Purple Opinions 2024

Posted on by purpleisthenewpatriotic

To me, patriotism is more than flags, pledges, and anthems – although, those symbols and rituals around our shared love of country give me goosebumps every time.  Patriotism to me is also research, scrutinizing my own bias, writing, and sharing information with hope of helping fellow friends and patriots to more confidently cast a vote.  Living in a swing state, along with my background and the vastly differing views of those I love and respect most has given me constant cause to stop and ask more questions.  For these reasons I have always answered “purple” when asked about my political views and have cast votes for both parties.  While my values remain purple, my vote this year must be blue. 

My disclosure is this: What began as curiosity and confusion over how so many could so loudly support someone I was skeptical of, became a clear plan to vote blue and turned into pretty well-researched concern that supporters and undecided voters are missing key information that may make a vote for Harris much easier. My writing turned into more of an info session on basic facts (and where to easily find and research them yourself) that seem to be lost or misconstrued and some explanations about topics that are being politicized incorrectly and making it seem like a harder decision than it probably is.

In addition to what I hope is helpful information, I hope it gives other skeptics some information to chat about with friends and family. Avid Trump supporters tend to be very loud and very confident – which can be difficult when you don’t feel armed with information or feel confident in where to fact check. So far (and I welcome missing information) – the evidence to support Trump’s first term successes or how his future plans would benefit Americans is very thin. Other than the first page here and the summary at the end, I’m mostly informational – but these are where my opinions are clear (in case you want to devour those or avoid them entirely!).

It turns out I’m in good company.  Trump’s handpicked Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Retired Army General Mark Milley, calls him fascist to the core, warns of his mental decline, and says he is the most dangerous person to the US.  Liz Cheney campaigned with Kamala Harris in Wisconsin and her father, Dick Cheney is endorsing a Harris Presidency, 400 Economists say Trump’s policy proposals present economic uncertainty, 700 National Security Officials and 10 top US military officials  say a second Trump presidency poses a threat to defense and the state of democracy, and hundreds of staunch Republicans are backing a Harris win.  Our common ground has always included The Constitution, representative leadership, the rule of law, checks and balances, and the work of bipartisan leadership to keep our country great.  Those of us independent, middle, and purple thinkers are hoping to support this common ground with a country first attitude and true patriotism over party.  We reject deliberate divisiveness and are eager to develop a more stable bench of Republican party leadership to consider in the future.

Checks, balances, and guardrails are critical to a democracy.  A candidate or president that threatens those opposed to them (particularly experts like retired Generals) and promises to appoint only loyalists and not experts into powerful positions, will destroy the future of democracy.  Anyone setting up a scheme in advance to deny election results not in their favor (Trump did this in 2020 with the help of Roger Stone and Steve Bannon and appears to be doing it again in 2024 – more evidence) and sow unfounded doubt in our elections process is revolting and unfit for the esteemed role of President.  This would be true whether Republican or a Democrat. 

We can still disagree with policy, we can still demand our elected representatives change the things we don’t like, and we can still question the size, scope, and efficiency of government.  The push and pull of conservatism and progressivism is a good thing – but results that reflect our wishes will require participation more than every four years when a Presidential election is in play and requires us to be able to talk to each other instead of fixating on hate.  More on that later.

Here is some overview, explanation, and opinion of what it seems are the most important topics to us all this year – and the ones that seem to cause indecision.  Click to skip around: 

Where & How to Find Reliable Information

In listening to both friends and strangers explain why they are on the fence about the 2024 presidential election, there are a few common hot topics around the indecision.  If our opinions are based on some reliable intel, maybe our lie detectors and guts will have an easier time of sorting it all out.  Here are some thoughts on reliable information gathering.

If the information you consume has a lot of drama, whataboutisms, few sources, and leaves you feeling completely validated (confirmation bias) – sound the alarms – it’s likely deliberately misleading and incorrect.  Check to see if the argument uses logical fallacies, check the bias of the author (what do they have to gain or lose by persuading you?), and check extra persuasive ideas presented as “facts” for possible misinformation.  If a quick search provides some credible sources that don’t align with the original information – it shouldn’t pass your sniff test.  Better information tends to be a bit more boring, has lots of transparent sources that welcome questions, may challenge your beliefs, and should make you go “hmmm.”  AllSides is a great resource for checking and comparing how various media report on the same topics.  The sources I have shared throughout are considered balanced and do not include memes, angry youtubers, or news sources with high bias ratings.

