by Nick Gier
Kamala Harris is a daughter of Silicon Valley, not Scranton.
Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post (9/8/24)
On February 20, 1933, Adolf Hitler held a secret meeting with 25 German industrialists before the federal election of March 5th. President Hindenburg had appointed Hitler Chancellor on January 30, and he moved, spreading terror with his stormtroopers, to consolidate power throughout the nation.
Hitler’s Speech to German Industrialists
In a ninety-minute speech at the meeting Hitler warned that Communists would undermine the principles of the market economy. The dangers were so great that it was necessary for him to “gain complete power if we want to crush the other side completely.”
Hitler declared that this would be “the last election” and if he did not win, he would stay in power “by other means. . .with other weapons.” The industrialists voted to give Hitler their full support including $3 million for the Nazi Party.
Trump’s Speech to CEOs
On September 5th, Donald Trump gave a speech at the Economic Club of New York with major corporate leaders present. There were only excerpts of Hitler’s speech available on the web, but still it was much more coherent than Trump’s one hour word salad.
Nevertheless, those present applauded him, presumably because of Trump’s promise of more tax cuts. His ill-conceived plan for across-the-board (rather than targeted) tariffs should have alarmed them. They know full well that this would cause higher inflation, trade wars, and general economic turmoil.
CEOs Support “Comrade” Harris
In their debate on September 10th Trump once again called Harris a “Marxist.” If she is a Communist, why are so many American capitalists supporting her economic plans?
On September 6, over 90 corporate leaders signed a statement endorsing Harris for president. The CEOs contend that Harris would offer “fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment.”
Wharton, Goldman Sachs Support Harris
On August 26 the Wharton School of Business released a study that projected that Harris’ plans “would increase primary deficits by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years.” This is far less than the estimated $5.8 trillion deficit that Wharton calculated for Trump’s plans over the same period.
At the September 10th debate Trump countered that he went to Wharton, where, Wharton professor William T. Kelley said, wryly, that Trump “was the dumbest goddam student I ever had.”
Trump then boasted: “Many of those Wharton professors think that my plan is brilliant.” Wharton professor Katy Milkman tweeted during the debate: “Show me any of my colleagues who say Trump’s plan is any good? I count 0!”
A Goldman Sachs’ report also gives the nod to Harris. Here is a summary: “A new Trump administration would bring a round of trade wars that reduce GDP growth and raise prices, while a Harris victory would bring a more steady-as-she-goes economic policy.”
Goldman Sachs also predicted that “under Harris job growth would be 10,000 a month higher than if Trump wins with a divided government, and 30,000 higher than with a Republican sweep.” Please note that these capitalists side with Harris on job growth even with a Republican Congress.
Sixteen Nobel Laureates in economics described “Trump’s economic plan as something that would increase inflation by the middle of next year and would invite a recession.” Wired.com reports that after pulling donations from Biden, Silicon Valley CEOs are coming back to Harris.
Trump is a Fascist
We call leaders who want complete control totalitarians, and because Fascists give Big Business everything they want, this is clearly what Trump is. The threats are the same from both Fascists and Communists: no free press and no democracy. Both Hitler and Trump said that, if they win, as Trump told evangelical Christians recently, “you won’t have to vote again” because “everything will be fixed.”
We call leaders who want complete control “totalitarians,” and because Fascists give Big Business everything they want, this is clearly what Trump is. The threats are the same from both Fascists and Communists: no free press, no democracy, and general political, cultural, and personal oppression. Both Hitler and Trump said that, if they win, as Trump told evangelical Christians recently, “you won’t have to vote again” because “everything will be fixed.”
“Poisoning the Blood” of America
In a 1990 interview Ivana Trump, Trump’s former wife, said that “from time to time her husband reads from a copy of My New Order– a printed collection of the Hitler’s speeches–which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed.” When asked recently if his opinion that immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of our country came from Hitler, Trump answered that he had never read Hitler or even knew of the phrase.
Proud Boys Like Nazi Youth
The Proud Boys, who, along with other militias, stormed the Capitol posted a telling picture on their Republic of Texas website. Juxtaposing images of a decadent cabaret of the Weimar period with shiny-faced Hitler youth, they asked the rhetorical question: “Which one would you prefer to live in?”
Nick Gier of Moscow taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. Read more of his articles at nfgier.com and for those on Trump search “Trump” at the same site. Email him at ngier006∂gmail.com.