The Nazi Analogy is Wrong, Unless You’re James Dobson
The Nazi Analogy is Wrong, Unless You’re James Dobson
When Senator Dick Durbin likened detainee treatment at Guantanamo Bay to that of Nazi prison camps and Soviet Gulags, conservatives were quick to attack. Scott McClellan called Durbin’s remarks “reprehensible,†while Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, said they were “grossly unfair and hurtful.â€
Eventually, Durbin tearfully apologized for his comments. And why not, right? The Nazi analogy might work at a high school debate tournament, but it isn’t appropriate (or effective) at the level of national politics.
That is, unless you’re James Dobson, founder of the uber-conservative Focus on the Family. In that case, you can say whatever the heck you want. Just last week, Dobson compared Senator Bill Frist’s surprising stance on stem cell research (which he supports) to the Nazis’ disgusting WWII medical experiments.
“The Nazis experimented on human beings in horrible ways in the concentration camps, and I imagine, if you wanted to take the time to read about it, there would have been some discoveries there that benefited mankind,” he said on his radio show last week, in reference to Frist’s stand.” He continued: “there’s a higher order of ethics here.”
This is especially interesting because Dobson helped Tony Perkins–the same one that criticized Dick Durbin–organize the recent Justice Sunday II rally, and then spoke at the event. Interestingly, Perkins is yet to demand an apology from Dobson.
But not to worry, we’re sure it’s just an oversight–any minute now, conservatives like Perkins will leap to Frist’s defense and demand an apology from Dobson. After all, to do otherwise might, to some observers, appear flagrantly inconsistent.
Any minute now. It’ll happen.
UPDATE: Hand Dr. Dobson a shovel and he’ll dig his holes a little deeper every time. In trying to clarify his outrageous comment, Dobson indignantly explained that he hadn’t equated stem cell research to the Nazis. He merely said it was “Nazi-esque.” Sheesh. (LISTEN HERE)
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Thinkprogress got it wrong: Perkins said “to demean [our troops] and their efforts in such a way to liken them to Nazis and Soviet gulags is a grossly unfair and hurtful remark.”
In reality he meant Durbin was being unfair.. to NAZIS.
So Perkins probably thought Dobson was complimenting Frist… hence no apology required…
August 17th, 2005 at 9:51 amDobson was sorry, but so was Brenda Lee . . .
August 17th, 2005 at 9:54 amthe religious right is a joke.brainwashed morons.
August 17th, 2005 at 9:57 amActually if you hear/read Durbin’s speech, in context he used the gulag/nazi prison camp analogy properly IMHO. He shouldn’t have apologized.
How else do you describe overt use of torture that has ended in the death of the inmate more than 20 times (at Guantanamo & in Iraq) by our “interegators”. I’m not saying this to intentionally piss off the conservatives. Our people aren’t nazi’s. But they have sometimes “appeared” to act similarly in the recent past.
But I do enjoy the show watching redstaters vie for the title of who is the best True Believer. Pull up a chair & crack a beer. The game is ON!
August 17th, 2005 at 10:07 amWhy does hypocrisy from the right, especially from the Radical Cleric Dobson, surprise anyone?
August 17th, 2005 at 10:21 amI don’t find it surprising–just don’t want people to forget how viciously Perkins jumped on Durbin, and how lax he’s been on his buddy Dobson.
August 17th, 2005 at 10:32 amDobson and his American Taliban friends are now offering this special edition, commemorative Justice Sunday II poster.
August 17th, 2005 at 10:41 amLiars, Hypocrites and Iceland
Think Progress questions why it’s wrong for Dick Durbin to evoke Hitler, but James Dobson has free reign to evoke the Nazis in the stem cell debate.
August 17th, 2005 at 10:46 amdobson’s always wrong and always a hypocrite. I wish we had an ounce of brains in the Senate. Durbin was dead wrong in linking us to Nazi’s. The argument he should have made was that the eroding of civil/human rights for any group, no matter how reviled, is exactly how a despotic regime begins. throw in control of media, and a climate of fear and you’ve got the big three towards becoming Nazi’s.
