96 Comments

You have the right to believe whatever you chose to! Just remember the similarities and parallels! For example: Shitler said: "The greatest Truth is a Lie a thousand times repeated!" Trumpanzee said: "If you say something the people want to hear often enough, then it is (becomes) True!" Looks to me like the same crap, different pile! Do yourself a favour: Do NOT get deceived by Fascist Liars! That is all that I can advise you to do for your own sake! I grew up under the fascist regime of Alfredo Stroessner in Paraguay, whom I fought with whatever I had, risking life, limb and torture 24/7! So, I know pretty much all there is to know about the lies of fascism!

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He is woefully misinformed and mistaken. Fascism is fascism. And we don't know the extent of what FascistFanta will do if given the power to do so - but he has certainly told us enough to be very concerned. And he (like much of the GOP) is very good at propaganda. When Germans are contributing to conversations saying: we've seen and heard this before - listen!

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One could make the argument that elements of the Democratic Party are also fascist. So the argument that "fascism is fascism" seems overly simplified, no less selective outrage.

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It’s ironic that those outraged by bombastic hyperbole engage in it themselves.

I would love to read a point by point refutation of your piece. I don’t think it’s possible.

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“It’s ironic that those outraged by bombastic hyperbole engage in it themselves.”

I used to think it was ironic.

I now understand that it is not.

As used by the relatively intelligent politicians and hard core activists at the top of the leftist elitist pyramid, it is classic Orwellianism.

They project onto their opponents that which they do themselves

As used by most of the midwit proles who support leftists, it is simply cluelessness.

Use the above frame for most of the things the left accuses Trump of today - threat to democracy, suppressing speech, devaluing individuals’ voting rights, etc. - and notice how well it fits.

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Please detail the fascist elements in the Democratic party. Do we have some horrible people in the party? Certainly. AOC, Tliab, Omar come to mind immediately. Antisemitic? 100% Fascist? Hardly.

That said, it is important to remember that Hitler did not begin with genocide. He started with rhetoric and deportation of those he deemed not German. We (Jews) were an easy scapegoat for him because of millennia of antisemitism.

Today, Trump vilifies immigrants of color. He has promised to deport millions of people. His dangerous lies, for example, about LEGAL Haitian immigrants has put communities in physical peril. Is it just Trump's "bluster" until someone gets hurt?

While I agree that Trump isn't Hitler (yet), he definitely has the propensity and sycophants to become Hitler-like. That should be enough to terrify us.

Regarding Israel: Trump is only good for Trump. He is quite cozy with Putin and Orban, not exactly fans of Jews or Israel. He is financially compromised by foreign interests. That alone should disqualify him. The only thing Trump has ever done for Israel was to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. But did that help Israel? Did that help American Jews? Nope. He has already blamed us (American Jews) if he loses. I wish my fellow tribe members who think Mango Mussolini is "good for the Jews" would wake up.

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As far as I can see, Trump wants to deport illegal immigrants. The fact that they also happen to be people of colour is irrelevant. No country should allow people to enter it illegally. There are ways to enter the USA legally. You will find that colour doesn't come into it. Stop trying to use the race card.

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How ridiculous. Your TDS is extremely virulence. He promises to deport millions of people? Millions of people who are here illegally. The Nazis murdered millions upon millions of people. The above is why millions of people have absolutely tuned out the Trump hate. For the record I loathe Trunp and wrote in DeSantis rather than vote for him.

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Antisemitic? Hardly? The Left has become as or more antisemitic than the Right. What helped Israel was the Abraham Accords and if Biden hadn't decided to shelve it in favor of Iran, it would have been monumental.

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Democrats want to do away with the electoral college, pack the Supreme Court to insure a permanent leftist majority in order to implement policies they fail to gain legislatively. Democrats want to make DC and PR states in order to add 4 more democrat senators insuring they have perpetual control of the Senate. California has legalized vote harvesting which has given democrats a permanent supermajority, something which is what they intend to do nationally. They want non-citizens to vote which is why they oppose voter ID, Democrat run states accept mail-in ballots which are unsigned, undated and arrive days after the election. they want to end the filibuster. I can list a number of other undemocratic, unconstitutional measures the democrats have done and plan to do in order to shut out Republicans electorally and instituting a one party nation granting themselves a permanent monopoly on power. It is the democrats who are fascists.

