Springtime for Hitler - Again

 

The late Los Angeles news anchor and talk show host Tom Snyder often complained that while flipping through cable TV offerings at any time of the day or night, he was bound to see Hitler’s face on at least one channel. In those days, documentaries about the Nazis and World War II were more common.

As for me, I often found that if I brought up comparisons to Hitler in a discussion on any topic, that just blew up my argument. Nobody would listen to the rest of it, I guess because Hitler simply defied comparison.

It’s autumn now, but in the Hitler department, it seems like spring again, to hearken back to the famous bit in Mel Brooks’ comedy, The Producers. Also popular is the word “fascist,” for decades an insult used by those challenging almost anyone in authority. But now, a four-star general who was former president Donald Trump’s chief of staff is using the term quite seriously to describe his old boss. If you watched the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden Sunday, perhaps you saw for yourself how this particular F word might apply.  

Now I have often said that Kamala Harris is far from perfect. I agree with Bill Maher, who said that she should admit that she and the Biden administration had not done very well on border security. That might have actually blunted criticism and given her better standing for her argument that there was a bipartisan border policy on the table that Trump rejected to keep a campaign issue alive.

The Biden administration has had many successes, but it has also had its share of mistakes. If elected, being human, Harris will undoubtedly make mistakes of her own. But if she can achieve only some of the goals she has set for herself and this country, including restoring abortion rights for all women, signing a bi-partisan immigration bill, stabilizing prices, and providing tax breaks for new parents, entrepreneurs, and first-time homebuyers, she could be a groundbreaking president.

And hey, if I have to choose between Harris and someone who seems to have a longing for the power of an Adolf Hitler, I think I know where MY vote is going.