August 17th, 2005 at 11:03 am#8,
That is exactly what Durbin was implying, but so many (including you from your comment of being dead wrong) simply heard the word “Nazi” and tuned out the context of his comment.
August 17th, 2005 at 11:20 amWE WANT TO OWN IT ALL!!!! Even insult words such as Nazi. Can we copyright NAZI?
August 17th, 2005 at 11:21 amMaybe God will smite them all!
August 17th, 2005 at 11:32 amEveryone uses the “Nazi” tag too much. Why not call Dobson et. all what they really are: PIGS.
August 17th, 2005 at 11:52 amYou guys don’t understand — whatever THEY say is A-OK; it’s only the godless Nazi-Democrats who are wrong.
August 17th, 2005 at 11:56 amSee, God is on THEIR side — he told them so. Get with the program everyone.
Marie
August 17th, 2005 at 12:04 pmGod does not like PIGS, they are “unclean” and so should be “smited”.
I am unsure if liberals are godless commies or nazi facsists. I don’t think you can be both.
August 17th, 2005 at 12:14 pmKrazny
August 17th, 2005 at 12:27 pmYou are wrong. The new unabridged “Focus on the Bible” says so; James (Dobson) 1:2 “and god said upon me, behold all liberal commie nazi heathens shall be banished by no paper trail” Amen
sorry my bad. were do I get a copy ?
August 17th, 2005 at 12:35 pmKrazny
August 17th, 2005 at 12:38 pmFirst you must drink the kool aid, then you can pull one out of your…
Durbin slandered our troops – Dobson slandered abortionists. One is more politically salient than the other. AND more importantly, Durbin is the elected number 2 Democrat in the senate. Dobson is just your run of the mill right-wing mouthpiece.
The problem for Democrats is this type of talk is mainstream among party leaders identified heavily with the D label. Republicans get others to do their dirty work for them. Democrats, plainly said, are just dumb these days when it comes to politics.
Durbin slanders the troops and not a single Senate Democrat chides him. Do you realize the impact of that?
August 17th, 2005 at 12:56 pmI believe I said the first part in post #4 NED.
I agree that the dems need to get someone else to do thier dirty work, that is what the republicans have been doing since the mid-80’s.
I am unsure about your final statement though. I believe that some dems did chide him for his remarks though I could be wrong.
August 17th, 2005 at 1:01 pmNortheast Dumbass
August 17th, 2005 at 1:04 pmHe was chided by Biden, Kennedy, Reed, and others. Keep your mouth shut when you don’t know the facts.
#21 – no one denounced them. I think the words used were unhelpful. I think we can all agree that Durbin issued a half apology.
Republicans have become much better politicians the past 20 years. It’s a step in the right direction towards dismantling liberalism that has destroyed and divided this country. The Democrats feed into our hands with comments like Durbin’s.
August 17th, 2005 at 1:33 pmnice backtrack ned, durbin was chided the term you used by the above senators. now he has to be renounced. taking a page from the bush playbook? So tell me NED how does mike gallagher showing up to protest Cindy Sheehan, and yelling “we don’t care” support our troops?
August 17th, 2005 at 1:45 pmDurbin was wrong, he should have linked the American Taliban to Nazis.
NED, nice to see you crawled out from under your rock so you could offer your always enlightening dribble.
August 17th, 2005 at 1:48 pmDurbin was correct. 100% correct. He was wrong to back off his remarks and buckle under pressure.
This revealed him to lack a backbone.
August 17th, 2005 at 2:21 pmDobson’s not a Nazi; more like a modern day Torquemada in-the-making….nobody expects the American Inquisition!
August 17th, 2005 at 2:23 pmI am sure Dobson has wet dreams about creating an american inquisition.
August 17th, 2005 at 2:24 pmOH NO! NED is here.
August 17th, 2005 at 2:57 pmMr. Half-truth, mostly half-assed comments.
republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.republican talking points.cant think for myself.
August 17th, 2005 at 3:07 pmHow the hell did ned get his slimy ass back here?