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If we're speaking about propaganda, The New York Times, MSNBC, CNN, and the others spew their biased propaganda every evening. A perfect example of their groveling, one of too many, on CNN, Medhi Hassan and Ryan Girdusky were having a back and forth when Hassan called Girdusky a Nazi and Girdusky made a remark to Hassan about pagers. They apologized to Hassan and told Girdusky he was not invited back.

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Precisely! As someone of German descent, once very proud of that heritage, until I met an Auschwitz survivor, now the grandmother of my biological Jewish daughter, I swore to fight Fascism with whatever I could throw at them, live or die, as Death is better than complacency, which is NEVER an option to begin with! Though my anti-fascist journey began prior to that, when for some reason I confronted a teacher in High School, a former Nazi child soldier and Waffen SS, in an all German School in Paraguay. He first denied the Holocaust altogether; but, when I pressed on, he claimed it to be a Soviet Conspiracy to make the Germans look bad. That enraged me, due to my Soviet ancestry! Then he said the "unthinkable": "If the Germans did it, than the Jews deserved it!" That threw me into a raging psychotic trance, and I wanted to rip his head off with my bare hands! It took 4 teachers and a dozen students to keep us apart! And since Paraguay and Brazil were the only 2 Latinamerican nations to declare war against Nazi Germany, I demanded to know How many Paraguayan soldier he had killed!? When He said that he didn't know, I demanded his immediate resignation, as someone that doesn't know anything had NO business being a teacher! Then I demanded that he be escorted out of class, before something very bad was going to happen! He was escorted out, and I never saw, nor heart from him again! The School wanted to permanently expell me, but I threatened to inform the German Education Ministry demanding action, as the School received financial support from Germany, and denying the Holocaust is a criminal offense in Germany. So, the School backed down, but I was eventually exiled from my community. I then went on to fight Stroessner, and upon his defeat in 1989, the following year I went into self-exile to Canada, exhausted and broken, leaving my family behind. The confrontation took place in 1983, the same year I found out that the "Angel of Death", Joseph Mengele had sought refugee status in 1954, just 30km away. So, I went Mengele hunting! Eventually I located him in Northern Brazil under CIA protection, so, I sought the assistance from the KGB to have him extracted to stand trial for crimes against humanity in the USSR. The Soviets never responded, so, desperate, I devised a new plot: to turn Mengele from Asset to the CIA, to Liability! To do so, a went to Argentina to sent a handwritten personal appeal to Soviet president Michael Gorbachov. When the postal clerk was reluctant to send the letter, I bribed her to keep her mouth shut -hoping that she would do the exact opposite! Which she did, and the Argentines ratted me out to the CIA. So, now I was clashing with the CIA as well. Mengele, a healthy man and avid swimmer, drowned off the Coast of Rio de Janeiro Christmas Eve, 1988, as a result of a heart attack. After moving to Canada in 1990, less than 2 years later, I joined the Canadian military. All of a sudden starting in 1995, the military accused me of espionage on advise of the CIA, and made my life Hell on Earth! So, in 1997 I left the army, making things even worse. Realizing that it was an intimidation campaign by the CIA, in 2010 I did exactly what the CIA was worried about, by passing all the information I had on Mengele to the Israelis - though In had destroyed all evidence before moving to Canada, as I lived by the doctrine: 'Never get caught with evidence!"

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There are MANY white undocumented immigrants in this country, but they are not included in his mass deportation fever dream. Logistically, how will this work? No one in his inner circle has any idea, so it stands to reason that he will focus on communities of color. He was already president for four years. Why didn't he do it then?

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The fascists are the democrats and their base of antisemitic mobs chanting slogans which literally call for Jewish genocide; "from the river to the sea", "by any means necessary" and "globalize the intifada". THOSE are nazis and they vote for democrats and both Kamala and Joe expressed agreement with their deranged comments. What the hell is wrong with you?

