Santorum’s slur part of the conservative mainstream

May 20, 2005

As Blogenlust noted yesterday, Powerline’s John John Hinderaker, Time’s “Blog of the Year,” recently explained his belief that comparisons between conservatives and Nazis have become a mainstay of progressive political rhetoric.

“I, personally, would like to see a moratorium on all references to Hitler, the Third Reich, Nazism and the Holocaust in the context of domestic political debate. Such a rule would have no perceptible effect on conservative discourse, but it would render the left virtually mute.”

Alas, Hinderaker had it backwards.

Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum clearly took the “Dems are Nazis” tack to new depths yesterday, with remarks that should, at a minimum, force him from leadership post. But let’s not forget that these contemptible slurs are offered so frequently in right-wing circles, they’ve become commonplace.

* GOP activist and Karl Rove ally Grover Norquist said the Estate Tax is the moral equivalent of the Nazi Holocaust.

* Bob Novak compared Dem tactics on judicial nominees to Nazi concentration camps.

* Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly described information from Media Matters to “Joseph Goebbels Nazi stuff.”

* MSNBC’s Michael Savage said socially liberal Dems are “like Mengele, the doctor of death from the Nazi concentration camps.”

The slander has become routine for the right. Please note that we’re not just talking about obscure, marginal activists popping off on some blog; these are the comments of leading conservative figures, including the third highest-ranking member of the United States Senate, speaking to national audiences.

The pathology dominating the right has gone mainstream. Until unhinged conservative leaders like Santorum start facing political consequences for their lunacy, it’s only going to get worse.

I think it’s that “projection” thing at work, still, in these evil-doers. ALL of the Repugs in the Senate know that they are telling lies (e.g., there has never been a filibuster of a judicial nominee until the Dems did it two years ago); they know that they have to break the Senate rules to change the rules; and they know that nothing in the Constitution requires an “up or down vote” on nominees, and that in fact Rule XXXI mandates that, follwing the end of each Congress AND after a recess of more than 30 days, any then-pending nomination that has not been voted on EXPIRES, and that candidate can no longer be acted on by the Senate UNLESS and UNTIL he/she is renominated by the President!

It is win at any cost, through any deceit or device, but the ends justify the means. IOKIYAR

  • As much as I’d like to see him get busted for this, if the anti-gay comments Man On Dog made two years ago couldn’t force him from his leadership position then we pretty much can expect him to hold onto it after this. And just like with his last major mouth diarrhea incident, he did try to clarify:

    Santorum issued his own clarification yesterday evening, stating that the reference to Hitler was “meant to dramatize the principle of an argument, not to characterize my Democratic colleagues.”

    “My point was that it is preposterous for someone to trample a well-established principle, and then accuse his opponents of acting unlawfully when they try to reestablish that principle,” Santorum said. “Nevertheless, it was a mistake and I meant no offense.”

    Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05140/507782.stm

    Certainly not an apology, and hardly any clarification. Classic.

  • It’s all about “Branding”.

    The word liberal is losing it’s perjorative qualities in the verbal firestorm within public discourse. It’s hard to make the word “Progressive” mean something negative so the righties are taking one of the most negative and incendiary words of the 20th century and throwing it repeatedly at the Democrats until it starts to stick.

    Historical accuracy and modern practical applications be damned. It’s a bad word representing horrible things and if it’s possible to say it so often that Mr. and Ms. average voter can’t avoid hearing the word Nazi in their mind every time they hear the word Democrat……mission accomplished.

    This is a targeted, well defined branding strategy and it’s being tested on a grand scale right here and right now in The United States of America.

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