First let’s go to the videotape:
STATEMENT A
We didn’t use chemical weapons in World War II. You had a — you know, someone as despicable as Hitler, who didn’t even sink to the — to the — to using chemical weapons. So you have to if you are Russia, ask yourself is this a country that you — and a regime that you want to align yourself with?
STATEMENT B
...I think when you come to Sarin gas, there was no, he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Ashad [sic] is doing... i mean there was clearly… there was not, in the, in the, he brought them into the, to, um, to, the holocaust center, I understand that. But I’m saying in the way that Assad used them where he went into towns dropped them down, to innocent, into the middle of towns, it was brought, to it, so, the use of it, and I appreciate the clarification there. That was not the intent.
Clear now?
Everybody understand what he said? And what he clarified? And what the intent was? Are you sure?
Tweet of the day has to be April Ryan’s triple take when he said it, and another double take at the words “holocaust center”. She’s looking around like—did everybody hear what I just heard? Did he really just say that, or can I please wake up from this Ionesco-flavored press room nightmare I’ve been having for the past few weeks? (April Ryan is the black woman in the glasses sitting behind the woman in the blue blouse.)
The camera is trying to capture Cecilia Vega, the woman in blue asking the question, and April Ryan just happens to be visible in the background, shaking her head in disbelief. We know that bothers Spinny Spice because he has commented on her head-shaking before and even told her “stop shaking your head” on another occasion. It is funny that they even expect to control our physical responses to their BS. If you were in the room when he said that, wouldn’t you shake your head too?
First let’s look at Statement A.
You have to have a *very* selective way of remembering the concentration camps to even be able to form your mouth into a sentence that says Hitler never used chemical weapons. People with any knowledge of Hitler at all know about the camps and what happened there. Zyklon B was a weapon, and it was a chemical weapon (what is a chemical weapon anyway? isn’t a bomb a chemical weapon?) and Hitler used it, and he killed a lot of people with it.
More than Assad killed.
More than Saddam Hussein killed when he used gas against northern Iraqi Kurds — his own people.
Whichever Rcon fool (thankfully I have forgotten which one and don’t want to take time to look it up) who claimed DJT had the “instincts of Ronald Reagan” when he bombed Syria, was conveniently forgetting how Ronald Reagan reacted in the late 80s when Hussein used chemical weapons. Reagan, for complicated reasons, wanted an Iraqi victory in the Iran-Iraq war. So when Hussein gassed his own people, Reagan didn’t drop bombs. He looked the other way, and even stymied Congressional attempts to impose sanctions on Iraq.
So you have to, if you are Reagan, ask yourself is this a country that you — and a regime that you want to align yourself with? And the answer was, apparently, yes, since the Reagan Administration gave even more military intelligence help to Hussein in the period immediately following the gassing of the Kurds in Halabja.
(Outstanding article on Halabja here by Jeffrey Goldberg in The New Yorker)
Of all the 1984-style propaganda reversals Rs have done in my lifetime, this is one of the most blatant ones. As most of you are aware, in a few short years, after Hussein invaded Kuwait, Republicons flipped the script on a dime. Suddenly Sad-damn Hussein became the reviled archenemy the US had to remove from power immediately because he was a monster who gassed his own people.
We have always been at war with Eastasia.
But Statement A would just be another run-of-the-mill DJT administration gaffe without Statement B.
A neologism is desperately needed for “the Republicon ‘clarifying statement’ that actually makes things a whole lot worse”. DK wordsmiths need to get on it, and bonus points if you can work Spicer’s name into it somewhere.
You can almost watch the gears turning in Spicer’s head as he realizes the obvious part of his mistake and tries to tiptoe his way through the tulips figuring out something to say that will fix it. Instead, total fail, because Bullcrap Spice missed the reason why the first statement was so tone-deaf.
Everything about Statement B attempts to reinforce the idea that Assad is worse than Hitler. Everything about Statement B is supposed to bring you to the conclusion that Hitler wasn’t so bad, because at least he didn’t use gas on his own people.
Except that he did.
Unless you think the Jewish people weren’t “his people”?
And if they weren’t “his people”, whose people were they?
