Obama is Stalin! And a Cartoon by Lyndon LaRouche

"If you do not obtain confessions from the doctors, we will shorten you by a head."

- The only interesting thing Stalin ever said about government medicine, one way or the other

I'm one of those people who likes to hear a lot of voices in a health care debate. I especially like to hear the voices of people who hear voices. That's what's made the town halls such a rich experience, even though I haven't been able to get to one personally, what with having a job.

(What's that poem? Something, something... and after they came for the Birthers, there was no one left to shriek nonsense for me? Something like that.)

Another voice that's been curiously absent from the debate? Joseph Stalin's.

Oh sure, there's the occasional "socialism" scrawled on a sign, and a hammer and sickle or two, often backwards, like the "R" in Toys R Us. But the man himself? Nowhere to be seen.

For some reason, when it comes to health insurance, and genocidal 20th century European tyrants who Obama is exactly like, it's always that other guy.

Maybe it's just an easier mustache to draw. You draw a toothbrush mustache on anyone, we generally get what you're saying. (And that your parents weren't very bright.) You draw a pencil mustache on a picture of Obama it looks like you're protesting Billy Dee Williams.

And making it thicker doesn't help. It just looks like you're protecting Medicare from Fred The Hammer Williamson.

The other problem is that Stalin, who you'd think would be your go-to bogeyman for socialized medicine, didn't give a shit one way or the other. He spent very little time thinking about your grandmother's co-pay. It wasn't that he wasn't a very bad man. He certainly was. It's just that rationing care, or not rationing care, wasn't his thing. And you'd think it would be, because he was bad, and universal health care is bad too.

Which is where the health care reform equals socialism equals evil equation breaks down. The problem with Stalin's Soviet Union wasn't too much access to end-of-life counseling. The problem was systematic homicidal neglect. Sort of like what America's uninsured have now.

Wait, I'm not being completely fair. Stalin did make one sweeping change to health policy. Just like Obama. And it cruelly took a medical decision away from citizens and physicians and handed it over to the state, too. In 1936 he outlawed abortion.

And now a cartoon from Lyndon LaRouche.

No, I don't know what the queen and windmills have to do with it either. Maybe we'll find out in Sarah Palin's next twitter.

Comments

[VleeptronDude]

I'm sorry to have to say that indeed, Hitler was democratically elected to higher and higher positions in his rise to power, and the elections appear to have been free and fair.

But every election, Hitler lost in Berlin. Berliners always hated Hitler, and Hitler always hated Berlin, and spent as little time in Berlin as possible.

Until I finally visited Berlin, I lumped it and its people with all Germans and all Germany. and avoided the whole joint like the plague. But Berlin is, and always has been, a remarkable and unique enclave of intellect, culture, left-wing pacifist politics -- well, you just have to go and experience it for yourself. Prepare to be moved and amazed, prepare to be thrilled, and proud that such a city and such people share this planet with us.

[FunPie]

When I was studying abroad in college, I visited the concentration camp, Dachau, in Germany. I remember walking past barracks and guard towers with an ever-growing knot in my stomach. The evil that haunts that place is still palpable. Then I got to the worst part of the camp. The part where prisoners were forced to have a public option for health care. When I saw this, I turned away and threw up. How is it possible for people to be so inhumane?

Inspired by the experience, I came back to America and made a black and white feature film called Aetna’s List about a select group of millions of people saved from the horrors of health insurance by being assigned pre-existing conditions. It won 207 Oscars.

For eight years, people on the left compared George Bush to Hitler, and I didn’t think that was fair, because Hitler was actually elected to office. George Bush tried to sell the country a war by comparing Saddam Hussein to Hitler, I guess because they both have moustaches. Now the right wing is comparing Barack Obama to Hitler. That’s not so much inflamatory at this point as it is plagarism. I mean, frankly, they’re just being lazy. For one thing, at least pick a black dictator. Idi Amin or Charles Taylor or Tyra Banks. (When that bitch has two beautiful girls standing before her but only one photo left in her hand, it’s like Nuremberg all over again.)

[GuiltyUndertaker]

Actually, Hitler was never elected, although maybe the German Supreme Court stopped the counting.

I'm glad to find out all the goofy right-wingers are tryingn to make Obama look like Hitler. I was certain they were going for Oliver Hardy or Charlie Chaplin.

