Triumph of the Swill

In 1935, the German government released “Triumph of the Will,” a documentary rated as one of the most powerful propaganda films of all time. Produced by Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, this glorification of Adolph Hitler and his militaristic government was incredibly popular with the German people who were humiliated after their loss in World war I and were desperate to support a politician who could “Make Germany Great Again.”

We all know how it turned out. Through the use of massive propaganda, intimidation and secret police, Hitler did, indeed, get the support of most German citizens, who actually believed in his promise of an Aryan “super-race” and the elimination of any group who opposed it. Over 6 million Jews, liberals and undesirables lost their lives in the massive ethnic cleansing and pogroms that followed the dictator’s rise to power.

As we once again witness a demagogue rising to unchecked power and promising to bring back the supremacy of the white race, it is obvious that history DOES repeat itself. Promising to deport massive numbers of immigrants, imprison his political opposition and use force to repress dissent, our new Republican Reichsfuhrer seems to be following Hitler’s playbook exactly. Now, all we need is for there to be some “terror” attack (the Nazis burned their own capitol building and blamed it in the Jews) and America will be plunged into a fascist dictatorship with no civil liberties, no dissent and no pretense of Democracy, whatsoever.

While it is common for liberals to blame Hillary’s loss on the “stupid” people who voted for a megalomaniac to lead the country, I do not hold his supporters responsible for what has happened. They, and everybody else in the country were the victims of an unprecedented propaganda campaign – one that makes Hitler’s look pale in comparison. For over 75 years, conservatives have worked hard to destroy the faith of Americans in their government. This was deliberate and was done with considerable malice. We were told that ANY policy designed to benefit (non-business) people was contrary to our national interest. We were told repeatedly that our government was evil, corrupt, inefficient, wasteful, and filled with jack-booted thugs who wanted to “steal” tax money from hard-working bigots and give it to the undeserving poor – you know, the hungry children, senior citizens in poverty and the homeless veterans that fill our country. Obviously, their campaign was successful. Who would have guessed that incessant repetition of anti-government rhetoric would create a generation of conservatives that HATE America? Who would have thought that constant vilifying and demonizing a dedicated public servant like Hillary Clinton would convince many Americans that she is corrupt?

The word “propaganda” is interesting. Most Americans, if asked, will recall that it was used by the Nazis but, after their defeat, was no longer a feature of politics. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just like when the Pentagon enlisted Nazi rocket scientists to build our space program, conservatives took the techniques used by the Nazi’s propaganda ministry and improved upon them. Their first target was the Communists, and for 70 years they carried out the biggest propaganda campaign in history to convince Americans that our greedy “Free Enterprise” system was far superior to the socialistic economies of the Soviet Union, Soviet China and pretty much any country with socialistic features. We, of course, accused the Russians of misinforming their people because, in our view, no sane person would submit to Soviet authority. According to conservative belief, the only way the Soviets could maintain control was through the use of widespread propaganda.
Which is probably why they adapted the technique for themselves. Most people are familiar with the concept of the “Big Lie.” The expression was coined by Adolf Hitler, when he dictated his 1925 book “Mein Kampf”, about the use of a lie so "colossal" that no one would believe that someone "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously."
Hitler’s propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels amplified Hitler’s original idea and added this important insight: “The essential English leadership secret does not depend on particular intelligence. Rather, it depends on a remarkably stupid thick-headedness. The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous.” It is obvious now that Goebbels and the Nazis used the Big Lie to turn long-standing anti-semitism into mass murder.



It is this constant disinformation that has turned our nation into a country unrecognizable by our Founding Fathers. They believed in the power of the ballot and thought that an intelligent person (sadly, they did not include blacks or women) could use their free will to cast a vote for the candidate of their choice. Reason and logic would determine the outcome of elections, in their view. The politician offering the most effective public policies would be elected and the political grifters, con-men and liars would be turned out by an informed public. This worked pretty well for the first 200 years or so but the whole concept fell apart with the rise of modern propaganda.

We now know, for a fact, that voters can be “programmed” to believe ANYTHING, even things that fly completely in the face of reality. Any message, even ones demonstrably false, can be turned into a “truth” if you repeat it often and loudly enough. Republicans discovered that, using propaganda, they could turn a war hero like John Kerry into a war coward. Despite improved metrics in EVERY category (wages, number of jobs, corporate profits, stock market, etc.), Republicans have convinced a significant number of Americans that President Obama destroyed the economy. Even though global temperatures have gone off the charts for the last decade or so, Republicans predict a coming Ice Age. Even though their political candidate was a habitual liar, sexual predator and business failure, they managed to convince us he is the white Savior and his opponent was the criminal.



As the mass media slowly gave way to the propaganda media, Americans have been “dumbed down” to such an extent that we can no longer be capable of critical thought on their own. Conservatives have so refined the techniques of disinformation and built a media landscape that broadcasts their lies so pervasively, that no American can claim to have “free will.” Our values, beliefs and understanding of how the world works have been so perverted by the incessant mistruths coming from the right, I no longer believe Democracy is even possible in this country. As all restrictions on campaign funding have disappeared there is no check, whatsoever, on the dark money being used to purchase the politicians making decisions for us. A message can be crafted, refined, and repeated endlessly until a significant number of people believe it.

The political beliefs of Trump’s many supporters show just how effective the tools of propaganda have become. When it is possible to infect the thinking of so many citizens with information designed to turn them against policies which benefit them, our system can no longer function.

Unfortunately, Republicans will fail to understand the cause of Trump’ s many upcoming failures. His obvious total lack of knowledge, his inability to control his temper and his eagerness to punish his detractors will not make him a successful President. Despite being in total control of every facet of government, Republicans will continue to blame Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the mess they are about to create. As the debt skyrockets, millions of Americans lose health care, and women begin dying again from back-alley abortions, the responsibility will be ENTIRELY on the Republicans.

Sadly, there is little we can do about it……