The Rule of Reason :: Weblog of the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism

:: Monday, November 03, 2008 ::

An Obama Militant Youth Group and the Parallels to Fascism

:: Posted by DarkWaters at 8:45 PM

Anyone familiar with the rise of Fascism in the early 20th century should see the clear parallels in the Obama campaign. The Obama campaign is filled with unjust attacks on free market capitalism, vague promises of revolutionary changes, a platform of unprecedented expansions of government control of the economy and a wide-scale cult of personality. Several specific economic promises of the Obama campaign include:

Now consider Mussolini's crafting of Fascist Italy. Mussolini's platform included:

a minimum wage
an eight-hour workday
old-age and pension reform
a large progressive tax on capital [1].

More alarmingly, Hitler's National Socialist (Nazi) Party included provisions on:

breaking "rent-slavery" (think Obama's war on poverty and his campaign for affordable housing)
confiscating all war profits (think Obama's criticisms of the profits of oil companies when gasoline prices surged)
expansion on a large scale of old age welfare (think Obama's staunch commitment to preserving social security, Medicare and Medicaid)
prevention of speculation in land (think of the blaming of commodity speculators and subprime lenders)
National health care (think Obama's universal health care)
media controls. Specifically, restrictions requiring state-licenses for Non-German newspapers, laws abolishing "any financial interest" in German publications, laws forbidding any publications counter to the "general good" as well as legal prosecution of any art or literature that exert a "destructive influence" on "national life." (think Obama's support for net-neutrality and encouraging diversity in media ownership)
a general statement that the state is charged with "providing the opportunity for a livelihood and way of life for the citizens." [2]

One major similarity that has always been lacking pertains to the absence of an Obama militant youth group. Mussolini, after all, had his blackshirts and Hitler had his Hitler Youth. However, I recently encountered this part-scary, part-laughable video of an "Obama Youth" militant group.

Fortunately, this goofy but militantly disciplined youth group seems to be the product of an extremist Obama fanatic who is not representative of Obama's campaign. Nevertheless, I think the ludicrous worship of Obama displayed by these young men is merely taking the emotional appeal of the Obama campaign to its extreme but logical conclusion.

This post is not intended to be an implicit endorsement of John McCain.

[1] Source is Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg. Needless to say, this is not a primary source.
[2] Source is also Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg. The quotes are direct from Goldberg's book. I drew all comparisons to Obama's platform.

:: help support this website | link | 8 Comments

Highlights:

» Recent Posts

» Richard Dawkins, Dithering as Usual.
» Sunday Open Thread: Election Edition
» Some Notes on “John Adams”
» Is the US adopting Islamic financial practices?
» 'GOV HOLDS HIS 'RAND' OUT IN $$ PLEA TO DC'
» Hosannas for Obama by The New York Times
» Sunday Open Thread: 'What can we be doing better' ...
» My election commentary posted at Fox News
» Greenspan Recants
» Objectivist Round Up #67

» RSS Feed

» Capitalist Book Club
Purchase the essential texts on capitalism.

» Feedback
We want to hear from you!

Recommended
Reading:

Blogs We Love:
» Alexander Marriot
» Armchair Intellectual
» Best of the Web Today
» Conspiracy to Keep You Poor & Stupid
» Charlotte Capitalist
» Daily Dose of Reason
» Dithyramb
» Dollars & Crosses
» Ego
» Ellen Kenner
» Gus Van Horn
» Harry Binswanger List
» History At Our House
» How Appealing
» Illustrated Ideas
» Instapundit
» Liberty and Culture
» Michelle Malkin
» Mike's Eyes
» NoodleFood
» Objectivism Online
» Outside the Beltway
» Overlawyered
» Powell History Recommends
» Potomac Gold Star Wives
» Quent Cordair's Studio
» Randex
» Rational Public Radio
» Sandstead.com
» SCOTUSBlog
» Southwest Virginia Law Blog
» The Dougout
» The Objective Standard
» The Secular Foxhole
» Truth, Justice and the American Way
» Words by Woods

» Link Policy
» Comments Policy

» Blog Archives

» March 2003
» April 2003
» May 2003
» June 2003
» July 2003
» August 2003
» September 2003
» October 2003
» November 2003
» December 2003
» January 2004
» February 2004
» March 2004
» April 2004
» May 2004
» June 2004
» July 2004
» August 2004
» September 2004
» October 2004
» November 2004
» December 2004
» February 2005
» March 2005
» April 2005
» May 2005
» November 2005
» January 2006
» February 2006
» March 2006
» April 2006
» May 2006
» June 2006
» July 2006
» August 2006
» September 2006
» October 2006
» November 2006
» December 2006
» January 2007
» February 2007
» March 2007
» April 2007
» May 2007
» June 2007
» July 2007
» August 2007
» September 2007
» October 2007
» November 2007
» December 2007
» January 2008
» February 2008
» March 2008
» April 2008
» May 2008
» June 2008
» July 2008
» August 2008
» September 2008
» October 2008
» November 2008
» December 2008
» January 2009
» February 2009
» March 2009
» April 2009
» May 2009
» June 2009
» July 2009
» August 2009
» September 2009
» October 2009
» November 2009
» December 2009
» January 2010
» February 2010
» March 2010
» April 2010
» May 2010
» June 2010
» July 2010
» August 2010
» September 2010
» October 2010
» November 2010
» December 2010
» January 2011
» February 2011
» March 2011
» April 2011
» May 2011
» June 2011
» July 2011
» August 2011
» September 2011
» October 2011
» November 2011
» December 2011
» January 2012
» February 2012
» March 2012
» April 2012
» May 2012