[Brohan]

I'm pretty sure that's incorrect. I wish it were correct, but the sad thing is I believe he was democratically elected.

[IndolentFlourish]

I am looking forward to "socialized medicine". Perhaps not so much for the health benefits ( I have some kind of mysterious health insurance) but for the opportunity to make crazy conservative heads explode. Thank you President Obama and our Democratic Congress.

[Gib]

LaRouche has no idea either. (Wonderful piece of music, BTW)

[justthefacts17]

Somebody tell Kelly that Sarah Palin is all for drilling oil
and of that Lib crap of windmills

[LMPE]

The dumbasses do everything to show their ignorance.

[HGMercury]

It seems to me that if there are people one needs to try to actually explain why Obama is not like Hitler or Stalin and why there is no "evil" intent lurking in the Health Care legislation, then I'd say "forget it." There is really no way of reaching these people and arguing with them is actually like arguing with a dining room table... or better, a cheap rickety kitchen table.

[DSimpson]

You're finally waking up....cong­ratulation­s..

[HGMercury]

The cartoon is funny in its pointlessness. I noticed that Obama winks at the end of the cartoon video. Hmmmm...

[1dogs2]

I've just come from a town hall meeting with Rep. Danny Davis in Chicago. It was held in a college auditorium, which was full. The attendees were enthusiastic supporters of Rep. Davis, who is a strong progressive, and the meeting was informative and civil. I had to leave early, however, and was greeted outside by a group of 12-15 young men in their late teens or early 20s holding large posters of Obama defaced with a Hitler mustache. "Shame on you," I said as I passed. "They're going to kill your grandma," one of them retorted -- to ME, a white-haired grandma! As I stood with a small group of counter-de­monstrator­s, the young men began singing N@tsee songs from the '30s. The songs had clearly been rehearsed. They had all the words and harmonies down.

While I've seen videos and photos of these people and their repulsive signs, I was as stunned to see them in front of my face as I was by the overwhelming visceral response that the sight evoked in me. But for my training in non-violent protest back in the '60s, I might have tried to throttle one of them.

We're in big trouble here, folks. Rep. Clyburn is right. All that's lacking is a spark.

[kitsinu]

Now when would ignorant right-wingers practice singing fa$ci$t songs?

I am not asking why, I think we can all guess that.

[VleeptronDude]

Hi, don't know what the windmills are there for, but for 15 or more years, a centerpiece of Lyndon Larouche's belief system has been his accusation that the world's biggest narcotics trafficker is Queen Elizabeth II.

I love Lyndon Larouche. Whenever I am momentarily lulled into believing that American politics may be slightly rational, an election cycle comes around again and the Larouchies figure out a creative way to inject mental illness into American Democracy.

I'm telling you -- you'll really miss him when he's gone. Maybe, like L. Ron Hubbard, he's already gone -- but they're keeping it a secret.

[1dogs2]

One of the young men described in my comment above yours, had a LaRouche sign. And I won't miss him or his followers.

[loudspeaker]

The windmills, green energy, global warming and "climate crisis", etc. is part of the anti-industry, anti-moder­n-agricult­ure, anti-infra­structure-­building ideology that LaRouche is campaigning against.

[igorvitch]

What if the government suddenly said, "Okay, all you people who are afraid of socialism. We hear you and so we are ending all of the following programs: social security, V.A. hospitals and healthcare, Medicare, and the new G.I. Bill? Would we still have all of these people shouting about the evils of "socialism" at the Town Meetings?

[1dogs2]

Who knows what these people think or if they CAN think. Today I asked a woman at a tea-bagger rally in Federal Plaza holding a sign reading "No government-run health care" if she planned to opt out of Medicare when she turns 65. She told me Medicare was different, but couldn't say why.

[Macwhirr]

The LaRouche people are not calling the Obama plan "socialist." They support Single Payer. They are arguing that the Obama plan is intended to cut $1 trillion from Medicare over the next decade and restrict access to all sorts of medical procedures that are not deemed to be "cost-effective," especially what is referred to as "end of life" care. They compare this to Hitler because of his T4 program where care was withdrawn from so-called "useless eaters" as a cost-cutting measure. Their basic premise is that the Obama plan siphons money out of medical care in order to finance the Great Bank Bailout, now estimated by the head of TARP to be a $23 trillion enterprise.

