorance not seen in public policy since Qin Shi Huang ordered the burial of scholars alive.”
“Titus Flavius Domitianus would have solidly approved of the usurpation of legislative authority and suppression of senatorial debate seen in the passage of the TARP bill.”
“Mitch McConnell cares as much about the health of most Americans as Hulagu Khan cared about the health of most Bhagdadis.”
November 7th, 2009 at 12:37 am
I would vote for that bill Julian. My main problem with invoking hitler is not that it is offensive, it is that it is lazy. If people had to work on getting their historical analogies correct (or at least interesting) then that would be great.
November 7th, 2009 at 12:42 am
Personally, I’d like to see Hitler retired as an analogy for current politicians in favor of new, less hackneyed hyperbolic references.
We should mau-mau Hitler analogies.
November 7th, 2009 at 12:42 am
Also: In the event that Barack Obama annexes Ontario, I will admit that I’m wrong, and that Obama and Hitler are exactly alike.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Jewish and protestant rich ivy league graduates together make no diverse group.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:44 am
Hitler succeeded only after he convinced the financial elites and the corporate industrialists to back him and under Hitler the financial elites and corporate industrialists of Germany became outrageously wealthy.
From Britannica’s article on Hitler:
Hitler’s alliance with the wealthy Alfred Hugenberg “enabled him to seek support from many of the magnates of business and industry who controlled political funds and were anxious to use them to establish a strong right-wing, antisocialist government. The subsidies Hitler received from the industrialists placed his party on a secure financial footing and enabled him to make effective his emotional appeal to the lower middle class and the unemployed, based on the proclamation of his faith that Germany would awaken from its sufferings to reassert its natural greatness.”
Hitler’s NAZI movement was a RIGHT WING movement through and through.
The right wing rewrites history saying otherwise.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Personally, I’d like to see Hitler retired as an analogy for current politicians in favor of new, less hackneyed hyperbolic references.
Unfortunately that would require a rudimentary understanding of political history. I mean, we’re talking about people afraid of the term “czars”.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:51 am
C’mon News Reference, we all know that Encyclopedia Britannica was written by Saul Alinsky and was nothing more than the first chapter of Rules for Radicals. WAKE UP SHEEPLE!
November 7th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Calling an adult a “hypersensitive girl” is sexist, not “sexist.”
That’s just about as much true as that health care reform is the first step towards Dachau.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:48 am
I love it ! “frankly, are not, I think, very helpful …”. Now there is an unambiguously clear and forceful pushback against the radical right, if ever I heard one ! I bet Rush is just, really, I think, trembling in his storm trooper boots. What a joke.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Well, I think “frankly, are not, I think, very helpful …” is rather artful. It’s polite, but the message is there. It’s a lot better than nothing. Or egging it on.
November 7th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
There is no reference to the Nazis anywhere in the piece you linked to.
Did you paste in the wrong article, Al? Or you just a fucking moron?
November 8th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
[...] Eric Cantor apologized to Rush [...]