At a speech she gave to a labor union, Ms. Daeubler-Gmelin reportedly said, “Bush wants to distract attention from his domestic problems. That’s a popular method. Even Hitler did that.”
We find this comparison not only outrageous, but worse, grossly unjust. It is absolutely unconscionable to equate Adolf Hitler to George W. Bush—and no one should be more aware of this than a German government official.
Let’s just compare. When Adolf Hitler took office in early 1933, there were over 6 million Germans out of work; in 1935, that number was already well under 3 million, dropping to under 1 million by the end of 1936. German industrial production soared in Hitler’s early years; after steep declines from 1930-1932, Hitler’s state-interventionist policies, combined with tax incentives, reversed that trend, so that by 1935, German production roared past its previous record peak in 1929.
Under President Bush, the American unemployment rate has rocketed more than 50%, and layoffs continue to mount. The US economy entered a recession within months after Bush’s inauguration, reversing a decade of economic boom. Industrial production is falling, and skewed tax breaks that favored the wealthy have opened a gaping deficit, siphoning money away from both capital investment and state spending, both of which are sorely needed. In short, under Bush, America’s economy has entered a free-fall.
The differences don’t stop there. Hitler built the autobahns, transforming Germany’s and the world’s transportation. He ushered in an era of exciting new uniforms. Closet homosexuals found gainful employment in the highest rungs of government, and an outlet to vent their frustrations with the world. It is also thanks to Hitler that the briefly fashionable square-shaped mustache will never, ever come into vogue again.
George W. Bush built a single baseball stadium in Arglington, Texas. Amtrak and America’s airlines are bankrupt, putting transportation into its worst crisis in history. The days of casual wear are out the door, while America’s homosexuals are pouring out of the closet and into the open at record rates, threatening to overwhelm our large cities. Moreover, goatees are still all the rage, in spite of the fact that the gritty poverty the goatee represents is no longer so ironic.
Probably the most fundamental difference between them was that Hitler was a completely self-made man. He came out of poverty and rose to the top with no help from his father. It’s a classic rags-to-death-camps story, the stuff legends are made of. Bush, on the other hand, bumbled and boozed his way into riches and power purely through the guiding hand of his father and his father’s oil friends, a hand he’s only dimly aware of. George Bush Jr. suffers from the sort of genetic degeneration that eventually doomed the aristocrats of Europe, such as the Hapsburgs and the Romanovs; in the Bush family, W clearly has the droopy eyes and blank expression of an inbred son with recessive genes.
There’s more. Hitler was the first to unify Europe under a common currency and single foreign policy, inspiring the European Union of today; Bush’s unilateralism has split the international coalition, causing annoying arguments among trekkers at youth hostels the world over. Hitler was a captivating speaker, inspiring throngs of Germans to lift their right arms at a 45-degree angle; Bush has difficulty remembering each and every tiny little syllable, causing American intellectuals to curl the right sides of their mouths into what is known as a “sneer.”
In war, their differences are even sharper. When no one attacked Germany, Germany would attack and destroy them. When Saudi Arabia attacked the United States and slaughtered 3,000 people in the worst defeat in US history, Bush helped to shuttle the bin Laden family out of America while deferentially referring to the Saudis as “our friends.” Hitler introduced the blitzkrieg; Bush introduced the strongly-worded UN resolution. Hitler believed in astrology; Bush believes in Southern Baptism. Hitler liked to plan invasions; Bush likes golf.
Hitler was scary. Bush is silly. Hitler scowled. Bush smirks. Hitler started out as a painter. Bush began as a partier. Hitler preferred to rest in a picturesque mountain retreat. Bush prefers the arid wasteland of Crawford. Hitler’s unit was uncut; Bush’s is cut. Hitler spoke German. Bush speaks English. Hitler’s wife was named “Eva.” Bush’s wife is named “Laura.” Hitler’s last name began with an “H.” Bush’s last name begins with a “B.”
In spite of these innumerable differences, both Bush and Hitler do share one thing in common: when the enemy attacks, both seek the maternal, womb-like comfort of deep underground bunkers, from which they issue their historic proclamations to their people—Hitler’s call to fight to the last German, Bush’s call to get back into the shopping malls. This one similarity, however, does not justify Ms. Daeubler-Gmelin’s comparison.
Or does it?
Only time will tell.
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