THE RIGHT’S TWISTED OBSESSION…. Far-right lawmakers seem to realize that it’s probably going to cost them if they compare Democratic leaders to Nazis, so they’ve embraced a more subtle way of making the same argument.
Take Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina, arguably the chamber’s most right-wing member, who promoted his book, “Saving Freedom,” at the National Press Club last night, and delivered this doozy:
“Part of what we’re trying to do in ‘Saving Freedom’ is just show that where we are, we’re about where Germany was before World War II where they became a social democracy. You still had votes but the votes were just power grabs like you see in Iran, and other places in South America, like Chavez is running down in Venezuela. People become more dependent on the government so that they’re easy to manipulate. And they keep voting for more government because that’s where their security is. When our immigrants get here, they’re worried, because they see it happening here.”
DeMint said he does not believe the United States is on the brink of revolution, preferring to see changes made in “a civilized way.”
I’ll just take this opportunity to suggest that while Democratic leaders continue to reach out to Republicans to form “bipartisan consensus” on key issues, perhaps DeMint should be excluded from the discussions.
We have, after all, heard all kinds of talk about “pre-WWII Germany” from right-wing radio shock-jocks and bloggers, but DeMint is ostensibly a member of the United States Senate. If he’s decided to be Rush Limbaugh in a suit and an accent, he’s not to be taken seriously.
