Current Events > Obama calls Trump Hitler without saying Trump's name.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Former President Obama issued a stark warning against growing nativism in the U.S. and throughout the world at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday, invoking growing complacency and the rise of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

Obama told the forum's audience during a question and answer session that the danger at hand was "grow(ing) complacent," according to newspaper Crain's Chicago Business.

"We have to tend to this garden of democracy or else things could fall apart quickly," Obama said.
"That's what happened in Germany in the 1930s which, despite the democracy of the Weimar Republic and centuries of high-level cultural and scientific achievements, Adolph Hitler rose to dominate," he continued.

"Sixty million people died. ... So, you've got to pay attention. And vote."

While some could see the remark as a veiled jab at President Trump, Obama did not mention Trump by name during the event, according to the newspaper.

Critics of Trump say his rhetoric has fueled nationalist sentiment in the U.S. and anti-Muslim sentiment.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/363555-obama-warns-of-complacency-notes-rise-of-hitler
---

Who hasn't the left called a nazi by now?
---

Isn't that the guy who said Trump wouldn't be president? He's probably going to be wrong about Trump again.
---

Good
---

It doesn't seem like that's what he's saying, it sounds like he's saying that based on where we are now and the direction we're going with the current and increasing sociopolitical divide in America that if we aren't careful and vigilant it could lead to some really bad people coming into power and really bad things happening.
---

This is how the Chicago Business article phrased the comments.

Obama's comments came after a series of playful questions from moderator and Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobsonin the great Batman vs. Superman debate, for instance, we learned Obama sides with Batmanbefore she eventually asked him what he's learned as a world citizen of sorts.

One thing he's learned is that "things don't happen internationally if we don't put our shoulder to the wheel," Obama said, speaking of the U.S. "No other country has the experience and bandwidth and ideals. . . .If the U.S. doesn't do it, it's not going to happen."

Obama gave one specific example, but it was a solid one: Ebola. To fight the virus the U.S. did everything from build an airport tarmac in Africa to send in medical teams and ferry medicos from other countries. "We probably saved a million lives by doing that," he said.

At least indirectly, those comments could be seen as criticism of Trump, whose foreign policy focuses on an "America first" paradigm that critics say distracts from this country's unique role.

Obama moved from that to talking about a nativist mistrust and unease that has swept around the world. He argued that such things as the speed of technical change and the uneven impact of globalization have come too quickly to be absorbed in many cultures, bringing strange new things and people to areas in which "people didn't (used to) challenge your assumptions." As a result, "nothing feels solid," he said. "Sadly, there's something in us that looks for simple answers when we're agitated."

Still, the U.S. has survived tough times before and will again, he noted, particularly mentioning the days of communist fighter Joseph McCarthy and former President Richard Nixon. But one reason the country survived is because it had a free press to ask questions, Obama added. Though he has problems with the media just like Trump has had, "what I understood was the principle that the free press was vital."

The danger is "grow(ing) complacent," Obama said. "We have to tend to this garden of democracy or else things could fall apart quickly."

That's what happened in Germany in the 1930s, which despite the democracy of the Weimar Republic and centuries of high-level cultural and scientific achievements, Adolph Hitler rose to dominate, Obama noted. "Sixty million people died. . . .So, you've got to pay attention. And vote."

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171206/BLOGS02/171209933/barack-obama-invokes-nazi-germany-in-economic-club-remarks
---

I don't see anything wrong with what he said.
---

Just seems like he is warning about growing complacent and letting fear/hate dictate the way forward.
---

Jewish WW2 survivors were literally trying to warn people about how similar Trump's rise to power was to Hitler's. Only an idiot or a troll would try and deny the similarities. Saying that however is not the same as calling him Hitler

Phantom_Nook posted...

I don't see anything wrong with what he said.

Congratulations. You, like most people, put a few points in to your Intelligence score.

I think Trump has Hitler beat though, not sure if Hitler ever endorsed a pedo.
---

Obama moved from that to talking about a nativist mistrust and unease that has swept around the world. He argued that such things as the speed of technical change and the uneven impact of globalization have come too quickly to be absorbed in many cultures, bringing strange new things and people to areas in which "people didn't (used to) challenge your assumptions."

Yeah, okay, that's the reason. Not the introduction of backwards cultures that have no interest in assimilating into civilized parts of the world. Definitely couldn't be that.
---

God I miss having an intelligent president
---

This is the guy who flew planes full of cash to Iran, partied with the Castro regime, was complacent on "JV" ISIS (to say the least), and whose friends are currently arguing in the Supreme Court that if bakers have to make cakes for everyone, that means the government would also have to force them to make cakes denying and/or supporting the Holocaust upon request.

So for Obama to compare anyone else to a tyrant is pretty rich.
---

refmon posted...

Who hasn't the left called a nazi by now?

No kidding... A word nobody expected to lose its meaning (for obvious reasons) has actually started to. The biggest irony of all being that the ones throwing it around so liberally are also the ones most in favour of fascist pillars like censoring speech and forced conformity.
---

You could interpret the quote in the OP as TC does, but not without a significant stretch. His actual warning against nativism leading to possible embrace of fascist ideology or exploitation by a political mercenary is a real concern, and one I'm inclined to believe all of us agree with, since none of us are willing to critique it directly.
---

who does he think he is, noam fucking chomsky?
---

Look at these alt right assholes pretending trump doesn't sympathize with nazis
---

hollow_shrine posted...

