Weimar Redux

He was elected as President in the midst of an economy in shambles and seen as someone that a broad coalition of voters could support. With his stature and distinction, everyone believed he could bring about an era of national renewal. Hope and change were in the air. For awhile, it seemed like his country could recover from the costs of a long war it had been humiliated in. But the economy got worse, and by the time the President was preparing to stand for re-election, the far right was in a position to take total control and ensure that its opponents would be neutered for good.

Barack Obama in 2011? Nope, German President Paul von Hindenburg in 1932.

I was going to call this post "Obama Is Luo For Hindenburg," but that seemed too provocative. But it does seem accurate. Germany, having lost the First World War and been forced to pay enormous reparations, tried to handle its responsibilities and manage its economic activity through a democratic government, the Weimar Republic. But the global depression that set in after the 1929 stock market crash in the United States dealt President Hindenburg's administration a severe blow. Hindenburg, who had gone through five chancellors in his first seven-year term, managed to win a second term in 1932 but the Reichstag (Parliament) was dissolved that September, preparing the way for the National Socialist German Workers party - a.k.a., the Nazis. Adolf Hitler's party won the most seats in the November 1932 elections. Hitler promised a return to prosperity and to law and order, and he had become so powerful that Hindenburg was forced to appoint him as his chancellor - his seventh - in January 1933.

Hindenburg died in 1934, but the Nazis were able to set the stage for a takeover of Germany through the Enabling Act, which gave the government dictatorial powers, and the dissolution of opposition parties. The Reichstag fire provided them the cover they needed to do this as an "emergency."

Right now, we're like Weimar. I believe we could be headed down the road to right-wing totalitarianism. Obama is dealing with the aftereffect of ten years of a quagmire of war in the Middle East with an economy that seems permanently stalled. Obama is already trying to placate the right the same way Hindenburg tried to placate the Nazis. He may be re-elected, but the far right wing of the Republican party could easily take control of both houses of Congress. And if the right (as in correct) demagogue manages to get elected President in 2012 . . . well, look at the damage that's already been done by the right in the House, where they've taken aim at the President's health care plan, and abortion rights. Imagine what they can do once they take over the White House!

These are merely my opinions. But I'm not alone in my fear of a right-wing takeover of everything. Noted dystopian writer James Kunstler, who pretty much sees all of Western civilization falling apart, couldn't help but notice how Sarah Palin is playing the role of a nasty, strident demagogue promising a return to national glory if she and her ilk are put in charge. Kunstler sums Palin up quite nicely:

"Sarah Palin represents a dangerous force in American culture that is startlingly similar to the grandiose hyper-patriotic militarism that Hitler brought to Germany during his rise to power. We have better things to do in this nation than go down some twisted path of vengeance-seeking in the name of lost glory. I hope that Sarah Palin's competitors on the right will stand up to her American fascist themes and call her out for what she is: a half-educated TV performer unqualified for high political office. The true shame of this country is that we have to take a clown like Sarah Palin seriously."

As for Obama, poll numbers show him sinking on economic issues, and he looks increasingly vulnerable. His Presidency could have a Hindenburg-like outcome. Not Hindenburg the man. Hindenburg the airship. This Presidency looks like it's going down in flames!

Ah, the humanity . . .. :-(