[DSimpson]

End social security? Ha! There is no social security. The feds borrowed all the money out of the social security "fund," spent it on other projects, and left some worthless IOUs in place of where the money used to be. It's broke. Medicaid and Medicare are on the way to bankruptcy. And Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, too. Oh, how about Amtrack. Yeah, it's broke, too. And how about General Motors that the taxpayers own? They're having a tough time selling cars to Americans even though they're an American coroporation. On the state level, take a look at California. Yeah, they're about down the tubes, as well. What you call being afraid of socialism can more aptly be called, fear of mismanagement. A trusting soul, you are.

[garystartswithg]

THE QUEEN TRIED TO DEATH PANEL STEPHEN HAWKING! and windmills aren't coal or oil so they are fascist, nazist, and socialist all at the same time. evil windmills must be death paneled by the queen or we will throw tea bags in a bucket in revolt! thats right!! call chuck norris -- we are seceding. if korea, vietnam and datkota can be two countries we can too.

[kwinter]

LOL!
I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and take this as satire.
If it wasn't intended as satire ... then you're one scary guy!

[Gib]

That's his point - it's really hard to tell!

[jd29992]

You guys are killing me! Now I have to defend Bush YUCK! For 8 years I saw the Bush administration described as fascists and seen Bush depicted as Hitler (I wonder if “that your parents weren't very bright” falls the same way?). So I HAVE to point out hypocrisy when I see it I can’t help it.


Communism did not start with Stalin it started with Marx, the idealist, that persuaded the masses to his line of thinking and Stalin was the hammer that kept it nailed tight.

I believe in words meaning something (where have I heard that). The definitions of fascism and communism.

Fascism any movement, ideology, or attitude that favors dictatorial government, centralized control of private enterprise, repression of all opposition, and extreme nationalism


Communism the political theory or system in which all property and wealth is owned in a classless society by all the members of that society

The common ground in these governments owning all the enterprise and recourses.

To say all fascists were Nazi’s is wrong but all Nazi’s are fascists and not all Communist are Stalin but Stalin was a Communist. So I want everyone reading this to answer these questions. If you could would you eliminate the Republican party, FOX news, Limbaugh, Boortz and have a one party system that could lead to a Stalin? Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The pendulum needs to swing both ways we need a two party system I think it should be three.

[been2there]

Most of us who despised Bush did not call him Hitler or Stalin; we did point out similarities in policies. We despised him for himself.

[1dogs2]

Moreover, I never saw a picture of Bush defaced with a Hitler mustache.

[timinhi]

Oh come on--I don't see the resemblance anyway--Both Hitler and Stalin were way smarter than Bush.

[jayraye]

We are not the ones eliminating the Republican Party. They are eliminating themselves right into the looney bin.

[DSimpson]

Check the recent approval ratings and the direction they are headed.

[girlgoneriled]

There was private enterprise under Hitler; the Nazis government did not "own all the enterprise and recourses [sic]."

The Nazis were primarily extreme nationalists and believers in "racial purity". Oh, and they were virulently anti-communist.

And no, we definitely would NOT "eliminate the Republican party, FOX news, Limbaugh, Boortz and have a one party system that could lead to a Stalin." No progressive wants to do any of those things; your paranoia is showing.

We certainly want FAUX News to stop calling itself a "news channel" and cop to being what it is: a propaganda channel. That, or start being a real news channel. But either way, it's possible to hate something without wanting to destroy it. A distinction often lost on Rethugs.

No, we don't want absolute power. We do want rational argument. And we reserve the right to call an idjit an idjit.

[jd29992]

First of all I was referring to the definition of the word Fascism go on and look it up in the dictionary. Second like I said not all fascists are Nazi, Franco and Mussolini to name a few read a little history. Third the Nazi’s did take over much of the economy not all they were working on other problems like taking over the world first I guess. Fourth Stalin and Hitler did hate each other because they did not know which despot would win.

The media LOL well FOX is right NBC MSNBC is owned by a guy that is an advisor to Obama hmmm oh no propaganda or favoritism there! NPR is run by government funding need I go on. Now of days they are all propagandists and it is sad.