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This is brilliant. Thank you, Joshua. History can instruct us to ignore the hysteria if only we had any sense of it. I’m old enough to have had a father who served in WWII so I grew up knowing of the evil of the Third Reich. The current lack of knowledge of that period of history is more alarming to me than any political operative shrieking “Hitler!”

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Very well said.

A lot of people simply can't separate Trump's personality quirks from the policies of the Trump presidency. TDS. By that same token, too few can get past the vacuous "joy" of Kamala to see the disaster that is the Biden-Harris presidency.

Here's one metric: How many wars started while Trump was president?

I had no idea that tens of millions of adult American's were completely unaware that actions speak louder than words.

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Have you read Project2025 - or are you a cult member who actually believes when he says that's not him?! That's not a personality quirk (besides, I think the word you mean is disorder).

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My understanding is that Project2025 is not Trump's project. There are also many "projects" on the Left that are incredibly worrying. If we are going to discuss projects, let's discuss them all. Enough of the selective, overly biased outrage.

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Vance wrote the intro to project 2025. Your “understanding” is incorrect. And as you know, Vance would not have endorsed the votes has he been in Pence’s place. Loyalty to the Leader is number one requirement for Trump. This is a convicted felon, convicted by ordinary Americans who saw the evidence and decided. And a rapist who owes his victim reparations. He himself has praised Hitler for “ some of his good things”

How can you cast this as an ordinary election?!

Good grief! Wake up and smell the…..

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“Vance wrote the intro to project 2025.”

This statement is false. Even Politifact would only label it “Partly True”.

J.D. Vance did not write the introduction to Project 2025. The foreword of the Project 2025 policy guide, titled "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise," was authored by Kevin Roberts, the president of The Heritage Foundation.

However, Vance wrote the foreword for Roberts' forthcoming book, "Dawn's Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America," which is associated with Project 2025's vision.

(Hat tip ChatGPT for the prose)

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I'm sure you read all 920 pages very carefully.

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While there are heated accusations of fascism in American politics, there is no clear consensus or evidence of widespread fascist elements within the Democratic Party. The use of the term "fascist" appears to be more often employed as a political tactic rather than an accurate ideological description.. Historically, fascism has been associated with far-right ideologies, making its application to the Democratic Party somewhat incongruous. Some experts argue that Trump displays characteristics associated with fascism, such as undermining democratic institutions, scapegoating vulnerable groups, and cultivating a cult of personality. **Despite Trump's disavowal, many people who worked closely with him and helped shape his administration are involved in Project 20256. This indicates some level of ideological alignment, even if not officially endorsed. In conclusion, while there are significant areas of alignment between Project 2025 and Trump's stated policies and past actions, Trump and his campaign have publicly distanced themselves from the project. Trump wants to decimate public education. In addition he promises.... “we will begin the largest deportation operation in American history.” ( sound familiar) “We have people at the top [of the military] that are woke, and they’re all gone. We are going to get rid of them so fast.” And there is so much more to be worried about. Sorry, but Trump can't disassociate himself from his authoritarian Project 2025. And...Agenda 47 is generally a subset of Project 2025, worded to be less alarming to voters. And more basically, can you even believe a serial liar?

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Of course it’s not Trump’s project. Trump doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to come up with such a detailed plan for dismantling the government nor does he have the patience, capacity of capability of doing so; however, the people he will likely put into Cabinet and sub-Cabinet level positions WILL try to implement Project 2025. Trump could care less about it as long as the people who do want to destroy the government are slavishly devoted to him. Don’t minimize or brush aside Project 2025 because the evil bastard at the top isn’t interested.

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He wrote the Forward to it and spoke in it mainly about his upbringing and his values, some of which were in Project 2025. Some of those included his Catholicism and his beliefs in marriage and family which are now verboten among the Liberals.

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“Have you read Project2025 - or are you a cult member…”

I suspect that YOU have not actually read Project 2025, but merely the leftist press accounts of its “awfulness”.

I have indeed read quite a lot of Project 2025.

Being a conservative-leaning libertarian, I support probably 80%-85% of it. Not all of it, of course. Most of it is standard right/libertarian stuff. A little bit of populism in there, but not all that much.

