Barack Obama compares Trump to the rise of Hitler and says US democracy could 'fall apart very quick

[HeiressofBickworth]

36. I did some binge-watching on a cable station yesterday

Forgot which one. It ran consecutive documentaries about the rise of Hitler. I watched for two reasons: 1) I never did understand why the German people went along with it all, and 2) are there any parallels to today's US. Got answers to both questions.

First, Hitler preyed on the general anti-semitism of the time. He gave the country a singular enemy that everyone could agree was the cause of all the money problems and the reparations required for WWI. And, additionally, as the Jews were removed, all their assets (homes, farms, money, art, etc.) were gobbled up by Nazi party members and the whole country felt they were turning the economic corner.

Secondly, Trump is trying to give the US two enemies to rally against: Hispanics and Moslems. We don't have the same economic conditions that existed in Germany post-WWI, but with the disasterous tax cuts in the works and the resulting overwhelming debt, we soon could be in danger. With cut-backs in all social programs needed in order to pay for the rich peoples' tax cuts, we will have a lot of people in poverty, hungry, sick and homeless. THESE are the conditions that will be fertile grounds for the seeds of racism that are being sown which could lead to the rise of a dictator who promises to fix it all.

The US has maintained relative stability because of a wide, stable middle class. Trump/Republicans are a threat to that balance.

As a side-note, I nearly spewed when I saw the part where Hitler told his generals he knew more than they did about warfare. (sound familiar?) It was clear that Germany started losing the war in the East when Hitler fired his experienced generals, surrounded himself with sycophants and took charge of the military action on his own.