OK, some of the people who died in the camps weren’t German. But some of them were. Doesn’t that count as gassing his own people?
This statement was heard by some people as straight up holocaust denial, since deniers are pretty much the only ones who casually go around saying crap like Hitler never gassed his own people.
The Anne Frank Center called for Spicer to resign or be fired:
On Passover no less, Sean Spicer has engaged in Holocaust denial, the most offensive form of fake news imaginable, by denying Hitler gassed millions of Jews to death
On Passover. No less. Wonder what Jarvanka thinks about that coinkydink.
But wait, there’s more.
Do you have a hard time saying the words concentration camp?
True, it’s an awful thing to think about or talk about, but when you need to mention the WW II concentration camps, do you bother with trying to grope for some other word for it? Of course not. Why would you? When you are talking about concentration camps you usually want to leave no question in anyone’s mind that that is what you mean to reference.
there was not, in the, in the, he brought them into the, to, um, to, the holocaust center
The HOLOCAUST CENTER?
Oh no he dih-unt!
Why, Sean? Why? Everything about that stumbling and mumbling made it seem as though you have some reason to avoid using the words concentration camp. Or you forgot for a second what they were called.
At this point I am not sure which is worse.
But then Cluefree Spice really put his foot in it all the way up to his eyes by saying Assad was worse than Hitler because Assad attacked “innocent” people.
Thanks for pointing that out. Assad gassed innocent victims, Hitler gassed people in the holocaust center but they… were NOT innocent? Or that was better because it wasn’t in the middle of towns? So gassing people out in the countryside is preferable? And I thought Auschwitz *was* a town. Is it not a big enough town?
Maybe it’s the *dropping* of gas from the air that makes the difference? Because the Shoah Resource Center says that before the Nazis started using gas chambers, the Reich murdered people by locking them in the back of large vans and pumping the carbon monoxide from the exhaust into the back of the van until the people inside were dead. Maybe these “gas vans” are not well known (h/t Zach Beauchamp from Vox), but it is gassing people. In their towns.
But the gas was not dropped from the air, that is the distinction you are making. I see.
I appreciate the clarification there.
The press briefing was followed by a series of ham-handed statements, frantically spinning right round baby right round like a record baby trying to stem the tide of criticism coming in from all sides. Unfortunately this is the kind of major gaffe where every proclamation guarantees free ammunition for your enemies. Three statements were issued, each one making things worse.
Rachel walked us through the whole spin cycle:
2:47 PM: In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust, however, I was trying to draw a contrast of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on innocent people.
Oops. There’s the “innocent” thing again.
2:56 PM: In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust, however, I was trying to draw a contrast of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on population centers.
But clues kept knocking on his head begging to get in and he finally opened his brain a crack and let in a smidge of awareness, which led to the final written statement:
3:06 PM: In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust. I was trying to draw a contrast of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on population centers. Any attack on innocent people is reprehensible and inexcusable.
None of them was an actual apology. None of them admitted he said anything wrong.
And each of the three statements began with the same words: “In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust”
Except you were, Mr. Spicer. You were. The whole snafu began when you tried to compare Assad to Hitler with Hitler coming out to the good, which by definition makes Hitler’s gassing of millions a lesser offense than Assad dropping chemical weapons from planes.
Comparing Hitler favorably to other murderers just isn’t done by reasonable people.
Ever.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s spin can’t make this one better.
This man is not just any spokesbot. He is the frakking White House Press Secretary, and famously asserts that he speaks for the President.
*
Laurel Raymond at Think Progress summed it up well:
By suggesting that Hitler did not use chemical weapons, even though Hitler used gas chambers to kill millions, Spicer essentially called into question whether the Holocaust even happened at all. By saying that Assad is different than Hitler because he killed his own people, Spicer tacitly accepted the Nazi definition of German — implying, like they did, that German Jews were not actually German. And by defining Assad’s victims as innocent in apparent contrast to Hitler’s victims, Spicer’s comments play into the anti-Semitic notion that Hitler’s victims deserved their deaths.