The stuff that leftists talk about as “fascistic” is mainly suggestions about “support” for Christian values.

There is very little in it you can point to as legitimately fascistic or anything of the sort.

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The leftists want the government to have a ministry of truth to decide what is true and what isn't. Sounds fascistic to me.

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Excellent point!

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“I had no idea that tens of millions of adult American's were completely unaware that actions speak louder than words.”

I agree with all the other well-written words in your comment.

But on this quoted point… first of all it’s well over a hundred million, and perhaps a lot more than that. More importantly, you can’t seriously be unaware that virtue signaling is by far the most important thing among elitist leftists these days, can you? Hollywood has been quite in-your-face about this for more than a decade now.

#BringBackOurGirls (well, more First Lady Michele Obama than a Hollywood thing…)

#MeToo

“A woman has a right to be believed” (unless they are accusing a Dem president, or a Dem VP candidate for president’s spouse…)

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If war is the only criterion, there is little virtue left.

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Comparisons of Trump to Hitler are ignorant and inexcusable. I blame much of the media and the Democratic Party which it blatantly and admittedly supports for promoting this dangerous, unnecessarily divisive nonsense. Ditto for the “fascist” labeling (when I’ve asked people what a “fascist” even is, the only answer I get is “dictator.”) I then

ask for examples of dictatorial actions taken by Trump during his four years of presidency, and I get the proverbial crickets.

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Unfortunately, group thinking is common on the left and right. Kelly's analysis is correct. Is it an exact fit. NO. Is Trump a genocidal antisemite, no. But that is not the essence of fascism. Jews were just Hitler's chosen vehicle. Regardless, Trump is an authoritarian with little regard for US institutions. Yes, Trump is better for Israel, but probably by not as much as most assume. But he is bad news for the US culture and economy. And Harris is bad news as well. The Israeli perspective is understandable. And yes, many American Jews are uninvolved and in denial. These are truly dangerous times. And there are no easy decisions, or choices. What I am firm on is that Israel knows how to navigate a Harris administration. We will get through this. We shouldn't tear each other apart internally over personal decisions.

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Appreciate many aspects of this.

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Harris has made several vocal reminders to one and all as to the horrors and savagery of Oct 7th to the Israelis. Still waiting for Trump to say 2 words about it or her supposed Jewish daughter.

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Was that when she said one of the Hamas loving Nazis who interrupted her made valid points?

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Or said Israel has the right to defend itself, BUT there are too many innocent civilians being killed and we need a ceasefire? One of many double barrelled comments.

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Typo - should read "his daughter"

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You can edit your comments. Press the three dots at the right and select edit.

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Low-key “SJD” kinda applies to both candidates 🤦🏻‍♂️

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Thank you for your actual journalism. Very well done. Another writer on substack offered a version of this same refutation. That writer’s offering was angry, jingoistic and reductive. Although I am deeply troubled by Trump’s admiration of components of Hitler’s admin and Kelly’s belief that Trump is indeed a fascist, no, Trump is not Hitler. He’s no ideologue other than the clinically narcissistic Trumpism he espouses. Strategically, the Harris campaign’s gleeful lean-into Trump-as-Hitler strategy will be even less success than Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” tract. Whatever happens next week עם ישראל חי

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Ok, Mussolini then

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Hahaha.

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It's a tough choice... Mango Mussolini OR FascistFanta. The both fit at times.

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The Democrats are desperate and the comparison of Trump a great friend of Israel and who has a Jewish daughter and grandson is beyond the boundary of rational discussion and is a deliberate attempt at cheapening the uniquely Jewish aspects of the Holocaust by a party that is completely a captive of the far left and Obama who has marginalized the American Jewish community

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I respect your presentation here,, but at the end of the day, Donald Trump is bad news for the US. He may not be Hitler but he is definitely a fascist, unworthy to be the leader of the free world. Most people understand who Donald Trump is, but if there was any doubt left ... the racist carnival of a rally settled the issue. Yes, I support Kamala Harris. She's not perfect, but by far the best option in this election. Character and integrity matter. I trust her. Israel will be fine under a Harris administration. Most of the gaslighting to the contrary is all hypothetical.

