Where did Sean Spicer’s incredibly ignorant and offensive remark about Adolf Hitler “not using chemical weapons on his own people” come from? I watched the press briefing live and, like many of the reporters in the room, I gasped and did a double take when I heard him say it. Unbelievably, it was an unforced error: No one asked him to compare Bashar al Assad to Adolf Hitler. He offered the comment gratuitously, answering a question that had not been asked. [Then again, why are we surprised at Spicer’s ineptitude: As we have seen before, it’s not a bug, it’s a feature.]

So, what was Spicer thinking? I have a couple of theories:

First, Spicer may have been thinking that he was being oh-so-clever and historically context-y [and therefore smart] by using the Hitler comparison to emphasize the level of inhumanity exhibited by Assad. [I guess he forgot, or is not insightful enough to realize, that Hitler comparisons are usually dangerous, if not downright politically toxic.]

Or, maybe he got so caught up in his analogy that he, um, sorta forgot about the Holocaust? I think his answer to a reporter’s follow-up question speaks to that theory. The reporter asked, “When you say that Hitler didn’t use chemical weapons on his own people, what do you mean by that?” Spicer fumbled around for an answer and, I think, about half way through suddenly had an oh-shit moment when he “got” his blunder and remembered about the gas chambers. Then he dug the hole a bit deeper by saying that, oh yeah, Hitler did “bring that in” to the “Holocaust Centers,” clearly not remembering the term concentration camps. His answer was nothing short of idiotic. And his apology later in the day was lame, too late, and ineffective.

But here’s another theory—the one that I think really applies: Spicer has been hanging around with the Holocaust deniers who hang around the edges of TrumpWorld. I submit that when you consort with Holocaust deniers and anti-Semites, it’s just too easy to put Hitler’s atrocities out of your consciousness. His lack of awareness of the context in which he delivered his Hitler analogy fits this theory, too: This is a big time of year—Passover—for Jews who take their religion and their history seriously. It’s also the day after Donald Trump decided to snub the annual White House seder—even though he has a son-in-law who is an Orthodox Jew and a daughter who has become Jewish, and who were undoubtedly at their own seder last night.

And one more thing: When Spicer said that Hitler didn’t gas “his own people,” is it possible that he sees the German Jews who were exterminated as not really real Germans, but as “others?” What does that say about his view of Jewish people today?

I doubt that Trump will fire Spicer over this. After all, to Trump, it’s probably no biggie. It’s not the only stupid, uninformed, unaware, tone-deaf thing that Spicer has said since January 20. But it belongs on his lowlight reel.

It was an undeniably awful statement. And we should not forget it.

The post Sean Spicer: Holocaust denier? appeared first on Occasional Planet.

We aren’t supposed to forget the past, and it’s so easy to see the differences between “Germany then” and “the U.S. now” that we don’t discuss the most important similarities (for fear of lowering the level of discourse). But I, for one, can’t ignore the similarities. Here are just a few examples:

God is my witness

Hitler said, “I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty.”  He also said, “As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice.”  Trump says there is “an assault on Christianity here and abroad,“ and he will be “the greatest representative of the Christians they’ve had in a long time.”

Manifest destiny

The Nazis believed Germany was superior to all other countries. Their goal was to make Germany so mighty that it could lead the world as it saw fit. The 2016 GOP platform “embraces American exceptionalism.” It wants to modernize our military so we have “vast superiority over any other nation or group of nations.” The GOP platform says our government will “consult” with other nations, but it must “lead from the front” and “does not require permission to act.”

Manipulation of the press

Hitler held many staged, theatrical mass rallies to get free media attention and attract like-minded followers. Trump has campaigned using the same tactic. The Nazi platform called for banning newspapers “violating the public interest.” Trump has banned critical newspapers from covering his campaign and has demeaned, bullied, and threatened journalists who have questioned his ideas.

Slandering and banning minorities

The Nazis used unemployment as an excuse to deport thousands of long-term immigrants who had come to Germany a result of prior wars and displacements. Throughout the Third Reich, the Nazis portrayed Jews (less than 1% of the population) as sub-human, forced them out of Germany, persecuted them, and ultimately murdered most of those who remained. Trump has played into American workers’ dissatisfactions and fears by blaming immigrants and disparaging minorities. He has said most Mexican immigrants are “criminals” to be walled out. He has said we should have a “total and complete ban” of all Muslims, and we should deport Syrian immigrants. The 2016 GOP platform requires “special scrutiny” of potential immigrants from “regions associated with terrorism.” (the whole world?)

Curbing reproductive rights

The Nazis criminalized unapproved abortions for German women and harshly punished violators, although they made some medical exceptions. (The year before Hitler took power, there were almost 35,000 legal abortions in Germany; between 1935 and 1940, there were 10,000.) The 2016 GOP platform says “the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.” No exceptions.

Promotion of violence

Hitler said, “The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence.”  Trump has told followers to “knock the crap out of” protesters and has repeatedly praised followers for violent behavior.

Pretty Woman

Hitler said a woman’s purpose was to look beautiful (Nordic) and bear children. He was linked with three young females: Eva Braun (23 years younger) and two others (19 and 21 years younger). Trump has had three beautiful young wives. They have borne him a total of five children. He has often been linked with beauty contests and their contestants. He has remarked on his daughter’s body, saying if she had been unrelated, he would have dated her. Trump said, “it really doesn`t matter what (the media) write as long as you`ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.”

The post An inconvenient comparison: Germany then and the U.S. now appeared first on Occasional Planet.