Oh and propaganda? How can the definition of words taken out of the dictionary be propaganda? And HELLO we are on the Huffington Post here, throwing stones in glass houses? I am just reporting what I have been reading on many articles and comments left here, there is a lot of hate here. I hate neither Democrat or Republican and I am neither I guess you can call me an anarchist. I don’t jump when someone snaps their fingers!

[JuergenHartl]

In general I agree with you. Most those people throwing socialism, Nazism , and fascism around do not know, and probably do not want to know the meaning of such systems.
A few remarks though: Stalin was not a communist, in the sense of the ideology. Therefore a term Stalin-ism was created.
A system adhering to Nazism, the government is in control of industries, just like anything else, but does not own it. See I.G Farben, and Krupp in Nazi Germany.

Both systems, Nazism and Communism have NOTHING in common with the established system in the US. If you can compare the US social and economic system to anything in Europe it would be the old Manchester Capitalism.

[Manchesterian]

We need an effective two party system - we currently do not have that.

[changeself]

under stalin, "money" wasn't the criteria for "whom to send to the death panel".

[Mike Barden]

"God helps them who help themselves"

I always knew them CEO's had an in.

[MeinNH]

That's not in the bible.

[kwinter]

And, if it were? .............It would be just as meaningless and untrue!

[Liberal Angel]

Why do people always say that? lt's absolutely nowhere in any religious text of either Christianity or Judaism. The view of God in those faiths is summed up in "the rain falls on the just and the unjust".

[Gib]

It is a true statement when it comes out of the mouth of an atheist like me. There is no god, and nobody to help you except yourself. Well, it's a bit cynical, I grant you, but there's more than a grain of truth in it.

[chadforhope]

who are people trying to kid??? people in the united states who don't have health insurance are not neglected. according to the law, any person who is sick - homeless, poor, illegal immigrant - must be treated. period. we DO need to make health insurance MORE affordable... because it's outrageously expensive... but government is NOT the solution. they've bankrupted medicare, we may ALL lose social security and the post office is going out of business... let the government fix something first
before we let them take over something else. This has nothing to do with Obama. He's a great man... but remember we still have the IRS, the DMV, Parking Bureaus, etc... ALL of which are NOT interested
in you or your PERSONAL story.

[PocketWatch]

Defunding a program and then pointing to it and saying it's failed is disingenuous at the least, and simply illogical at best. The right wing of political effort in this country have been trying ki// SocSec, Medicare, Medicaide, and any other "social program" for 30 years. There is not one governmental program, effort, initiative, or activity of any kind that has become less expensive or more efficient by deregulation or privatization. Period. Not local, state, or federal. Name one and cite objective references. This notion that the private sector can do a better job is just nonsense and a lie.

[flatus]

You are arguing against yourself.

One of the reason's that "we DO need to make health insurance MORE affordable"

is because

"....neglected. according to the law, any person who is sick - homeless, poor, illegal immigrant - must be treated. " Who pays for this?

Ever hear the expression "having your cake and eating it too"?


Cheers!

[kellysmalltowngirl]

Exactly!!!

[igorvitch]

And you think insurance companies are "interested" in our personal stories? Yes, but only is so far as they can get every d_____ cent out of us that the current law will allow. If you trust big insurance, the industry sued for fraud over and over again, then you need to become less naive. Is the V.A. a good program? Is the G.I. Bill, old and new? Social Security should have been put into a lockbox long ago, just as Al Gore said it should have been. Currently families average 18% of their budgets for healthcare and if allowed to inflate at its present rate, this will rise to over 30% within 10 years. Presently, businesses are dropping health insurance as a benefit to their employers right and left, and if there's no REAL reform, this is only going to grow worse and worse. In fact, Medicare is much more efficiently run than most private health systems. Yes, there could be improvements, including very wealthy seniors who don't need it paying for their own plans. And yes, our government spends more than it should, primarily because of the plague of lobbyists preying on the out-of-control campaign system that BADLY needs reform. Once again, kick all of the lobbyists out of Washington and most of these programs would suddenly become solvent.

[girlgoneriled]

You miss the point. It's the middle class who are screwed under the present system. Unless you're rich, you're one catastrophic illness away from bankruptcy.