This week Americans were treated to the spectacle of an elected US member of Congress – Tom Delay – threatening federal justices for refusing to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case. Since Tom Delay obviously hates the democratic system of the US yet enjoys popular support in Texas, it is worth taking a look at the ideological foundation of Tom Delay and his constituancy. While reading the Platform of the Texas Republican Party (pdf file) I found some interesting parallels to the Program of the neo-Nazi NPD in Germany . The Texas GOP document is much more detailed, and in some respects much more frightening than the programmatic outline offered by the NPD in Germany. Let’s look at some of the key points of reference:
- Abortion: Both the neo-Nazis and the Texas GOP want to criminalize abortion. The NPD would make an exception in the case of rape or for the health of the mother; the Texas GOP would not.
- Homosexuality: Both parties advocate criminalization of homosexuality.
- Death Penalty: Texas executes more prisoners than any other state. The Texas GOP advocates "swift and unencumbered" application of capital punishment. Germany has abolished the Death Penalty, but the German NPD wants to reinstate it.
- Multiculturalism: The German NPD wants to eliminate any program that supports multiculturalism in order to preserve the essential Germanness of the Volk. Similarly, the Texas GOP favors "strengthening our common American identity loyalty over any ideology of multiculturalism."
- Environment: The German neo-Nazis see preservation of the German natural resources as essential for the well-being of the Volk. Polluters should face harsh punishment. The Texas GOP would abolish the Endangered Species Act and drastically reduce any penalities for polluters.
- United Nations/European Union: Both parties are united in their hatred of any and all supranational organizations.
- Welfare: The Texas GOP would phase out Social Security as well as any regulatory body that protects American workers. The German NPD advocates expelling foreign workers from German soil,but the German Volk would share in the wealth created in Germany.
- Religion: The Texas GOP declares the US to be a "Christian Nation" and would abolish the "artificial" separation of the Church and State. The NPD is silent concerning religion.
- War: The German neo-Nazis advocate a strong German military that will protect Germany’s borders (to be redefined). The Texas GOP celebrates preemptive war and the wonderful success of the Iraq invasion.
The German neo-Nazis see the Führer as the embodiment of the will of the Volk. The Texas GOP recognizes the leadership of Jesus Christ, as revealed through President George W. Bush.
The German NPD is a fringe party that managed to get into ONE state assembly with 10% of the vote, but is rejected by the overwhelming majority of Germans. The Texas GOP controls the Texas state legislature and is the ideological force behind the National Republican Party, which controls the Presidency and both houses of Congress.
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Hallo,
möglicherweise machen Sie hier eine groben, aber systematischen Fehler: Die europäische Rechte definiert sich maßgeblich ethnisch, die NPD primär deutsch als Abstammungsmuster – und ist demgemäss strickt gegen Einwanderung, mit allen gefährlichen Verhaltensmustern. Die US-amerikanische Rechte sieht sich als (zugewanderte) ad-hoc-Gesellschaft, in der die Ethnizität keine Rolle spielt, aber das Wertesystem (Moral Majority) umso mehr. Daher kommt es auch kaum zu ethnischen Exklusionen von Einwanderern.
Auch in Sachen Abtreibung sind Sie ein bisschen grobschlächtig. Wir wissen ja alle: Bush ist böse, gewalttätig und bigott. Wo sind eigentlich Ihre Nuancen, die Sie ja auch bei Bush so vermissen?
Gruss aus Köln,
Arthur.
Interesting post and I share the worries behind it. But I’m not sure how productive it is to compare GOPers to Nazis.
@Arthur,
Danke fuer den Kommentar. Wegen Republikaner (zumindest in Texas) u. Abtreibung, haben Sie S.11 vom oben-erwaehnten Platform-Dokument gelesen? Tut mir Leid, aber ich finde uberhaupt keine Nuancen. Abtreibung soll ausnahmslos kriminalisiert werden – auch in Faellen von Vergewaltigungen.
Gruss aus Amerika,
David
I’ll tell you how useful it is to compare Republicans to Nazis: I’m a life-long Democrat who has always been troubled by much of the Republican agenda. Now, I find myself fearing the motivations, intentions, and ideological reorientation of the Democrats more than I ever feared Republican
positions. I suspect that the rhetoric of the American left – MoveOn, progressives, leftist dems in Congress, and for that matter, this blog, is driving moderate Democrats into the arms of the Republican party.
Sorry, but I’ve read the Texas GOP platform document carefully and consider it to be anti-democratic. If you read it and come to a different conclusion, please post your arguments here.
In the meantime, you might find David Neiwart’s blog interesting:
http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/ Click on the link to his essay (pdf file) “The Rise of Pseudo Fascism”.
Hi there
I’m afraid that comparisons of legitimate right wing political viewpoints, however much you personally disagree with them, with the neo-nazism of the NPD only serves to trivialise the danger presented by such fascist groups.
It really is unfair to compare Texas Republicans with nazis. Unfair and more than a little silly. One might as well say that Democrats and Stalinists have the same views just because both are left wing groups.
In particular, your suggestion that “The German neo-Nazis see the Führer as the embodiment of the will of the Volk The Texas GOP recognizes the leadership of Jesus Christ” is a point of valid comparison is more than a little odious. Do you really consider the idolisation of Hitler to be comparable in any way to the worship of Jesus Christ?
Jon
The Texas GOP supports the presidency of George W. Bush not because he was democratically elected (a dubious assertion in any case) or because he has vowed to uphold the US Constitution (which he hasn’t) but because was “born again in Christ”. This makes a mockery of the Constitution, for what they are advocating is a “theocracy by proxy”. The entire document is undemocratic, and very disturbing to read.