We can go on to be high information voters who run the risk of finding out our opinions might be incorrect, we can be low information voters who seek opinion validation while refusing any information that clashes with our beliefs, or we can throw in the towel and give up because it’s frustrating and difficult.  Rooting hard for option one over here.

There are a lot of ads, memes, and speeches that that give the impression America is on hell’s doorstep.  While there is much we could improve – much is fictional and manipulative.  I hope to dispel some of the misinformation on these important voter topics.  It seems that many people on the fence may want to vote for Harris, but are feeling paralyzed by the barrage of attack ads, rhetoric, and slogans which induce fear and can be difficult and time consuming to fact check.  When inflammatory social media misinformation is sprinkled in and boosted by algorithms that are designed to bring on more of the same, the sheer volume can make it seem like it must be true.  It can also be hard to look away when it is coming from the people we like and love.  Did you know that Misinformation spreads 6 times faster than truth and facts?       

I learned a lot about my own biases in researching all of this.  I found I had to temper some of my opinions because good information showed me I only knew part of the story.  If we don’t agree in the end, I’ll still feel great if any of this gives you pause too. 

Economy & Cost of Living:

We would likely be experiencing the same economic challenges regardless of whether the 2020 election winner were Biden or Trump.  You’re not wrong, your money went further before 2020 and you’re entitled to be salty about it – but let’s review some of the whys.  My thoughts and corresponding links aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list to answer all your grievances, but I hope they help reduce some of the political inflammation preventing the ability to choose presidential leadership.

  • Pandemic and post pandemic issues, decisions, and supply chain issues were not party specific, nor was the global unrest disrupting food supply that contributed.  Both presidents spent trillions on relief packages to avoid recession and depression worries, and neither of them did it all that well.  Getting congress to agree on something and making the choice to avert an immediate crisis while accepting unknown future consequences is what they both did and would do again.  Anyone insisting there was or is an easy way to manage or fix it is lying.
  • The difficult decisions that stoked the economy and prevented high unemployment as intended also caused it to overheat, driving inflation up as demand outpaced supply for literally everything.  It is uncomfortable but normal and not at all unprecedented for economies to recalibrate as domestic and global challenges arise. 
  • Our economy is the envy of other first world countries right now.  Oddly, the economic reality tells a story very different from some of the pessimistic general sentiment.  Inflation is currently at the same level as pre-pandemic under Trump – very near ideal at 2.4%, growth is at 3%, unemployment is 4.1% (7M more jobs than pre-pandemic), The Fed is cutting interest rates, and the stock market is soaring.  As measurements go, this looks pretty good – not perfect, but pretty darn good.  These are the measurements we have used to brag or worry by for decades under both red and blue leadership, yet oddly today’s statistics are sometimes not trusted or willfully overlooked.  The current administration’s policies seem to be effectively moving all the targets in the right direction – so why are they not more popular?  Heather Cox Richardson wrote a great piece about “American mythmaking” which talks about the history of economic outlook and where some of today’s stigmas about party and policy came from.  It is most definitely worth your time.
  • Inflation: Inflation is not a Biden presidency flaw, it is a post pandemic reckoning any President would have faced.  2% is considered healthy/ideal without overheating or experiencing recession, unemployment, and stagflation.  Recent reports show we are at 2.5% and getting closer to goal.   
    • 100 years of inflation statistics show that this is not as rare as you might think. As painful as it has been, it is nowhere near the highest inflation (half as much actually) the US has experienced throughout history – regardless of debate rhetoric to the contrary.
    • How does the US inflation compare to the rest of the world?  This Global Finance article compares inflation in 196 countries over the last 5 years.  Americans tend to hyperfocus on ourselves and forget that the rest of the world has grappled with the same challenges post global pandemic.  It turns out our inflation rates for the last 5 years are super-duper on par with both historical US data and similar 1st world countries which sort of deflates the alarm and scandal of it all. 
  • Groceries: It’s unlikely that grocery prices would be lower if Trump had remained in office. Higher costs are yet another product of economic recovery, and a host of other factors for which there is little short-term control to be had.  Things like fires, droughts, hurricanes, avian flu, and war can wreak havoc on supply & demand.  Campaigning on this known problem by blaming a presidential administration is not honest. 
  • Fuel Prices:  Presidents don’t have much to do with the price of gas which is a product of supply and demand like most other things.  It is, however, a convenient statistic to spin to one’s advantage on the campaign trail since it affects almost everybody.  A little effort to understand what “energy independence” is in comparison to how it’s portrayed politically is also important.  Finally, comparing gas prices in 2020 to today is apples and oranges.  Gas prices were low in 2020 because there was no demand for gas as we sat around at home with nowhere to go.
  • Housing / Interest rates:  The Federal Reserve, “The Fed,” handles a slew of things – interest rates being the most well-known.  It is independent, and by design, answers to congress and not the president. Since 1913’s Federal Reserve Act, the board (confirmed at different intervals) are nominated by the president, confirmed by the senate, and sit for 14 years.  The idea is not to be beholden to political whims, but to do the work of maintaining economic stability. 
    • Raising interest rates is an effective (but not enjoyable) tool to reduce demand by consumers and businesses and manage inflation.  When borrowing is cheap (low rates) inflation can soar with demand.  When borrowing is expensive (high rates), markets can cool to a more sustainable clip.  For example: low interest drove demand for housing which caused the cost of labor and materials to rise as urgent consumers wanted to build homes faster than supply would allow.  The opposite is where interest rates are high enough that they delay or deter buyers which slows demand and helps bring the cost of labor and supplies to a level that aligns closer to actual value.  Too low and inflation skyrockets.  Too high and we risk unemployment and stagflation.  Make no mistake, it’s a tightrope no one wants to walk.ALERT: The next president will appoint the next Chair to the Federal Reserve.  A red flag to take note of is that Trump would like to dilute the independence of The Fed and have it answer to him (Reuters – Center source) and Project 2025 calls for eliminating The Fed entirely.
    • Inquiring minds – The Federal Reserve vs Department of the Treasury
  • Tariffs: Trump’s proposed tariffs do not punish foreign suppliers, they are likely to punish American consumers.  The added costs are not typically absorbed by the supplier – they are absorbed by the consumer who pays a higher sticker price because the goods would be more expensive for the manufacturer to acquire.  The exceptions would be where a tariff discouraged foreign supply in support of a domestic company that could then become the supplier with less competition from abroad.  Or, if the foreign supplier were desperate to unload supply they could, in theory, lower their price.  Evaluating how the tariffs would benefit or hurt the US is important. 