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I respect your viewpoints as well!

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You are too kind to him

“he is definitely a fascist”

“the racist carnival of a rally“

These are not words a respectable person says. They are not accurate. They are ad hominem attacks.

The rest of his words and viewpoint, even though I disagree with him, are indeed things that can be respected.

But two rotten apples do indeed spoil the barrel.

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Oct 29Edited
Oct 29Edited

Hitler was no Lion. He murdered 50 Million people. Trump is not Anti-Semitic. After the Chanuka attack in Monsey NY USA, President Trump condemned 'the Evil scourge of AntiSemitism', on 30/12/2019, (reported in the NY Times). Trump therefore has proved himself to be Not a Nazi, because all Nazis are Anti Semites, and President Trump has roundly condemned all Antisemitism. This is to be acknowledged and welcomed. HOWEVER, many of his Militia supporters ARE Nazis, and the Storming of The Capitol included Nazi-Supporting Militias. For this reason I will not be supporting Trump. He might weaken the FBI and this in turn would prevent them from holding back the Nazi militias (Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and the rest of them). And Nazi Militias mean Mass Murder.

Donald Trump at the Kotel in 2017:-

https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/huge-majority-of-israelis-prefer-trump-to-kamala-harris-according-to-new-poll-qeqbhhe4

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Given your bias un-towards Trump you as usual did a brilliant job and even more so given your bias. Well done Joshua!! Konstatin Kisin stopped satire about 5 years ago. He and another comedian became journalist/interviewers/social commentary podcasters dealing nearly 100% with very serious social, political, national, and international issues. Admittedly on extremely rare occasions Kisin reverts in a positive way to his talent for satire. But his highly successful podcast Triggernometry is valuable and expert journalism not satire. Back to Trump. As you said: "He is definitely not presidential and speaks in such constant hyperbole that it is annoying to listen to him for more than a few minutes at a time." Whereas Obama and Clinton for example were "Presidential" and were demonic crooks. Trump is 'not presidential' in his raconteur sense of speaking 'off the cuff'. Obama was the most 'presidential' and completely heinous. I saw him in the leadup to his first Presidential race. I was on tour in Chicago and there was a 4th of July Parade in a Black Neighborhood so friends and I went there. Obama 'happened' to be in that parade. He was beautiful and charismatic as he crossed back and forth energetically. I would have voted for him. But... I knew nothing whatsoever about his 'politics' nor background. He was just very beautiful. Presidentially in so many important ways he was indeed the proverbial "devil in sheep's clothing". He is an evil man. Then we have to face the opposite paradox in life when we view Trump through our naturally wincing eyes. Up to July 2015 I knew virtually nothing about Trump. I had heard of him: knew he was rich and owned a high rise in Manhattan; had some type of reality tv show; was bombastic. Then the day he announced officially that he was running for President... one of my long time friends who long lived in NYC sent a msg to all friends and contacts that Trump is 'the worst' etc. Including that he was a "liar". Most Presidents in my lifetime were liars. The only possible exception may have been Dwight Eisenhower? Liar-Lawyer-Politician are synonymous when it comes to lying. BUT what was VERY interesting to me... who knew virtually NOTHING about Trump was that in 24hrs the media in the USA and in the English speaking world began an unrelenting plethora of lies, Lies, LIES about Donald J. Trump. THAT was mid 2015. The media has not yet come to its senses. It has not abated one iota in ITS own LIES. Just exactly as it lies, Lies, LIES about Israel and The Jewish People. SAME media. Do you or others of Our Community so to speak imagine that the Media ONLY lies about Israel and Jewish stuff??? As "Homey D. Clown" of In Living Color said "I don't think so. Homey don't play that game". In observing Trump,, to some degree (as you know... he can be VERY hard to listen to) - he is much more of an exaggerator than he is a liar. Its not that he doesn't lie or as is said in Australian lingo "tells porkies". He also is wont to tell truths and the truth MUCH more than most "presidential" candidates or politicians. It was, I think, he who coined "The fake news". He said that. Repeatedly. He even calls the media out live to their face and to their cameras and on several occasions he has watched some particular MAIN of the mainstream media turn off their cameras when he calls them out. Personally, I think he got an fine "arse whooping" during his first term of office. I hope he wins and I certainly hope ANY Democrat looses. Naturally as is our Cultural Practice... whoever is a local, state, national Leader we pray that they will 'do the right thing'. Personally, I do not support any political party anywhere. There are in fact a number of heroic Republicans (urp, burp, belch... ) in Congress and the Senate. Dozens. Who have been fighting the Great Fight on behalf of the Jewish People, and The State of Israel, and all Israeli Citizens and by proxy for the USA and for the global community. As a former artistic hippie i.e. left of leftieism .... as a semi-ex Pat of the USA (ex only that I moved away in 1979 because I saw what was 'really' unfolding)... I am far from being a 'Republican' or even a supporter of 'Republicans' as an entity. Individually I will give credit where credit is due. The corruption of the and by the Democratic Party has not yet received its full due. And of course 'our tribe' has provided not only the best of the Demoncraps but also the worst - many of whom are in high office. I have watched a LOT of Trump's recent months of talks and interviews... while wincing. It or he IS A PHENOMENON and may we all cheer on Hashem that there are many great things unfolding on our Watch. Personally I 'believe' ... that means I hope that Trumps arsekicking in term one will lead directly to a MUCH greater management team and collaboration. Just as Jews have been lied about blatantly for over 2000 years.... Donald J. Trump aka Mr Warts-and-All-Incarnate has been lied about NON-STOP by VERY VERY VERY INTELLIGENT JEWISH PEOPLE in cooperation with the wishes of the Media, the Acadame, the 'artists' of Hollywood, the Reform Rabbis, by some Orthodox individuals, by atheistic and agnostic secularlized Jewish persons who are devotees of so-called "Jewish Values". Those are just individuals by the thousands who like their non-Jewish pals actually still believe the machine that has been "telling porkies" about Jews and Israel in its various 1000s of years of incarnation. "All things in their time and season". ALL. We have been warned. We have been given our Sources from which most of us have turned away. It IS possible that a great, en masse of individuals, may possible 'turn around'. Yours as always, Ira:)

