Goebbels in 21st century political rhetoric: three case studies
by George Bennett | December 21st, 2011
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- West
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- Cohen
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- Brown
Lamenting polls that show the public blaming the GOP for congressional gridlock, West told reporters in Washington last week that Adolf Hitler‘s propaganda minister would be “very, very proud of the Democrat Party because they have an incredible propaganda machine.”
Democrats and Jewish groups have criticized West, who has refused to apologize. On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House quashed a Democratic resolution condemning West for the remarks.
Among those who voted against tabling the resolution was U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn. In January, on the House floor, Cohen mentioned Goebbels during a lectern-thumping denunciation of Republican criticism of the federal health care bill.
“They say it’s a government takeover of health care — a big lie, just like Goebbels,” Cohen said. “You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie and eventually people believe it, like blood libel — that’s the same kind of thing. The Germans said enough about the Jews and the people believed it and you had the Holocaust. You tell a lie over and over again, and we’ve heard it on this floor: ‘government takeover of health care.’ “
Cohen later issued a classic Washington apology, expressing regret at reaction to the “portrayal” of his comments and then defending them:
“I regret that anyone in the Jewish community, my Republican colleagues or anyone else was offended by the portrayal of my comments. My comments were not directed toward any group or people but at the false message and, specifically, the method by which it has been delivered.”
When he was running for governor of California in June 2010, Democrat Jerry Brown compared Republican rival Meg Whitman‘s big-spending campaign to Goebbels’ propaganda.
“She’ll have people believing whatever she wants about me,” Brown told radio reporter Doug Sovern. “It’s like Goebbels. … Goebbels invented this kind of propaganda. He took control of the whole world. She wants to be president. That’s her ambition, the first woman president. That’s what this is all about.”
A few days later, Brown said: “I’m sorry, I talked to the people at the Holocaust center and they completely understand.”
The Associated Press reported that Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said Brown had called him to say he regretted using Goebbels’ name.
“He regrets any misapprehension that was created by his remarks,” Hier said. “He said he was jogging and he shouldn’t have used it. He certainly wasn’t saying Meg Whitman was Joseph Goebbels…He said that his remarks were taken out of context. He was complaining about, in his opinion, the constant blitz of attack ads that were coming from the other side.”
Brown defeated Whitman in the California governor’s race a few months later.
For the record, the Anti-Defamation League issued statements criticizing West and Cohen and Brown shortly after each made the Goebbels references.
Tags: Jerry Brown, Steve Cohen
December 21st, 2011 at 11:15 am
This just proves West’s lack of knowledge due to lack of intelligence. The Republican/Tea Party are the true FASCISTS. FASCISTS are historically totally opposed to any form of socialism that might upset their desire for unregulated capitalism at the expense of the masses.
December 21st, 2011 at 11:31 am
Col. West is right on. Whenever someone fights back against the democrats propaganda they(democrats) don’t like it. I think the dems better get used to it.
December 21st, 2011 at 11:48 am
i won’t go all Goebbels on anybody… but the GOP and especially the tards on the tea party short bus are on the wrong side of history and democracy. How do you explain the Bush tax cuts? At a cost of hundreds of billions over the last ten years. They whoop and holler and cry to save that for the CEO Hedge fund crowd. Yet they won’t extend a middle class tax cut without attaching some poison riders. A small tax on financial transactions or a couple added income tax brackets at the very top would pay for it. Or, lift the income limit on SSI. Nope. They only support corporate donors like Koch Industries. They would kill the republic to satiate their lust for power. John Birch founding silver spooned fascists and the tards they bribe are killing us all
December 21st, 2011 at 3:11 pm
This just proves West’s lack of knowledge due to lack of intelligence. The Republican/Tea Party are the true FASCISTS. FASCISTS are historically totally opposed to any form of socialism that might upset their desire for unregulated capitalism at the expense of the masses
@lol : I’m aggree w/ u,
it will make the democrats propaganda
December 22nd, 2011 at 7:54 am
Good job, George. People act like West is the only one who ever used one of the most famous propagandists in history as a reference to a seriously intense propaganda campaign (go figure). And could I just remind everyone who seems to not care about facts . . . he said , immediately following the statement, “I AM ONLY TALKING ABOUT PROPAGANDA HERE!” @lol – I am a Fascist because I oppose Socialism?Really?????
December 22nd, 2011 at 10:14 am
Everybody slips now and again. But for Allen West we have seen a clear pattern of verbal abuse for anyone who disagrees with him. This is not leadership. It is petty bullying from a COWARD. If he was half the man he claims to be, he would admit to his mistakes and apologize for his disgusting rhetoric.
