Posted on 01/03/2019 4:52:59 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Rep. Hank Johnson warned his constituents against creeping authoritarianism in an intense speech peppered with historical references Tuesday, likening the political moment that brought President Donald Trump to power to the rise of Adolf Hitler.
“Our democracy teeters on the brink of failure,” the Georgia Democrat said at an event held by the Atlanta NAACP earlier this week. “Americans elected an authoritarian, racist, anti-immigrant strongman to the nation’s highest office.”
Hitler “rode a wave of nationalism and anti-Semitism to power. Replace anti-Semitism with ‘all Latinos crossing our borders are rapists, drug dealers and murderers.’ Does that sound familiar?” Johnson asked, to a chorus of “yeses” from the crowd.
Johnson also cautioned constituents against relying on institutions like the courts to ensure the rights of people of color.
“Americans, particularly black Americans, can’t afford to make that same mistake about the harm that could be done by a man named Hitler or a man named Trump,” he said.
Johnson will lead a subcommittee that oversees the administration of the courts and judicial ethics when Democrats assume control of the Judiciary Committee in the the new Congress.
In his speech the 4th District Democrat voiced concern about the future of the Supreme Court and lambasted a few recent rulings, including its decision to uphold the Muslim travel ban in Trump v. Hawaii and its decision in Citizens United v. FEC.
Johnson cited the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Shelby County v. Holder and argued it allowed for the voter suppression of African-Americans that contributed to the election of Republican Brian Kemp over Democrat Stacey Abrams in Georgia’s recent gubernatorial election.
Johnson delivered his address at the storied Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, which was founded in the days after the Civil War. Johnson invoked that history to underscore his critique of Trump.
“Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again followers want to return America back to a time when white men and white privilege went unchallenged. And where minorities and women were in their place,” Johnson said. “Right wing ideologues gain power by playing on people’s economic despair, pitting working people against each other, inflaming racial tensions by blaming economic hardship on people of color. The reality is these right wing authoritarians are laissez-faire free market capitalists with insatiable thirsts for more and more wealth.”
Johnson also signaled that House Democrats will take their oversight responsibility seriously.
“A Democratic House of Representatives wont allow [Trump] to get away with trampling the rule of law,” he said.
Of course Trump is Hitler...
And before President Trump, George W Bush was Hitler....
And before W, George H W Bush was Hitler....
And before that Ronald Reagan was Hitler....
And they were all idiots.
Can’t the left get a new mantra?!
“foreboding”?
I don’t recall that word being synonymous with “ignorant”, “moronic” or “insane”
Sounds like he is capsizing.
Hope he doesn’t loose all of his guns and marbles.
Only if “foreboding” has somehow come to mean asinine.
And another insane, racist, lib POS heard from that should have been locked up years ago.
He is a pure racist and, for that very reason alone, should NOT be in the Peoples’ government.
Calling out the POTUS like this means he’s afraid....very afraid. What might old racist Hank be so worried about and hiding? Hmmm???
President Trump is Hitler, but he has done more for blacks in this country by stimulating the economy, leading to record low unemployment, than Rep Johnson has done in his entire political career. Suck on that, Johnson!
“Since when did “foreboding” become a synonym for “stupid”?”
DING!DING!DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!
If you repeat it many times it must be true ,Dem broken records ,LOL
Apparently Hank Johnson feels that America was really great when white people were supreme and unchallenged. I can't imagine why he'd be concerned about MAGA if he didn't personally see that subtext. Like any good Democrat, he's projecting.
President Trump, on the other hand, sees MAGA as "let's do great things for everybody", and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.
“Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again followers want to return America back to a time when white men and white privilege went unchallenged. And where minorities and women were in their place,” Johnson said.
FU Hank! As an American and Freeper of color go shove that damn race card up where the sun don’t shine. You might want to check your own party Hank. Rich, leftist whites still run your political organization, and if you think they care two cents about you and any other minority group you better think again!
Is he part of that group shaking down corporations for money for scholarships for minority students? The group that has not awarded a single scholarship and is hiding what they've done with the money....
Good. Grief.
Hitler would have been a good Dem with his burning of books.
What an awful speech. Everybody who doesn’t agree is Hitler. Stupid jackasses. It’s just stupid.
Hank Johnson couldn’t pick Hitler out of a police lineup.
Don’t ... it’ll tip over.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.