This is my contribution to our discussion of Jonah Golberg’s book.  This week covers’ Chapter 2: Adolf Hitler: Man of the Left. I think it is impossible to read this chapter and not draw parallel’s to today’s liberal movement.  Some of the issues the Nazi party and today’s liberals championed are the same:  universal education, increased entitlements, and a “division of profits” of industry for example. We see many of these discussed today in President Obama’s goal of government education starting at age 0, the debate on nationalized health care and a public option,  and the constant threat to tax windfall profits.  Some of the other issues championed by the Nazi party could easily be inserted into the liberal agenda.

How often do conservatives campaign or argue points based on identity politics?  Rarely.  How often does the left attempt to persecute conservatives and Republicans based on identity politics? I would say constantly, but perhaps we should ask Rush Limbuagh his opinion.  Earlier this year the White House attempted to paint Rush as an extreme right wing nut job.  Their hope was to discredit the entire conservative movement by attacking a single private citizen.   In the last couple of weeks Rush was again attacked.  This time the left used the baseball bat of identity politics.  They attacked Rush because of something he didn’t say.  The problem with identity politics is that truth is rarely a problem.  If someone isn’t actually a racist, or sexist, or any other -ist, simply label them as one, take their words out of context, or make it up.

In Hitler’s Germany, the Nazi party was very successful in blaming many of the problems of the Germans on “the Jews”.  In today’s world, the liberals have been very successful at blaming many of the problems in the African-American community on racism and “racist white people”.  Has racism been a problem in the past? Sure.  However, to blame all of one groups problems on racism simply to win elections means that you never try to address the actual problems.  Thomas Sowell and Clarence Thomas have both argued that affirmative action has been more detrimental to African-Americans than beneficial.  Study after study shows that abortions impact the black community to a much greater extent than any other.  These problems aren’t discussed.  Today’s liberal politicians have more to benefit by ensuring many of those same problems continue to exist than in trying to solve them.