This would be different in a White House that did not have so much enthusiastic support from white supremacist groups, white nationalist groups and holocaust deniers. Senator Brian Schatz speaks for me and many others with this tweet:
Spicer did eventually go on CNN and use the words mistake and apologize. But the damage had been done and the dog whistle had been blown. Either intentionally or through abject ignorance, a certain message had been sent and it can never be taken back.
Many of us remember when anti-Semitic websites and neo-Nazi organizations were gleeful when DJT failed to specifically mention the Jewish people on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
I have a feeling they were thrilled today too.
Now SpokesSpice can get back to focusing on DJT’s decisive action in Syria and the attempts that he’s making to destabilize the region.
PREVIOUS TRUE BLUE REPORT diaries
Apr 10: If DJT changes policy based on televised images... let’s show him some
Apr 9: TBR SUNDAY: DJT supporters do not realize nuclear war could mean the end of the world
Apr 8: BLUE RIBBONS: Jeff Merkley, Gina Mathew & Connor Balthazor, 70 (!) advertisers dump Bill-O
Apr 7: Not taking our eyes off Heitkamp, Manchin and Donnelly—they should be primaried
Apr 6: Take Me to Your Leader
Apr 5: DJT ran for POTUS to get back at Obama but the person he is discrediting is himself
Apr 4: Obama’s is bigger—Twitter following, inauguration crowd size, and approval rating
Apr 3: Filibuster a SCt nominee? Ds are changing the rules! This never happened before !1!
Apr 2: TBR SUNDAY: Put Your Lights On
Apr 1: BLUE RIBBONS for 4/1/17—Dick Cheney, Richard Burr, Rick Wilson
MARCH
Mar 31: The possible reasons Flynn was refused immunity are all good for the Blue Team
Mar 30: Special Assistant Ivanka—every word she says from now on is a DJT advertising ploy
Mar 29: “It’s just that valuable” — do you know the MAIN reasons Ryan wants to pass the AHCA?
Mar 28: Nipping at their heels
Mar 27: In cheering Republicon failures, think like a surgeon
Mar 26: TBR SUNDAY: Dare we hope the tide is turning? Or is that unrealistically optimistic?
Mar 25: BLUE RIBBONS: Sheldon Whitehouse, Al Franken, Bobby Brooks, Betsy Anderson, ACA phone callers
Mar 24: HaHaHa-Ha-Ha You’re gonna need Congressional approval and you don’t have the votes
Mar 23: Rcons hate Obamacare for selfish, greedy, racist reasons, but not enough to fix it.
Mar 22: Neil Gorsuch’s attempt to seem wide-eyed and innocent makes him look even worse
Mar 21: Using Trump as a bad example—no Trump Sleep, Trump Food or other Trump habits
Mar 20: Is DJT a compulsive liar, or out of touch with reality? Five scenarios...
Mar 19: TBR SUNDAY: A budget is a moral document—a statement of public compassion
Mar 18: BLUE RIBBONS: CBO scorers, Senate Intelligence Committee, Judge Derrick Watson
Mar 17: They know DJT is lying. Here’s one sad reason they follow him anyway.
Mar 16: Mick Mulvaney's ignorant, callous, evil, Republicon definition of compassion
Mar 15: Message Discipline 101—Pushback against Rcon talking points re DJT 2005 tax return
Mar 14: Message Discipline 101—Pushback against Rcon talking points about Obamacare repeal
Mar 13: Culture, Civilization, Rural America, Working Families—the missing word is a “tell”
Mar 12: TBR SUNDAY: The Rcon definition of Christians is as wrong as the Rcon definition of Democrats.
Mar 11: BLUE RIBBONS: A Day Without a Woman, Native Nations Rise, Voting Rights Act still lives
Mar 10: How to talk to people who have trouble understanding actions have consequences
Mar 9: Where’s the fire? The real reason Rs are trying to rush TrumpCare through Congress
Mar 8: Message Discipline 101: TrumpCare, RyanCare, GOPCare, DonTCare—what’s in a name?
Mar 7: How very hard it is for a woman to go a day without paid (or unpaid) work
Mar 6: Can DJT really be stumbling into the exact investigation we want?
