Steve Cohen Stands By Nazi Remarks

WASHINGTON — A Tennessee Democrat is defending his comparison of Republican health care arguments to Nazi propaganda.

Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis made the remarks earlier this week as House lawmaker debated repealing the new health care law. Cohen, who is Jewish, said Republicans are repeating lies and spreading false information, much like Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels did about Jews before the Holocaust.

He specifically criticized the GOP talking point that the health care bill was a government takeover, which he noted has been widely debunked.

"Just like Goebbels, you say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, and eventually people believe it," Cohen said on the House floor. "The Germans said enough about the Jews and the people believed it and you had the Holocaust."

In a statement released Thursday, Cohen said he never called Republicans Nazis and insisted he was referencing only their messaging tactics. He said critics and the media are taking his comments out of context.

"I regret that anyone in the Jewish community, my Republican colleagues or anyone else was offended by the portrayal of my comments," he said. "My comments were not directed toward any group or people but at the false message and, specifically, the method by which it has been delivered."

Cohen's comments come as leaders of both parties have called on politicians to temper their rhetoric in the wake of the recent shooting in Arizona, which left six dead and injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

The newly formed bipartisan group No Labels, which is seeking to find common ground between Republicans and Democrats, was among the groups condemning the comparison, calling it a "toxic analogy."

"Using an inflammatory Nazi analogy on the House floor to characterize the policy statements of your opponents does nothing to advance the health care debate and does plenty to widen the political divide," the group said in a statement.

Comments

[Eric Hon]

12:09 AM on 01/26/2011

Fox News is not evil. MSNBC is not evil. They are simply equalizers and filters for their respective audiences. I like it...keeps the day interesting. Tired of people whining about fair and balanced, left/right/nazi. IF we had this kind of debate when the country was founded, we wouldn't have dug ourselves in this economic hole of debt and dishonesty because we'd be in gridlock like how we are now.

[ForemostPanda]

08:10 PM on 01/24/2011

what a phony. politicians are incapable of apologizing. What he more or less said is: I'm sorry some people are too stupid to understand what I was saying about the dispicable Conservatives.

[SaulBloodworth]

10:47 AM on 01/21/2011

On a different note, this is where Gobbels got his propaganda from....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

In his 1965 autobiography, Bernays recalls a dinner at his home in 1933 where

Karl von Weigand, foreign correspondent of the Hearst newspapers, an old hand at interpreting Europe and just returned from Germany, was telling us about Goebbels and his propaganda plans to consolidate Nazi power. Goebbels had shown Weigand his propaganda library, the best Weigand had ever seen. Goebbels, said Weigand, was using my book Crystallizing Public Opinion as a basis for his destructive campaign against the Jews of Germany. This shocked me. ... Obviously the attack on the Jews of Germany was no emotional outburst of the Nazis, but a deliberate, planned campaign.

[FaceReality2]

01:05 PM on 01/21/2011

Thank god Goebbels never knew Frank Luntz's work.

[Bugweed]

10:36 AM on 01/21/2011

The jack booted thugs of the repuliklan party are profoundly upset they are compared to the people that taught them everything they know. Pander to racial prejudice, mis-state, lie, start wars on false pretexts and feel wounded and hurt, every time someone calls their lies exactly what they are. The party of bullys and the intellectually dead. Pandering to the lowest common denominator, wrapping themselves in flags and patriotism.

I see no difference.

[FaceReality2]

12:28 PM on 01/21/2011

Yep. See:

http://www.rense.com/general37/fascism.htm

Which party do these 14 characteristics of fascism fit more closely?

[I-US]

10:34 AM on 01/21/2011

It's a little bit disconcerting not to mention wholly predictable to read the hive mentality on this issue.

[whirlybird]

10:20 AM on 01/21/2011

Sorry, but the analogy is valid. See more here:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article22211.htm

[eyecon]

10:09 AM on 01/21/2011

I am Jewish and I am not offended. Frankly, I'd cheer him on for having the courage to state the real truth.

Aside from the obvious - the GOPers should stop telling lies about health care - this would not be necessary if some of the more rational Republicans would provide some adult supervision. Of course, they are afraid of getting trampled by tea bags riding elephants.

[Michael Giblin]

10:03 AM on 01/21/2011

Did this guy ever gain membership in the Congressional Black Caucus? That was a classic move.

[shonuff1914]

10:33 AM on 01/21/2011

are you for real?

[Whitemellon]

12:21 PM on 01/21/2011

Yes, that's real as in reality.

[Kurt]

08:23 AM on 01/21/2011

Less Nazi and more Lenin...

[ohiotrailrunner]

07:40 AM on 01/21/2011

We should ask Gabrielle Giffords how she feels about this rhetoric.

[krunk1980]

07:10 AM on 01/21/2011

The analogy is spot on and it's about time someone made it.

[whirlybird]

10:22 AM on 01/21/2011

Agreed. Fanned for clarity, even though it's not popular.

[Ortho Stice]

03:29 AM on 01/21/2011

Good for him.

[Welib]

12:57 AM on 01/21/2011

"Using an inflammatory Nazi analogy on the House floor to characterize the policy statements of your opponents does nothing to advance the health care debate and does plenty to widen the political divide," the group said in a statement.'

What, it was okay for Republicans to scream marxistmaoistcommunisthitlersocialistandnazi at Obama every day for 2 years but no one can say it to Republicans?  Sorry, they deserve it and lot more.  They deserve JAIL.

[want2run527]

11:59 PM on 01/20/2011

The man said nothing wrong. He was comparing the tactics used by both and was quite apt at doing so. Because the pubs are offended doesn't make it any less true.

[whirlybird]

10:23 AM on 01/21/2011

Indeed. Enough hiding behind "civility". Truth is more important.

[Norman6661]

11:54 PM on 01/20/2011

I understand how Congressman Cohen's comment was twisted out of context but he is correct. Repeat a lie often enough and a large part of population will believe it. Goerbels used this propaganda strategy to its most horrendous effect. Goals vastly different but untrue propaganda technique same. Cannot use a nazi as example though as opponents will be able to make that the message, not what you were actually saying.