{"id":570004,"date":"2010-05-19T08:29:04","date_gmt":"2010-05-19T12:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/climateprogress.org\/?p=25449"},"modified":"2010-05-19T08:29:04","modified_gmt":"2010-05-19T12:29:04","slug":"gingrich%e2%80%99s-book-argues-obama-poses-hitler-like-threat-former-gop-rep-molinari-says-thats-%e2%80%98crazy%e2%80%99-and-%e2%80%98outrageous%e2%80%99","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/570004","title":{"rendered":"Gingrich\u2019s book argues Obama poses Hitler-like threat – Former GOP Rep. Molinari says that’s \u2018crazy\u2019 and \u2018outrageous\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since retiring from Congress, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has devoted much of his time leading a pro-drilling front group with \u201cresources<\/a>\u201d from the oil industry (see “Gingrich\u2019s ‘drill here, drill now’ campaign continues as BP oil disaster grows<\/a>“).<\/p>\n

Now, he is promoting his new anti-regulation, pro-drilling book, To Save America<\/em>, which argues repeatedly that the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress are a \u201csecular-socialist machine\u201d that \u201crepresents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 TP has the story<\/a> of Gingrich’s defense of that hate speech — and how even people in his own party are attacking his extremist views.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Gingrich has repeatedly defended this claim, telling both NBC\u2019s Meredith Vieira and Fox News\u2019 Chris Wallace that he truly believes that the Obama administration is an equivalent \u201cthreat\u201d to America as brutal dictators like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin:<\/p>\n

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VIEIRA: Can you honestly compare what\u2019s going on with the Democrats with Nazi Germany?<\/p>\n

GINGRICH: No it\u2019s not a question of how evil they were. Nazi Germany was terrible, Stalin\u2019s Russia was terrible, Mao\u2019s China was terrible. It\u2019s a question of finality.<\/strong> Had we lost either of those contests, we would have become a radically different country.<\/p>\n

* * * *WALLACE: So \u2014 but you compare that to the Nazis and the Communists?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GINGRICH: I compare that as a threat.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Watch it:<\/p>\n

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<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In reaching to make his case, Gingrich repeatedly tries desperately to connect the Obama administration with Nazi Germany. The index of Gingrich\u2019s book cites Nazi references eight times, many of which are attempts to compare Obama and progressivism to totalitarianism (view a screen shot of the index below):<\/p>\n

\"Index<\/p>\n

\n

\u2013 pp. 48-49 Gingrich quotes David Horowitz arguing that the great atrocities of the modern era, whether from Nazis or Communists<\/strong>, were committed by people who believe in a \u201cfuture that would save mankind.\u201d Gingrich uses Horowitz\u2019s quote to draw a comparison to \u201cthe current leaders of the Democratic Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 pp. 295-296 argues that \u201cthe Left\u201d is pursuing an \u201cinternational strategy to take away\u201d Second Amendment rights to own firearms. Gingrich writes that if Hitler had not disarmed \u201cJews and other anti-Nazi groups<\/strong>,\u201d then the \u201cHolocaust would have been virtually impossible to implement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 pp. 268-269 says that \u201cMarxism, Nazism, and Fascism<\/strong>\u201d each \u201crequired the use of a powerful, centralized state authority\u201d where \u201cthose who resisted were eliminated,\u201d \u201creligion was enemy number one,\u201d and \u201creligious texts\u201d were replaced with \u201cnationalist propaganda in schools.\u201d Gingrich then writes that \u201cthere are many parallels between the anti-religious governments of the twentieth century and the anti-religious elite of the United States in the twenty-first.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

While Gingrich\u2019s book is laced with these Nazi comparisons, he also rehashes other absurdities, like a defense of Palin\u2019s \u201cdeath panel\u201d charge and an argument that there are actually too many regulations on offshore oil exploration. Gingrich \u2014 who has repeatedly backed establishment Republican candidates like Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)<\/a> and Dede Scozzafava<\/a> over tea party challengers \u2014 seems to be trying to establish his credibility within the fringe base of the conservative movement by touting Nazi comparisons popularized by Glenn Beck<\/a> and other hate radio personalities.<\/p>\n

While Gingrich hopes that social and religious conservatives will forget that he left his dying wife<\/a> to be with another woman, it is unlikely that Gingrich will be able to deceive tea parties with his Beck-like Nazi rhetoric.<\/p>\n

This repost<\/a> is by Lee Fang at Think Progress.\u00a0 What follows is an excerpt from another TP <\/em>pieces<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On Fox News Sunday this past weekend, host Chris Wallace challenged Gingrich on that quote, asking if it was a \u201cwildly over the top\u201d comparison. Gingrich said it wasn\u2019t<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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WALLACE: You also write this, and let\u2019s put it up on the screen. \u201cThe secular-socialist machine represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union once did.\u201d Mr. Speaker, respectfully, isn\u2019t that wildly over the top?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GINGRICH: No, not if by America you mean the historic contract we\u2019ve had which says your rights come from your creator, they\u2019re unalienable, you\u2019re allowed to pursue happiness.<\/strong> I mean, just listen to President Obama\u2019s language.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

On her CNN Headline News show last night, Joy Behar asked former GOP congresswoman Susan Molinari \u2014 who served in Congress while Gingrich was speaker of the House \u2014 if Gingrich was \u201closing his marbles\u201d by making such comparisons. Molinari replied that Gingrich\u2019s comments were \u201coutrageous\u201d and \u201ccrazy\u201d:<\/p>\n

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BEHAR: Susan, when Bush was called a Nazi, the right wing went berserk on him. And yet, Gingrich just throws the word around as if it\u2019s nothing. What is up with him? What is he, losing his marbles?<\/p>\n

MOLINARI: This has always been \u2014 let me distance myself from that remark first of all in all seriousness. To compare anything that is going on in this country to the atrocities of Nazi Germany in any way, shape or form is just crazy.<\/strong> And you know that Newt was so smart. He got the Republican majority back in a generation, contract with America. And then, you know, moved quickly into a government shutdown and complained about his seat on President Clinton\u2019s plane.<\/p>\n

This is Newt. He can be really smart sometimes and sometimes he can just say some absolutely outrageous things. I would be like to be in that corner of saying that is outrageous.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Watch it:<\/p>\n

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<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Later in the show, Molinari tried to change the subject, saying, \u201clet\u2019s just take Newt off the table because that\u2019s just not even worth talking about.\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s put him under the table,\u201d replied Behar. \u201cRight. Exactly. Thank you,\u201d responded Molinari.<\/p>\n

JR:\u00a0 The bottom line is that Gingrich’s extremist hate speech should take him out of the bounds of public and political discourse.<\/em><\/p>\n

Related Post:<\/p>\n