You could interpret the quote in the OP as TC does, but not without a significant stretch. His actual warning against nativism leading to possible embrace of fascist ideology or exploitation by a political mercenary is a real concern, and one I'm inclined to believe all of us agree with, since none of us are willing to critique it directly.

He's also distinctly referring to a much wider scope than just America.
---

Sayoria posted...

Critics of Trump say his rhetoric has fueled nationalist sentiment

Good. Many parts of Europe, sadly, have folded in many aspects much quicker than I've anticipated. I always thought a few places in Europe would be the last frontier of safety and freedom, but it's becoming evident one of the last frontiers is the United States. And we're not in too good of shape as it is.
---

Anyone whos not blind seeis coming. However the same people that defending mass murder of all nonwhites are the same ones saying the left calls too many people nazis.
---

Sayoria posted...

...
"We have to tend to this garden of democracy or else things could fall apart quickly," Obama said.
"That's what happened in Germany in the 1930s which, despite the democracy of the Weimar Republic and centuries of high-level cultural and scientific achievements, Adolph Hitler rose to dominate," he continued.

"Sixty million people died. ... So, you've got to pay attention. And vote."

While some could see the remark as a veiled jab at President Trump, Obama did not mention Trump by name during the event, according to the newspaper.

Critics of Trump say his rhetoric has fueled nationalist sentiment in the U.S. and anti-Muslim sentiment.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/363555-obama-warns-of-complacency-notes-rise-of-hitler

am i completely fucking tripping right now, 60 million what?
---

SilverBloodX3 posted...

am i completely fucking tripping right now, 60 million what?

He's talking about the death toll from World War II.
---

SilverBloodX3 posted...

Sayoria posted...

...
"We have to tend to this garden of democracy or else things could fall apart quickly," Obama said.
"That's what happened in Germany in the 1930s which, despite the democracy of the Weimar Republic and centuries of high-level cultural and scientific achievements, Adolph Hitler rose to dominate," he continued.

"Sixty million people died. ... So, you've got to pay attention. And vote."

While some could see the remark as a veiled jab at President Trump, Obama did not mention Trump by name during the event, according to the newspaper.

Critics of Trump say his rhetoric has fueled nationalist sentiment in the U.S. and anti-Muslim sentiment.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/363555-obama-warns-of-complacency-notes-rise-of-hitler

am i completely fucking tripping right now, 60 million what?

He's not talking about Holocaust victims specifically but overall death toll from WWII, which 60 million is a somewhat modest estimation of.
---

He never mentioned Trump once. The only way you could construe it as him talking about Trump is if you think he fits the description, which means you think Trump is analogous to Hitler.
---

Guess it's ok to be racist when you are out of office
---

Y2J0sHBK__GB posted...

Guess it's ok to be racist when you are out of office

what the fuck
---

Garioshi posted...

He never mentioned Trump once. The only way you could construe it as him talking about Trump is if you think he fits the description, which means you think Trump is analogous to Hitler.

Yeah, Obama could be referring to any current president of the United States.
---

Garioshi posted...

He never mentioned Trump once. The only way you could construe it as him talking about Trump is if you know loony leftists call anyone to the right of them Hitler/Nazis

---

El Mexicano Texano posted...

Isn't that the guy who said Trump wouldn't be president? He's probably going to be wrong about Trump again.

http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-35592948
---

The Weimar republic was a degenerate hell hole full of pedophile acceptance. Fuck that piece of shit and fuck obama, and fuck that new show that's trying to give a positI've impression of that pile of garbage known as the Weimar republic. He's forgetting to mention the other things that were going on in Germany which led to Hitler.

This asshole needs to take the Bush approach and just shut his fucking mouth. His policies and his ideas were thrown out by Americans when his party was voted out of officw. He needs to keep that in mind.

Nomadic View posted...

Garioshi posted...

He never mentioned Trump once. The only way you could construe it as him talking about Trump is if you think he fits the description, which means you think Trump is analogous to Hitler.

Yeah, Obama could be referring to any current president of the United States.

Where did he mention the President?
---

people called Obama Hitler
---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgPDh764CK4

Who is Obama referring to then
---

Garioshi posted...

Y2J0sHBK__GB posted...

Guess it's ok to be racist when you are out of office

what the fuck

Are you one of those guys who says if a black guy calls Trump Hitler or Bush a monkey, it's ok but a white guy calls Obama any of those things it's racist because that in itself is racist
---

I hate Trump, but the Hitler comparisons can be too much. He's less making the country into 1930's Germany and more turning the country into 1900's America. Republicans want the gilded age to return, not Nazism.

They will use neo-Nazis as the useful idiots that they are, but we won't be seeing "undesirables" sent to death camps. Why would Republicans and their owners go all totalitarian when they can make more money and gain more power in the pretend democracy we have now?
---