Trump/Biden spending comparison: In addition to the challenges of recovery, deficit spending drives inflation.  Trump, Biden, and Harris are all guilty of proposing costly ideas without being transparent about the costs which, you guessed it, contribute to the problem as the government borrows more money to pay for it all at higher rates.  The US can reduce debt and deficit by increasing taxes and/or by cutting spending – (neither of which are popular among voters) but it can’t spend more and cut taxes without consequence.  It’s ok that it’s complicated – let’s just be transparent about it.

Trump’s biggest accomplishments were corporate tax cuts, environmental deregulation, and changes to global agreements on climate. These may be perceived differently by red and blue. How America Changed During Trump’s First Term by Pew Research shares tons about accomplishments and statistics. Here is 30 Things Donald Trump Did as President You Might Have Missed some good, some not good.

Biden’s biggest accomplishments didn’t get the sexy headlines that corporate tax cuts did – but there were lots of small legislative wins in things like predatory lending, junk fees, insulin caps, airlines paying consumers when they goof up, etc. and then there were big ones like incentivizing microchips to be made domestically, hitting the highest domestic oil production in history, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Here is 30 Things Joe Biden Did as President You Might Have Missed.

Trump/Harris plan comparison:  Both have plans that add debt, but the estimated cost of Trump’s top heavy plans double Harris’s adding 7.5T versus 3.5T.

  • Harris’s history, plans, and focus are described online HERE.  Much of what she hopes is dependent on a legislative body in agreement.  PBS and BBC provide their synopsis as well. BBC shared where Harris stands on top issues. Here is Harris Versus Trump on the Economy from Forbes.
  • Trump runs light on policy specifics and heavy on opponent attacks in Agenda 47, and (although trying to distance himself) is tied to Project 2025 which is a 900 page document written by the Heritage Foundation, Trump allies, and Trump’s former White House officials, with by JD Vance authoring a Forward to the author’s new book.  It is a blueprint for an incoming Trump presidency that discusses numerous topics – the most concerning are:  Placing under executive control many agencies (including DOJ which is independent today), having the Dept of Health and Human Services be more “biblically based,” eliminating the Dept of Education, increasing abortion restrictions, mass deportations (even people here legally), and removing renewable energy efforts.  TIME is considered slightly left leaning, interviewed Trump twice, and came away very concerned.

