Ron Paul, the Next Hitler?

I have previously written about the worries Mitt Romney has (or at least should have) regarding Ron Paul this summer.  My thoughts were prompted by an article in The Christian Science Monitor.  The tone of that CSM article was reasonably matter-of-fact and straightforward.

Well, the hysteria level is rising in the mainstream – neocon world.  Pamela Geller has written commentary entitled “Is There a Ron Paul Putsch Under Way?”  Her tone borders on the frantic – and fanatic.  The good news - this suggests Ron Paul is winning.  Maybe not the election, but certainly winning the long-term discussion.

Is a Paulian putsch being planned for the Republican National Convention?

There is a movement of individuals that support Ron Paul.  This movement she describes as a “putsch.”  What is a putsch?  Putsch, from German with the first known usage in 1920, is…

…a secretly plotted and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government

There is nothing “sudden” about Ron Paul.  He has worked tirelessly for at least forty years in working through government to return to the principles as spelled out in the Constitution of the United States – said Constitution being the “government”, and said Constitution already having been overthrown in (pick your year) 1789, 1861, 1913, 1933, 1971, 2001, or 2008.  There is nothing sudden about his attempts to restore proper government as defined in the Constitution.  He is the only candidate that will clearly work to reduce the size and scope of government.

The most famous putsch, perhaps, was The Beer Hall Putsch, as described in Wikipedia:

The Beer Hall Putsch (also known as the Munich Putsch,[1] German: Hitlerputsch or German: Hitler-Ludendorff-Putsch) was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

Hitler comparisons are used and almost always overused.  Saddam Hussein was yesterday's next Hitler; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is today’s next Hitler.  The list goes on and on, overstating the evil in the current target, and vastly diminishing the evils done by Hitler.

But Ms. Geller has reached a new high (low?) in hysterical comparisons.  No, she doesn’t directly call Ron Paul the next Hitler, however what image does she intend the reader to see with her labeling the Ron Paul movement as a “putsch”?  It gets better (worse?).

Before we get to that, let the further histrionics begin:

I have been receiving alarming emails concerning an underhanded, anti-American Ron Paul coup that is being plotted for the GOP convention.

Underhanded and anti-American coup.  Let’s see what evidence there is that would cause a fair-minded writer and her readers to conclude this, shall we?

From Virginia: “I’m running for delegate to the RNC convention in Tampa. There is a serious Paulbot infestation in the GOP here in Virginia.

Mmmm….  An infestation.  Like rodents.  Anti-American rodents.  Maybe she checked their passports?

And this came in from a reader of my website AtlasShrugs.com out West: “There is a very interesting situation going on behind the scenes in the Republican Party state caucuses, and the MSM is not reporting it. Ron Paul’s followers have taken control of the Republican state committees in Nevada, Alaska, Iowa, Maine and Louisiana and working for more control in upcoming meetings. They have stolen delegates to the upcoming Republican National Convention away from Mitt Romney by following some technical rules.”

He went on to explain that “one of the regular newsmen on our local Fox station has been reporting that Ron Paul’s people have been infiltrating the state caucuses after the primaries and using technical rules to steal Romney delegates.

I see.  It is anti-American to play by the rules.  Yes, we have learned this firsthand.  Those who have played by the rules – saved their money, paid their mortgage on time, ensured mortgage applications were properly completed, etc., are the ones who are punished.  Executives that drive their banks into bankruptcy are bailed out and rewarded with bonuses larger than ever.  Those who break all the rules are held up and supported.  This must be it – if you play by the rules, you are anti-American.  Only by breaking the rules can you be considered American these days, it seems.

But somehow I don’t think this is what Ms. Geller means.

Yet another reader wrote this to me: “I can’t emphasize to you enough just how dangerous these Paulbots are. I witnessed their behavior firsthand at my district convention, and they are organized and single-minded in their desire to get Paul elected.

Organized in getting their candidate elected.  This must be it.  Perhaps providing committed support to a candidate is anti-American.  Perhaps we should select candidates by throwing darts (wait a minute, the outcome certainly couldn't be any worse).

Paul is a dangerous, self-deluded man, and his followers behave like Occupy fascists.

I don’t know what to make of this one.  The writer, Ms. Geller, must be misinformed, as I don’t know of any other candidate in my lifetime that has been more down to earth than Ron Paul.  I can’t figure out a way to come up with a witty rejoinder to this.  My apologies.

I may not have been Romney’s first supporter, but I am his last supporter and fierce.  I would have preferred someone more conservative, but Romney is going to be the GOP candidate, and next to Obama, Romney is Ronald Reagan. Obama and Ron Paul would split the freak vote. Paul’s putsch must be stopped. Ron Paul supports a nuclear Iran and the abandonment of Israel.

Now we come down to the truth.  Ron Paul is anti-American because he doesn’t support Israel (within the acceptable definition of “support, I would add).

What is the RNC doing?

Well, they are changing the rules as they go – after all, changing the rules is now considered American.  The evidence of these actions by the RNC is everywhere on the internet.

Ron Paul has worked tirelessly in the cause of freedom and the Constitution.  The countless thousands of people working for his campaign are (for the most part) working within the rules the Republican Party has established – rules designed to keep the outsiders out, but failing in this case.  (I think this is one secret to the anger – Ron Paul’s supporters are using the party’s own rules to thwart the desires of party leaders.)

But at the heart of it, the anger, vitriol, and hysteria come down to one fact and one fact only: Ron Paul doesn’t support Israel – setting aside the straightforward position of Dr. Paul that he wants to eliminate foreign aid for ALL parties, not just one.

The language is purposefully chosen to paint a specific picture: it is a Putsch; the “Paulbots” are fascist. He doesn’t “support” Israel.  The desired picture is quite clear.  Ron Paul is just as dangerous to the Jews as the German fascist Hitler was in the 1920s and 1930s.

The message is clear: support Israel or you are un-American.  And you are the next Hitler.