Mar 5: TBR SUNDAY: How is it even possible that deplorables see a man of faith when they look at DJT?
Mar 4: BLUE RIBBONS: Chris Hayes, Malcolm Nance, Cierra Fields
Mar 3: I’m glad Bannon, Conway, Carson, Sessions, Miller, et al. are in the DJT Administration
Mar 2: “In every major fire it always starts with smoke. And smoke is what kills you.”
Mar 1: Am I the only one whose skin crawled at the Carryn Owens BIRGing moment?
FEBRUARY
Feb 28: Spinspotting 101: Special Prosecutor for what? It’s so easy to answer that question
Feb 27: Spinspotting 101: I’ve seen no evidence because I haven’t looked for any evidence!
Feb 26: TBR SUNDAY: If Neil Gorsuch were a man of integrity, he would decline the S.Ct. appointment
Feb 25: BLUE RIBBONS: Russia Flag trolling, Dixie Swastika grabbing, District Days demonstrating
Feb 24: There is no such thing as a compassionate conservative
Feb 23: Chief of Staff, Nat’l Security Advisor, GOP Head, President Bannon—too many hats!
Feb 22: DJT has a few questions for you—SMURF THIS POLL!
Feb 21: The end of “access journalism” means it’s time to #sendtheinterns
Feb 20: KAC lying low for now… can we banish her (and all her ilk) from the airwaves completely?
Feb 19: TBR SUNDAY: DeVos cartoon, Ruby Bridges, unearned unhappiness and childlike faith
Feb 18: BLUE RIBBONS: Vice Adm. Harward, Melissa McCarthy, and intel whistleblowers
Feb 17: And Ain’t I an American?
Feb 16: Please tell your family and friends—If you regret your DJT vote, speak up NOW
Feb 15: R-supported forced childbirth laws deny the autonomy of women
Feb 14: What did the president know? Everything. When did he know it? From the beginning.
Feb 13: Coping with The Madness of King Donald by hoping political comedy will save us
Feb 12: TBR SUNDAY: The Poverty and Justice Bible
Feb 11: BLUE RIBBONS: Swastika removers, Ninth Circuit Panel, and the Persisterhood!
Feb 10: The first three words of the Constitution are “We, the People” not “I, the President”
Feb 9: Who first inspired your political activism? Who inspires you now?
Feb 8: We cannot and will not be silenced—Here’s what to do if they try to silence you
Feb 7: Plain Talk Tuesday: Tell people the Affordable Care Act is the same as OBAMACARE
Feb 6: Interview Skills 101—Internalized oppression and what Ryan Lizza did right. BRAVO!
Feb 5: TBR SUNDAY: These protest signs with Bible cites will confuse and befuddle RWNJs
Feb 4: BLUE RIBBONS: Temple B’Nai Israel, Judge Robart, CNN, Senate Phone Callers
Feb 3: Not rich, not smart, not a good businessman, not a winner—DJT is NOTHING he claims to be
Feb 2: Thursday action—Encouragement, thanks, and apologies (pick one or more)
Feb 1: July 7, 2009 to August 25, 2009 and September 25, 2009 to February 4, 2010
JANUARY
Jan 31: If you’re on overload that’s part of their plan—there’s more than one way to #resist
Jan 30: Interview Skills 101 for reporters attempting to interview KAC and other Rcons
Jan 29: TBR SUNDAY: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Jan 28: BLUE RIBBONS: Women's March participants and #NoMuslimBan demonstrators and...
Jan 27: I wish Steve Bannon would tell me to keep my mouth shut
Jan 26: Thursday Action—Have you ever written a letter to the editor? Here’s how to start
Jan 25: The Asch Conformity Study, inauguration crowds, and the importance of speaking out
Jan 24: #ResistTrumpTuesday—good news day or another paying dues day?
Jan 23: Spy the Lie 101: How to enjoy watching Rcon spokesbot interviews, even KAC!
Jan 22: TBR SUNDAY: Why I prayed for the President* today
Jan 21: The only silver lining in the midst of these clouds
Inaugural (!) diary: Stop expecting Republicons to make sense