Economic ideology: Trickle down and trickle up are talking points that describe how taxation and policy can affect individuals.  Here is a synopsis by the Economic Policy Institute that compares 50 years of results by political party. 

  • What is middle class and the state of the middle class? – Pew Research Center.  This is a helpful resource to review how the middle class has been hollowed out over time as a result of policy.
  • Trickle down or supply side economics is an interesting theory, but after 40 years, most reputable data tends to give it a thumbs down suggesting that it has redistributed and concentrated an enormous amount of money to billionaires with little benefit to average Americans or middle class.  The state of the middle class seems to support this opinion.
    • Cutting taxes on corporations and wealthy tends to explode deficits and trickles money to the top.  The government borrows and takes on federal debt (for which the American people are on the hook) so that businesses (and or wealthy) do not pay which is spun as incentive to spend that savings on their businesses, goods, and services that trickle down and positively impact middle and lower classes.  The government could enact policy that would force companies to spend at least some of that tax savings on employees and infrastructure – but because they don’t (since that would be considered overreach), companies who could trickle it down have no incentive to do so and tend to use it to buy back their own stock or give execs enormous bonuses.  Stock buybacks are alright for people invested in the stock market – but for the people who need relief from day to day costs and not just a spike in 401k, this is not effective.  Tax cuts on middle and lower cost a LOT less and actually do put dollars back into the economy as people have the means to eat out, make home improvements, etc.  Regular folks tend to loosen the purse strings and spend some of the money saved rather than hording it as billionaires do which carries the economy forward by keeping demand high.  Tax incentives?  Sure!  Loopholes?  Ok!  But don’t increase the deficit with cuts that benefit so few and do not pay for themselves while pretending that it’s trickling down. The Great Depression is a real-life example of a supply side failure that could not be rescued by the demand of regular folks because there was no wealth held among them after having a huge and disproportionate amount held by the mega-wealthy disappear.
  • Trickle Up – or demand side economics is also an interesting theory that is less studied and reported on because until recently, US policy hasn’t encouraged it in several decades.  It was successful post WWII and is being put to test now with The American Rescue Plan.  It suggests that domestic investment not in tax cuts for wealthy but in infrastructure, schools, airports, shipping ports, etc. where American companies do the work would put dollars in lower and middle class hands while also creating jobs.

Market Strength: Markets enjoy, prefer, and perform under political stability.  Laws facing precedent changing, threat of government shutdowns, legislation flip flops and disagreements, refusal to transfer power peacefully, global conflicts, trade wars, and angry allies are all examples of problems that cause market volatility because they disrupt the confidence and ability of corporations to plan, take risk, and execute ideas, borrow money, hire people, innovate, and expand.  Market stability is a critical priority for economic health.  In fairness, I have to say that they also love deregulation – but the hefty bill for that always comes in at some point (For example, the Depression and the 2008 banking and housing crisis).

Debt Ceiling, Federal Deficit, Federal Debt explained:  Federal Budget Process  “The National Deficit” is the amount spent above and beyond what is being collected in a given year.  “The National Debt” is the total amount the government owes from past and current deficits.

  • “The Debt Ceiling” is NOT a cap on spending as some mistake it to be (and others pretend it to be).  The money has already been spent.  When the US spends more than the budget forecast, it must borrow money to make up the deficit (shortage).  That borrowed money adds to the national debt for which there is a ceiling in place that congress increases to avoid defaulting on our loans.  If they vote not to raise the debt ceiling, it means a vote not to pay our creditors and would put the US in default.  As the stable powerhouse of the world, being in default would have pretty catastrophic effects from markets plummeting, interest rates rising, SS, Medicare, Military benefits all going unpaid causing mass poverty… it’s bad.  Politicians pretending to stand up to the spenders in DC by threatening shutdowns and default are manipulating people who do not understand the debt ceiling for their own optics and shenanigans.  They are either hoping that fallout gets blamed on the political party in power making them look heroic while the other guys look like they destroyed the country… or they are posturing to attach some kind of extreme and unrelated legislation to the vote by holding it hostage and whipping up the media.
    • Spending less than we bring in is an obvious solution.  That has to do with taxation as much as it does spending.  Both parties have issues.  There are lots of ideas to hash out to balance the budget, but using the debt ceiling as a political weapon is bad form with a dangerous potential outcome.  Here is a libertarian plan for balancing the budget – I don’t agree with A LOT of what’s in here and you probably won’t either.  What it’s good for is reviewing the difficult decisions of a huge country.