Ned, we didn’t miss you. If you look through our archives, you’ll see we actually “talked” to one another quite a bit while you were gone.
Maybe you could learn a thing or two, like reading the posts before spouting bullshit.
August 17th, 2005 at 3:33 pmbut kindness, i have so many good talking points, and other peoples diluted partisan opinions to spout. i dont feel like actually reading the story.
August 17th, 2005 at 3:49 pmRepublicans have become much better politicians the past 20 years. It’s a step in the right direction towards dismantling liberalism that has destroyed and divided this country. The Democrats feed into our hands with comments like Durbin’s.
Hmmm? This country divided?
By liberalism? Nahhh!
Kill a connie for Christ. Better dead than red.
RIP GOP
2006
Make Conservatism History.
August 17th, 2005 at 3:54 pmGood-Bye, NED. RIP
http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=3733689&nav=LQlCdRIj
August 17th, 2005 at 3:56 pmYou know what bugs me about Dobson and his group of right wing evangelicals? They demanded that their flock vote for Bush and Bush started an illegal war that has killed how many soldiers? How many civilians? He’s literally destroyed a country? Is it ok because they are Muslim? Is that why the cause is noble? Freaky.
August 17th, 2005 at 7:51 pmFrom crooksandliars.com
Bill O’Reilly Poll on Cindy
Do you respect what Cindy Sheehan is doing?
Bill has been pounding on her for days now. Here’s his site and you actually don’t have to pay to vote in the poll.
August 17th, 2005 at 9:22 pmhttp://billoreilly.com/
Oh my God,
August 17th, 2005 at 9:44 pmMy eyes are not open. Wide. I went to the Bill site and voted and it brought me to his premium channel site. You have to pay for a membership to leave a message. And there’s a Bill O’Reilly store. I can buy a no spin jacket. And hoodie. It’s just like the Unibomber wore. And then I took to long and my time expired. I guess you have to be quick to spend time with old Bill.
““The Nazis experimented on human beings in horrible ways in the concentration camps,”
We now know that APA psychologists took extensive notes on the torture methods used in the USPNAC political prisons, and made recommendations on how to improve them.
Not like Nazis? Of course they are.
Happily, the AMA, the British Psychiatric Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and MOST OF THE REST OF US, think that helping people torture people is the work of NAZIS.
Dobson, a racist, is clearly on the side of the shiny black boots, who is he trying to kid.
August 17th, 2005 at 9:49 pmCall me naive. I have never been able to accept propaganda like the average person. When it looks like torture. It’s torture. When it looks like fraud, it’s fraud. When it sounds like a lie, it’s a lie. I’ve had cons try to convince me of stuff but nothing like the right wingers have been doing in the last couple of months. Whoa babe. It just keeps getting more and more far fetched. I mean that Bill O’Reilly premium site. Come on. How can this guy be soooo there for America and be making that kind of profit. He’s in it for the money. He doesn’t believe the crap he says. Same with Dobson. Money makes the world go round.
August 17th, 2005 at 10:04 pmOk, this is the last thing I’m going to write on the subject. I can buy a bumper sticker that says “Don’t be a Pinhead” from the Bill O’Reilly store. Who would put that on their car? I have to explore the fox web site. It’s like driving past an accident. You don’t want to look but your eyes just keep staring. I’m done. You guys can go back to your very intellectual conversation.
August 17th, 2005 at 10:13 pmWho but the shrubs and their followers would know MORE ABOUT THE NAZIS?
Prescott shrub (DUMBYA’S GRAND PAPPY) actually moved to Germany and managed a factory and fired the PAID WORKERS and replaced them with slave labor from concentration camps to finance the rise of HITLER?
Prior to that he managed a banking firm that supported and financed the leader of NAZI GERMANY.
In October 1942 the company grand pappy worked for and OWNED A GREAT DEAL OF STOCK IN had it’s assets frozen for violation of the trading with the enemy act!!!!
Their entire fortune is nothing but PLUNDERED LOOT FROM JEWISH FAMILIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
go figure.
August 21st, 2005 at 4:29 am