The Assassination Attempt. An Unanswerable Question. And on the eve of the elections, still unanswered.
A few months ago, after the assassination attempt on Trump. I wrote a Substack posing an “unanswerable” question.
“Today, as the possibility approaches that Trump may
indeed be elected, I ask you to read through it again and then listen to my upcoming Webinar conversation on Saturday, October 26th, with one of America’s most illustrious newspaper editors. See the details below. But first, read on….
“Immediately after the attack, Trump’s enemies, including President Biden, predictably condemned the act. Many also wished Trump a speedy recovery.
“Meanwhile, my son, Edward, forwarded me an X message with a question I still struggle to answer.
“It was from Comic David Smith:
“How the fuck can you say he’s literally Hitler and Democracy is on the line but we wish him a speedy recovery and political violence is never acceptable? If you have been saying any of that insane shit, then at least have the integrity to admit that this is the logical conclusion of your lies.”
Indeed, just a few days earlier, the New Republic published a cover with a mustached Trump looking just like Hitler.ing their decision.
“We chose the cover image, based on a well-known 1932 Hitler campaign poster, for a precise reason: that anyone transported back to 1932 Germany could very, very easily have explained away Herr Hitler’s excesses and been persuaded that his critics were going overboard. After all, he spent 1932 campaigning, negotiating, doing interviews—being a mostly normal politician. But he and his people vowed all along that they would use the tools of democracy to destroy it, and it was only after he was given power that Germany saw his movement’s full face. Today, we at The New Republic think we can spend this election year in one of two ways. We can spend it debating whether Trump meets the nine or 17 points that define fascism. Or we can spend it saying, “He’s damn close enough, and we’d better fight.” We unreservedly choose the latter course. And so we have assembled herein some of our leading intellectual historians of fascism; a member of the fourth estate who learned firsthand what the Trump lash feels like; a leading expert on civil-military relations; a great Guatemalan American novelist with a deep understanding of immigrants’ lives; one of our most incisive cultural critics; and a man with all-too-real experience in living under a notorious authoritarian regime. The scenarios they describe are certainly grim. We dare you to say, after reading these pieces, that they are impossible.
In December 2023, the Washington Post decided to publish an op-ed piece by Washington Attorney Mike Godwin:” Yes, it’s okay to compare Trump to Hitler. Don’t let me stop you.”d...
“….when people draw parallels between Donald Trump’s 2024 candidacy and Hitler’s progression from fringe figure to Great Dictator, we aren’t joking. Those of us who hope to preserve our democratic institutions need to underscore the resemblance before we enter the twilight of American democracy.”
“Oped articles, speeches, and cocktail chatter comparing Trump to `Hitler have become commonplace over the past few months, many referencing Trump’s own speeches as evidence of the havoc he plans to wreak once he takes office.
“And the fact is that these comparisons cannot all be dismissed as the Woke ravings of overwrought liberals. Many come from serious students of Hitler's rise to power.
“Which indeed leaves Trump’s opponents with a dilemma.
If the fear that he might become a Hitler-like tyrant is legitimate, then what do you do?
“ Go ahead with the campaign. Fight like Hell to win, of course,
“But then, when you lose, shake hands, turn over power and the nuclear codes, and hope you were wrong?
“Answer that one.”
_________________
That was my Substack question….
This Saturday, October 26th, I’ll be putting that question among others to Marty Baron, one of America’s most renowned newspaper editors. If you’re interested, join us at the Webinar below----
The Center for the Study of International Communications (CECI) at the American University of Paris invites you to a series of webinars by leading political analysts.
NEXT SESSION: 2nd part of the two-part series
Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 5:30 pm Paris Time/11:30 am EST
A discussion with one of America’s greatest editors,
Marty Baron*
Zoom link for October 26 5:30 pm Paris time / 11:30 am EST
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93234454341#successClick —Zoom meeting
*Baron was Executive editor of The Washington Post from Jan. 1, 2013 to Feb. 28, 2021, and previously, editor of The Boston Globe from 2001 to 2012
During his tenure, the Globe won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its investigation into the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexual abuse by clergy.
Paris-based CNN journalist, Jim Bittermann will moderate the program.
Barry Lando, eminent author, investigative journalist and producer of 60 Minutes (CBS) for 25 years, will conduct the conversations with Marty Baron
Including a Q&A with the online audience.
A transcript will also be available.
A donation of $25 is suggested.
All proceeds will go to our scholarship fund and the support of deserving students in the CECI program.
Click on This link
to contribute.
RSVP to bernahuebner@gmail.com
(Indicate which event or both you’ll be attending. You will receive a Webinar link upon RSVP)
Exposing young people of high potential but limited financial resources to the
global media scene is at the heart of the Center’s mission.
Our scholarship students come from developing world countries and most return to leadership roles in places where the media face freedom of speech challenges.
Support for such students is an essential investment in our global future.
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