Southern Border:  The border is a tough issue.  Most people want policy to allow for legal immigration and a pathway to citizenship but are frustrated with undocumented immigrant encounters and crossings and the burden it puts on US taxpayers and entities.  It’s not as simple as “shut down the border” , which a president can’t actually do without congressional support unless there is some obvious and unchallenged overarching issue (terrorism, pandemic, etc).  It’s also pretty horrible make false claims and use dehumanizing and hostile language (vermin, animals, criminals, prisoners, murderers, drug dealers, mental patients, terrorists…) to make a point or rationalize aggressive behavior.  “They” are not attacking, swarming, or “poisoning the blood of our country” and there needn’t be a “blood bath.”   These are people, and those are lies.  Challenging lies and hatefulness does not mean agreeing with open borders and a free for all approach.  This is not a zero-sum game.  Getting congressional leaders to work together instead of the border as a crisis pawn for their own reelection is the real key to reform.  Realizing that many of the issues regarding benefits are at the state and not federal level is important.

  • Economic Impact of immigrants.  Pretending that removal of people is simple and economically sound is false.  The process would be complicated, extremely costly ($20B for every 1M people) and would have rippling economic effects.  Immigrants are not “taking” American jobs but do often work at jobs in US sectors that compliment other jobs that may not exist without the immigrant roles held (farming, food processing).  Those industries shrink without these workers which raises costs to consumers.  It may sound easy and sensible to simply remove undocumented immigrants on principle – but are we willing to face the economic consequences of not looking at it from a wider angle? 
  • Undocumented immigrant tax and benefit usage.  The 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US pay in about $31 Billion in taxes but are not eligible for federal benefits like social security, Medicare, Medicaid, housing, etc.  Some STATES have extended benefits to undocumented immigrants on their own.
  • Estimated undocumented immigrants in the US today – 11M total (which is a fairly stable amount since early 2000’s and not as high as it was in 2006).  Pew Research Center It’s a problem, but not one that is unique to the last 4 years or to any political party.  The big talk is leveraging anger for votes in a big game of posturing.
  • Deportations during the Trump administration were fewer than in the Obama administration.
    • Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan would like to deport 15-20 million people.  Note that deporting even 1 million would cost taxpayers about $20 Billion, with a B.
  • Encounters have fallen sharply in 2024.  After the popular bi-partisan immigration bill failed in May because Republicans killed it (Trump is accused of lobbying congressional Republicans to vote it down to be able to run on it being an issue rather than giving Democrats the “gift” of resolving pre-election), Biden issued an Executive Order and asylum ban in June that has helped reduce encounters by a lot.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was a great start.
  • Undocumented Immigrant crime is quite a bit lower overall than the average.  Here is the data for arrests made by the US Customs and Border Patrol.  Here is a recent article with more context.
  • False Claims – pants on fire lies blaming immigrants for everything (drain to Social Security and Medicare, guns coming into the country, fentanyl, FEMA spend, housing affordability, migrant crime, hospital burdens).

US Crime Stats:  Violent Crime is decreasing.  Pew Research has great information on this. There is a lot of chatter about this, but the numbers are clear.  American’s ‘feel’ like crime is up – maybe because fear is such a motivating political drumbeat, but in reality, crime is not up.

Voting Security:  US Elections are secure.  Claims to the contrary are baseless and debunked over and over.  Conservative radio hosts and politicians have been accused for about 30 years of using this imaginary problem to make it harder to vote, disproportionally affecting Democratic voters through fewer polling locations, restricted hours, restricted mail in votes, etc.  In recent years, it has morphed into a useful tool to sow doubt and set up a challenge to election results, demands for recounts, and refusals to concede.  Coined by Trump in 2020 and then repeated at all levels of government including right here in Nevada when Joey Gilbert demanded a recount (which cost $119k) for his lost bid for governor, got exactly 1 more vote tallied, was sanctioned, and had to pay $88k in fines. 

It should be noted that while a few votes, well within a margin of error are sometimes found, in no cases have any of these demands resulted in fraudulent findings or election results changing.  None.