Another important point that needs to be made is that his consistently abusive and combative behavior frequently distracts from the important issues facing Floridians.
We should be talking about the payroll tax cut extension that Allen West opposes. We should be discussing the fact that Allen West supports a TAX HIKE for the Middle Class and 160 million working families while giving tax cuts for people like the Waltons who own Walmart. These people, just 6 of them in the Walton clan, own $90 BILLION. Just 6 people own as much wealth as the bottom 30% of the country! THESE are the people Allen West supports, not the small businesses and regular folks who are really struggling with low wages, increased medical bills, an underwater mortgage, and a kid in college with massive student loan debt.
Allen West is an embarrassment to the state of Florida and to the United States of America. He must be VOTED OUT of the U.S. Congress if we are going to have a viable economy again!
Allen West Must Go!
http://www.facebook.com/groups/325005804195316/
December 24th, 2011 at 2:01 am
It would help if a couple of your writers had learned a little more about history in school.
The Fascist powers, Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, claimed to be Socialists; in fact “Nazi” stood for National Socialist Party, Hitler’s party. Mussolini ran a so-called corporate state, where government had a controlling hand in most everything. The Spanish will argue for another century about whether Franco was a fascist; what is certain is that a number of major industries were state owned. These money losing industries were privatized or shuttered, after Franco’s death by a democratically elected Socialist government.
Which brings us to the last point, Socialism covers a variety of political systems — dictators, like Stalin and Hitler, loved to call themselves Socialists. But there is large group of democratic nations where one of the major political parties has a better claim to be called socialist than Stalin or Hitler. These democratic socialists (or social democrats; it’s the same thing) are the major opposition in Spain, France and Germany. And our only ally in Iraq, Tony Blair,also led a Social Democratic Party.
December 25th, 2011 at 9:25 am
I just woke up on Christmas morning, and it is the first time I was aware of Congressman West’s comments, and the action taken in Congress to condemn him.
Strong words, by any person, referring to anyone, and I do mean any person, organnization, potical party, or nation state, as being modeled after one of the leaders of Nazi Germany. He can now play word games, and say he was only talking about propaganda, but the cat is out of the bag.
In the heat of the moment, his judgement is questionable. He didn’t mean it that way, today, now that he sees the reaction. So let’s say he didn’t mean it, the action was taken,so much like his interogation in Iraq(which I must say , I am proud of him for being that type of leader in those circimstances), but Hallandale is not Baghdad, nor is it WWll Berlin)
It is a shame, he is a great American, but he has judgement problems under pressure.
December 27th, 2011 at 10:09 am
Here we are, back again, with the jewish agenda.
How many jewish representatives in political office?
Does the world, the USA (who help rescue jews in WWII) and other countries have to bow down for jews and what they want?
What OTHER religion dominates the wars, the political agenda, the media, the movies, the TV as much as the jews?
No wonder there are billions of muslims-that’s just to counteract the domination of jews.
Jews are not the chosen as they like to say. Far from it. Jews alienate people. They do not bring people together. It’s all about them. They are first, everyone else is last.
December 27th, 2011 at 10:12 am
Wouldn’t one want to have a leader who would protect his soldiers than a leader who would allow an unknown enemy to put his soldiers in harm’s way?
Israel’s Mossad has no problem killing people.
Israel has no problem spying on their ‘friend’ America. Jonathan Pollard is not in prison for nothing. He spied on the USA FOR Israel!
December 27th, 2011 at 10:18 am
Verbal Abuse in PBC = Burt Aaronson, Lois Frankel
Verbal Abuse in FL = Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Wake up people, your salvation isn’t the jews, they will turn on a dime.
Just remember the classic: Kendrick Meek!
The jewish political delegation urged democrats to vote for the Independent instead of the Democrat candidate. What an insult!
Jews before anyone for political office.
They wanted Jeff Greene as the Democrat candidate and even when Greene lost the primary to Meek, the jews carried on an agenda to get Charlie Crist the Independent elected OVER the democrat Meek.
December 28th, 2011 at 6:20 am
Even though I do not favor any of this politicians that much, the case studies were interesting to read from an educational point of view, since I am involved in studying politics and have to be acquainted with quite opposite points.
December 28th, 2011 at 8:40 am
Here we go again. The same as.holes climb out under every rock . Give me a f..ckin break! Do you really think that Jews control everything? You people are SICK and SAD. Dangerous too. My Glock and AK47 are locked and loaded. Bring it on!!!!