GODWIN'S LAW

Is It OK to Call Your Political Opponents Hitler?

Fox News pundits argue both sides

Jan 23, 2013 by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: screenshot

Fox News has never been shy of hosting guests who compare Obama to Hitler and the Nazis. According to Fox pundits, the president's alleged Nazism ranges from promoting gun control to mandating contraceptive coverage for employees.

However, Fox took a different approach to Nazi allusions when CBS's Bob Shieffer compared "taking on the gun lobby" to "defeating the Nazis." TPM has put together a video of Fox reactions, including Sean Hannity calling Shieffer's comparison an "over-the-top defamation":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIr1xn69sT0

Note that comparing the president to Hitler is nothing new. Comparisons between Bush and Hitler abounded on the left throughout his presidency.

Via Talking Points Memo.

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?	Is it ever OK to compare your political opponents to Hitler?

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Yes, if it's warranted

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No, it's offensive

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I have mixed feelings here

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All : 119

Comments (view in Forum)

Jan '13

awbaldridge

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It's been done by both sides so much now that it really doesn't mean anything any more or carry any substance. Whenever I hear a Hitler comparison on the news, the credibility of the person talking crumbles.
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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Pretty much my view to a point. But beyond that point I honestly do think a large portion of the Tea Party would make fine Nazi's.
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Jan '13

kirbstomp1

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Precisely.
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Jan '13

marine1

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@jessejaymes Nazi's had discipline, how the hell you suppose these phonies will handle that?
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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@marine1 Ok My bad. You got me on that one. Holey Toledo I must be on drugs. No way would the Tea party rabble ever be disciplined enough to do more than collateral damage.
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Jan '13

Rocker

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I wouldn't around here unless I want my a$$ whupped.
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Jan '13

RobertJHarsh

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Obama = Hitler
GW Bush = Hitler
Hillary = more Stalin than Hitler
Cheney = Hitler...big time
Clinton = Mao
Bush I = Hitler
Reagan = Hitler, but ok good version
Carter = Carter
Nixon = kinda of a Hitler/Mao hybrid.
- B2 • Vote Up r5 Replies
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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LOlL not bad, here is my take:

Obama is more like Carter, ineffective centrest Dem. Cheney you called perfectly. Reagan, a good version of Hitler, is that whay repubs want???

The rest you call ok...:)
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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What about ford?
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Jan '13

russ

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@PoliticalSpice
More like a Larry, Curly or Moe---yuk, yuk, yuk
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Jan '13

RobertJHarsh

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@russ Ford = Hitler Lite? All the tyranny but no concentration camps. Everyone gets off with a warning.
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Jan '13

russ

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@RobertJHarsh More accurate--I was just trying to be funny....
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Jan '13

PNWest

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The best comparison of Bush to Hitler was when the pundit (Bill Maher?) said Bush was no Hitler but he might get there if he applied himself.
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Jan '13

JustTheFacts

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Sure ... why not ... it's always good for a laugh!
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Jan '13

armed_liberal

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They won't stop even if it bothers us.
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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It's a fact that Hitler belonged on the left side of the political spectrum. He's one of yours liberals, deal with it.
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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Nonsense Neo. "Democratic" in Germany has always meant Conservatives and it does even today.
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Jan '13

OpEn_MiNdEd

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Wrong. He was a Far Right extremist and this proves it...

http://books.google.co.nz/books...
Mein Kempf
"We chose red for our posters after particular and careful deliberation, our intention being to irritate the Left."

So YOU deal with it...
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Jan '13

Godlesspanther

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Look at the religious right's favorite issues. Anti-science, anti GLBT rights, and anti-choice. Look at the neo-Nazis in the US today -- they are on the same side of all those issues. The fundagelicals are not as overtly racist as they were in the 60s -- but the rest of it lines up quite nicely. I'm not saying that the fundies and the Nazis are the same -- they are different and separate political movements, but they do share more ideology that either does with the political left in the US today.
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Jan '13

MetaphorBreeze

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@OpEn_MiNdEd Bushka! Nobody wants to claim even the smallest resemblance to Hitler's politics but lets face it: his politics define the word left.

No need to be embarrassed; we've all got a crazy/weird uncle.
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Jan '13

OpEn_MiNdEd

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@MetaphorBreeze And where is you PROOF??
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Jan '13

Godlesspanther

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It's stupid. There are Nazis in the US. Christian Identity, The Creativity Movement, National Socialist Movement, etc. The members of these organizations are self-proclaimed Nazis, admirers of Adolph Hitler and adherents to the ideology presented in Mein Kampf. If you ask them they will verify this.