There is an active attempt by extremists to undermine elections and governance at several local levels which is alarming for the future of election integrity.  In Northern Nevada, where the election is expected to be a tight race, Robert Beadles has been actively at this for a few years and has succeeded in hounding the Non-Partisan Registrar of Voters out of office in fear for her family and launching attacks at City Council members and the School Board.  Creating chaos, challenging the elections process, and getting fellow extremists into power appears to be the goal.  

Terminology Quick Reference:

  • Fascism – Nationalistic tendency with dictator for leadership characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition – effectively stamping out dissent.
  • What is Propaganda – “Propaganda is the systematic effort to manipulate other people’s believes, actions, attitudes, or actions by means of symbols (words, gestures, slogans, coins, clothing, banners..).  The distinguishing factor is that it is deliberately manipulative.  Propagandists deliberately select facts and arguments and present them for effect by omitting facts, lying, and diverting attention away from everything but their own propaganda.”
  • Oligarchy / Plutocracy – a government in which a small group exercises control for corrupt and selfish purposes.
  • Socialism – governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of the goods.
  • Communism – elimination of private property.  Authoritarian leader or party controls state owned means of production.  Goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed.
  • Democracy – power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through representation through elections.

 

Summary:

Agreeing completely with any candidate is a tall and unlikely order – so let yourself off that hook.  There will be a compromise with all candidates in all elected positions from your school board and city council to the President of the United States.  Many political ideas never see the light of day or get revamped or removed as time goes on even when they do see daylight.  Things are done and undone regularly; the push and pull of policy and change is part of the beauty and normalcy of American politics.

It’s also normal that politicians are salespeople who stretch the good, minimize the bad, and gloss over the hard to explain.  It is what it is.  What is not normal is bald-faced lying (then gaslighting like it didn’t happen), cheating, and shameless obstruction.  Evaluate what you see happening by flipping the narrative.  What if it was the other political party?  Would I still support this?  Could I still defend this?

Trump is genius at aligning with anger, blaming whoever presents the biggest threat to his authority, and then making empty and ridiculous promises by weaponizing fear.  Some of the problems he vows to fix just by being him are so complex it’s laughable.  Other problems are utterly imaginary but still effective at gaining voters because fear is so very motivating.  It is also conveniently easy to fix problems that don’t exist.  Step 1: dream up terrifying problems.  Step 2: assign shocking statistics.  Step 3: claim victory from having muscled them into submission (see inflation, immigration, election security, etc). 

So my question is how?  How will he “make America great again?”  By agreeing with our anger?  By hating the things we hate? By stoking fears?  How is he going to make groceries more affordable again?  How will he magically reduce interest rates and inflation in tandem with one hand tied behind his back?  How will he keep manufacturing and other jobs secure while imposing tariffs and deporting millions of people?  Who will foot the bill if not us?

Let’s elect leaders that do not use fear and hate to win us over.  Leaders who don’t run on propaganda, slogans, and imaginary or exaggerated problems.  Let’s vote for people it’s ok to disagree with and who will peacefully transfer power.   Let’s not be participants in anyone’s sick reality show.

My suggestion is that we recognize that America is pretty great.  Perfect?  Nope.  Need some work?  Yep.  It’s okay to be nostalgic about simpler times, but it’s perhaps more important to be realistic about how we navigate today and into the future while recognizing that today’s lessons and failures are not a result of a single president or political party but of the complex global ecosystem we are a part of. 

As I began wrapping up these thoughts, the reliable light of Heather Cox Richardson’s daily letter popped into my inbox with a great lesson in history from an American reporter Dorothy Thompson in 1930’s Germany.  Please read it.  Her chilling words from 1935 are these: 

“No people ever recognize their dictator in advance…. He always represents himself as the instrument for expressing the Incorporated National Will. When Americans think of dictators they always think of some foreign model. If anyone turned up here in a fur hat, boots and a grim look he would be recognized and shunned…. But when our dictator turns up, you can depend on it that he will be one of the boys, and he will stand for everything traditionally American.”

“Chancellor Hitler is no longer a man, he is a religion,”

“My offense was to think that Hitler is just an ordinary man, after all. That is a crime against the reigning cult in Germany, which says Mr. Hitler is a Messiah sent by God to save the German people…. To question this mystic mission is so heinous that, if you are a German, you can be sent to jail. I, fortunately, am an American, so I merely was sent to Paris. Worse things can happen….” 

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