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“Comparing the former U.S. president to Hitler is very disrespectful to Nazi Germany's millions of victims and minimizes the horrific, unprecedented crimes that Hitler encouraged and committed.”

This of course is quite true.

But the people doing it don’t care, all they care about is ensuring that Dems retain political power.

And given that it was equally disrespectful - but at least more respectable - to use the phrase “climate denier” about anyone who disagrees with the authoritarian leftist position on energy policy (again, primarily a position about helping leftists gain political power; if you doubt me see their stance on nuclear energy) in the name of addressing climate change, why is it in the least surprising that these people do this when the subject is DJT?

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As an historian, I would never compare Trump to Hitler. That diminishes the distinctive and singular evil of Hitler and the Holocaust.

I might, however, compare Trump to Cleon the Tanner as described by Thucydides.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleon

"He was an early representative of the commercial class in Athenian politics; which during the early Peloponnesian war was coming into prominence– although he was an aristocrat himself. He strongly advocated for an offensive war strategy and is remembered for being ruthless in carrying out his policies....

His influence lay in his forceful and bullying style of oratory, anti-intellectual and anti-aristocratic in tone, and his populism. This might have brought him many enemies. He seems to have aimed at short-term goals, but Athens' poor stood to benefit by his policies, at the expense of heavy taxes levied onto her allies."

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That you need to make these points demonstrates how fundamentally unserious the Democrats are.

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Touché. Or desperate.

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This is well argued, taking account as it does of the history of an historical, as opposed to an academic, example of fascism. I’ve covered much the same ground in my own writings. A detailed account of what happened in Germany between 1918 and 1933 gives the lie to the Left’s stupid claim that Trump = Hitler and MAGA = the Brownshirts.

https://unwokeindianaag.substack.com/p/dont-know-much-about-history-6bf?utm_source=publication-search

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