When you apply the term "Nazi" to people that are obviously not Nazis, have nothing to do with Nazis, do not embrace anything Nazi -- then you are letting the real Nazis off the hook.
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Jan '13

seedtick

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The way this question is posed stinks...you are first asked if it is OK to compare your opponent to Hitler, and when you are ready to post it changes to "is it OK to call your opponent Hitler?"
Well, IMHO, it is alright to compare your opponent's TACTICS & POLICIES to those of Hitler, or anyone else for that matter. It is not, however, alright to call your opponent "Hitler." As much as we are tempted to do this from time to time, it never solved anything.
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Jan '13

DARSB

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As a general thing, if Hitler is mentioned in a discussion it's because the person bringing him up has run out of ideas.

This is especially obvious when a person claims (without foundation) that "Hitler was a liberal." This is merely a way to compare a large group of people to Hitler, which, again, is a sign of that person being fresh out of ideas.

But to answer the question, no, it's never appropriate to compare anyone to Hitler. It is offensive and it serves no purpose but to inflame emotions.
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Jan '13

Godlesspanther

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As Dave Barry said, compare your opponent to Adolph Hitler when your opponent is right -- and you are spectacularly wrong.
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Jan '13

DARSB

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@Godlesspanther Thanks, I'd forgotten that.(And when is Dave coming out of his "sabbatical"?)
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Jan '13

UScentral

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If you over-use an analogy, it becomes less offensive and less impactful. That's a tough concept for FN to understand. They're MO is to hammer and repeat. Hammer and repeat.
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Jan '13

MetaphorBreeze

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desensitization
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Jan '13

2b1ask1

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Only if it's Hussein Obama!
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Jan '13

Clarke12

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while it is not good to be compared to Adolf, we do enjoy the 1st Amendment right to call people by that name. oh boy..
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Jan '13

Dan_Tien

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It is okay as long as you are satisfied with creating propaganda.
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Jan '13

russ

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I think it's best if people are taught not to call others names before they hit grade school....
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Jan '13

Denizen_Kate

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I'm still shaking my head over Hannity refering to someone else's use of an over-the-top defamation.
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Jan '13

russ

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@Denizen_Kate
Game point! I watch FNC occasionally but rarely Hannity. I'm ok with the channels right wing agenda; they provide contrast to other major TV news networks. Nevertheless, he stands out for his prohibitive interviewing style and his 'pot-calling-the-kettle-black' commentary....
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Post @russ
Jan '13

ConserveUSA

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Taking away guns is what Adolf Hitler did. I would rather call opponents Kim Jung II North Korean Leader more often.
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Jan '13

Dan_Tien

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Your statement is a frequently repeated fallacy. Germans were allowed to own no guns or ammunition after WW1. The Weimar Republic passed a law that allowed guns to be owned and traded with permits. The Nazis passed a law in 1938 that allowed rifles and shotguns to be owned and traded by anyone (except Jews) without a permit, and allowed ownership of pistols to "trustworthy" Germans with a permit. Considering the fact that well-armed countries could not defend themselves against Hitler's armies, the often repeated story that Jews could have defended themselves if they had possessed firearms is also highly improbable.
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Jan '13

ConserveUSA

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@Dan_Tien Anyway, I still call the opponents a lot of names.
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Jan '13

Dan_Tien

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@ConserveUSA Yes, the President IS a doodyhead.
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Jan '13

Denizen_Kate

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@ConserveUSA - Yes, we know.
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Jan '13

DrFunkenstein

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If the political opponent is killing millions of people of the same race or religion then you can call him Hitler. If he wants everyone to have an equal opportunity and health care then you cannot.
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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I wasn't aware anybody in Politics today had decided to try and commit Genocide on anyone in America. From how many comparisons have been made, you'd think I'd of heard of it by now.
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Jan '13

Grubby

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Obama has pretty much all the same things in mind as Adolf. He is just as racist (against whites), just as committed to control of the people, just as ruthless. Don't believe? Just wait and see.
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Jan '13

Zazziness

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No, Mr. Obama does not intend genocide. He does not intend takeover of the world. He is not promoting a totalitarian regime. He has been nothing like Hitler. You obviously have never, ever read a history book.
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Post @Zazziness
Jan '13

rkyle

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If the shoe fits , wear it!!!
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Jan '13

ConserveUSA

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I do not mine calling Pro-Choicers: Adam Lanza.
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Jan '13

Zazziness

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That's because you are rude and have a distorted sense of reality.
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Jan '13

ConserveUSA

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@Zazziness Thank you.
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Is it ever OK to compare your political opponents to Hitler?

Is it ever OK to compare your political opponents to Hitler?