Comparison of American presidents George W. Bush and Barrack Obama to Adolf Hitler or the Nazis has become very common. After eight years of comparing George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler, Obama is also receiving the same treatment. The actions, believes and personal associations of Obama are compared to those of Hitler on many internet blogs and newspaper columns.
Adolf Hitler is one of the most forceful and powerful personalities in history. He was a philosophical and political leader of the National socialist party (Nazi) and what most people agree on about his personality is that he was evil.
He has become the most infamous leader for his extremist stands. Comparisons between Obama and Hitler are based on their policies. However, it is absurd and inexcusable to compare Barrack Obama to Hitler. Obama is not like Hitler at all and it is a logical fallacy and a dilution of history to compare them.
Hitler rose to power during a period when Germans needed a hero to save them from a recession. The same is the case for Obama to whom, most Americans looked for a savior from the economic problems facing America. Both individuals wanted change and those comparing Obama to Hitler have used such phrases, as “Hitler wanted change too”.
It is wrong to assert that since Hitler wanted change, every other person who wants change is morally or politically equivalent to Hitler. From the books audacity of hope by Barrack Obama and mein kampf (translated loosely as my struggle) by Adolf Hitler, it is clear what kinds of change these two persons believed in.
Hitler wanted change to the German population and actually not to the government itself. He blamed the Jews for the failures in the German society since he believed Germans were superior to other races (Michael, para 8). Mein kampf reveals Hitler’s extreme hatred for Jews (Meler, para 39). According to his book, Obama on the other hand recognizes and desires to change the problems in the American functional government and state of politics.
Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazi party, a political party that believed in National Socialism. Hitler was therefore a socialist unlike Obama who although branded a socialist by some critics has personally rejected claims that he is a socialist. Republicans are yet too convincingly proof that his policies are socialist and again, being a socialist does not imply that someone is like Hitler.
Hitler’s form of socialism was based on racial supremacy. In his period of leadership, Hitler sought to increase German dominancy among other nations and employed an expansionist foreign policy that triggered the World War II. His policies were based on racism and anti-Semitism. During the short period as a president, Obama has tried to improve the relationship between America and other countries, especially Arab speaking nations.
There is no way these actions can be similar to those of Hitler. Obama has not tried to increase America’s dominance over other countries but has mainly focused on reducing the possible threats against America by trying to undo some actions of previous regimes.
Inhumanity, dictatorship and mass murders dominated Hitler’s leadership. His leadership policies lead to mass extermination of Jews and other racial minorities. Those comparing Obama to Hitler argue that these vile actions of the Nazi had their roots in socialist, eugenics and imperialism ideologies that Obama supposedly posses.
From his publication, the audacity of hope, he writes, “there are certain things that anchor my personal faith, the golden rule, the need to battle cruelty in all its forms, the value of love and charity, humility and grace” (“Book summary: Audacity of hope”).
This indicates the different personalities between Hitler and Obama. Hitler believed in cruelty and he forced his soldiers to perform inhuman acts on Jews and other race minorities. He was a dictator and he perpetrated genocide in Germany through race cleansing.
Obama’s policies are against inhuman actions, dictatorship, racism and cruelty. By supporting the Geneva Convention against torture, Obama portrays a character that is completely different from Hitler. The Obama presidency is about avoiding mass murders whenever possible by employing other gentler means to solve the current world problems. By employing dialogue to bring understanding between nations, Obama focuses on creating cohesion.
Obama is an extreme supporter of pro-abortion bills. This has generated a lot of criticism and the continued likening of Obama to Hitler. By supporting abortion, some critics accuse Obama of perpetuating genocide just like Hitler. This is far fetched and out of context.
The debate about humanity in abortion has been going on for along time and people have different stands on the matter. What is worth noting is that in Obama’s viewpoint, every woman should be allowed to decide whether to do abortion or not. He does not therefore support abortion but the right to choose.
In his perspective, abortion decision rests on the actual individuals involved. They can make the decision to go ahead with it or not depending on their moral inclinations and believes. Hitler on the other hand was a dictator who determined whether an individual dies or not. He prohibited abortion for the “pure-blood” Germans and allowed it for the other races as a case of “racial hygiene.” He wanted to control the reproduction of the other races.
Therefore, supporting pro-abortion laws does not at all portray Obama as having the same moral values as Hitler. Hitler did not give any choice to those he deemed deserving to die. They were just executed. Obama does not call for execution of unborn children but for the right of the mother to choose.
In conclusion, Obama is not like Hitler. He does not fit into Hitler’s moral or political personality. Not everybody who wants change in government and political environments is like Hitler. It all falls back to what the individual in question wants to change. Obama wants to change the way the functional government operates and the political environment in America.
Hitler wanted to change the German population by racial cleansing. He promised to improve the economy and Germany’s global dominance but perpetuated racism and inhuman actions. Persons can only be termed to be like Hitler if they practice his kind of ideologies.
Without bias, Obama’s ideologies do not fit into those of Hitler at all. He has a different view of America from the one Hitler had about Germany. In audacity of hope, he writes, “there is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America- there is the United States of America” (“Book summary: Audacity of hope”).
Therefore, the comparison of Obama to Hitler is a poor comparison only meant to gain attention. Although not everybody approves of Obama policies, more logical comparisons to other leaders should be made but not to Hitler. Doing this is down playing the evil of Hitler’s leadership.
Works Cited
“Book summary: Audacity of hope.” Political books summaries, reviews and opinions. 31 July 2009. Web.
Meler, David. “Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.” Dickinson State University. 2000. Web.
Michael. “Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.” Adolf Hitler. n.d. Web.