Opinions

He commands the stage like few other politicians ever have.
His emotional speeches draw huge crowds and he’s able to inspire people with the force of his rhetoric and his stage presence.
He describes himself as a revolutionary against the existing establishment and put his party’s traditional leadership into disarray. Many in his party, however, want a strong leader, a hero, who will upend the existing system which is seen by many as being weak.
He is seen by many in the rank-and-file as being separate from the party he represents, a personality above the norm. His core appeal is populism, not traditional party politics.
His rise to power from the margins was quick and surprising. Few saw it coming.
His degree of self-confidence is seen by some as pathological egotism. He talks about himself a lot and relishes the role of being “somebody.”
One secret to his rise is that he exudes an image of strength and confidence to those consumed by a sense of economic and social gloom.
He appeals to those who have been left behind economically and argues that the current system is unfair to them:

“We (oppose) today’s economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance…”

He is a nationalist and the nation’s interest come first above any other consideration. He promises to return greatness to the nation and to restore its core values:

“(The government will) revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation. It will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built.”

He views other nations with suspicion and spends most of his efforts looking for inward strength rather than international cooperation.
He disdains women with a patriarchal view that reflects his belief that women are inferior to men in the public sphere.
His critics say he often offers “inconsistent and incoherent ideas” in his speeches. But he confines his talking points to only a handful of core issues and repeats his message on those points over and over.
Critics also say he lies and spins the truth to whatever message seems appealing at the moment.
He appeals to the under-educated with populist ideas that are often little more than contrived propaganda.
He hates a free media and believes in suppressing dissent from those who challenge his own ideas and programs.
His facial features are often mocked and exaggerated by critics and cartoonists.
He is the target of internal enemies. Some seek to remove him from power believing his views have gone too far and are hurting the nation.
He has an intense focus on — and apparent hatred for — some minority ethnic groups whom he blames for the nation’s economic, criminal and social problems. Among his thoughts about one of these groups is that they rape and are the source of crime:

“With satanic joy in his face, the black-haired youth lurks in wait for the unsuspecting girl whom he defiles…”

He whips up fear among his followers about these ethnic communities and subtly encourages violence against them. He advocates spying on and rounding up many in these ethnic communities.
His rise to power was dramatic and changed the course of the world.

His name was Adolph Hitler.

Mike Buffington is co-publisher of Mainstreet Newspapers. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.