One of the more disgusting aspects of the right-wing protests at health-care town halls has been equating President Obama to Adolf Hitler. Why do these people act like that? I can think of several possibilities. First, they know that bringing Hitler into the discussion is extremely provocative, and thus likely to get them on TV. Our media are pathetic enough to give them the attention they're looking for. Second, their debating skills are so poor that this is the best argument they can come up with. It's a lot easier to give the Nazi salute than reverse-engineer cost projections.
Then again, it's just possible that years of exposure to the right-wing noise machine have about made these people utterly ignorant about history. So, as a public service to the wingnuts lurking on dKos, I've come up with a ten-point quiz on the difference between Obama and Hitler. Fear not, I've made it extremely easy: multiple choice questions with only two possible answers and no trick questions.
Question 1. Before entering politics, Hitler taught:
a. Constitutional law to university students.
b. Right-wing ideology to soldiers of the Bavarian Army.
Question 2. Hitler was born:
a. In Austria, and later acquired German citizenship.
b. In Germany, though many Germans doubted the authenticity of his birth certificate.
Question 3. The core of Hitler's support was found among:
a. Angry, low-information voters.
b. Arugula-eating bi-coastal eltists.
Question 4. As a young man, Hitler got in trouble for:
a. Not paying parking tickets while in college.
b. Leading an armed insurrection against the government.
Question 5. As an author, Hitler is best known for:
a. Espousing hope.
b. Calling for the extermination of the Jews.
Question 6. Hitler dealt with opposition parties in the legislative branch by:
a. Abolishing the offending parties, and later abolishing the legislature.
b. Negotiating with them.
Question 7. When Hitler's Nazis campaigned for office:
a. They made extensive use of social networking.
b. They made extensive use of paramilitary thugs.
Question 8. One institution closely associated with Hitler is:
a. The concentration camp.
b. The town hall.
Question 9. An often-used Nazi campaign slogan was:
a. "One People, One Empire, One Leader."
b. "Change We Can Believe In."
Question 10. After taking power, Hitler prepared for the next election by:
a. Proposing legislation aimed at repairing the economy.
b. Doing away with elections altogether.
Answers. 1-b, 2-a, 3-a, 4-b, 5-b, 6-a, 7-b, 8-a, 9-a, 10-b.
If you failed to get at least eight of these right, you should immediately turn off the Fox News Channel and report to your local high school and enroll yourself in a remedial course in history.