Here is the forty-second article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Republican billionaire and co-founder of Home Depot, Ken Langone. He is so honored for rewriting history to condemn those Democrats, who would level the economic playing field in the US.
You know those DAYS SINCE AN ACCIDENT signs? Well, if America had a DAYS SINCE 1 PERCENTER PUBLICLY COMPARED CRITICS TO NAZIS version of that sign, it would be time to take that number all the way back to zero. Sorry, guys; we had a good run.
The culprit in this instance is Ken Langone, the conservative billionaire who is also a co-founder of the successful Home Depot hardware chain. Langone is an outspoken conservative who previously criticized Pope Francis for not celebrating America’s hyper-wealthy enough. He’s also a big donor for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the Republican Party in general.
In a Politico piece published Tuesday morning, Langone told reporters for the politics-focused news site that he hoped the Democrats’ recent embrace of economic populism was fading, mainly because such a focus on inequality is exactly the kind of stuff that brought Hitler to power… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Salon.com>
I am not one of those who thinks that it’s automatically wrong to compare events of today with acts perpetrated by the Nazis. However, those who make such comparisons must also document them with specific instances of similar behavior, as I do.
In this case, Langone’s claim is a lie. Focus on inequality did not bring Hitler to power. German National Socialism encouraged inequality by forging a partnership the super-rich, who funded their propaganda to generate fear and hatred. In effect, Langone rewrote history to project blame onto reformers for Hitler’s abuses. He does this to distract from his own assistance financing propaganda to generate fear and hatred by today’s Republican Party. That’s why this Republican needs a parade!
13 Responses to “Republicans on Parade–3/19/2014”
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http://ourfuture.org/20140319/the-plutocrats-take-to-the-barricades?utm_source=signon&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=plutocrat
Here is just an excerpt from this great article by Robert Borosage ~~"The problem for Wall Street, Langone, Perkins and the rest is that the old ruses are exhausted. Americans are increasingly aware about how they fixed the game, how they rigged the rules to make out like bandits, and how they blew up the economy and got bailed out, while the rest of the country took it in their teeth.
They keep invoking Hitler and Nazis and the threat to the 1 percent, but their folly is feeding the populism they fear. As former President John Kennedy warned, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
If Wall Street and the billionaires use their money to protect their privileges and pocket virtually all of the income growth of the society while the rest of the country sinks, they will reap the whirlwind that they sow. You’d think billionaires would have more sense. But extreme inequality breeds an arrogance that knows no bounds."
Thanks for another infamous addition to your Reps on Parade series, Tom.
How much sense does it make for the founder of a company that almost solely relies on a healthy housing market to turn around and support the Republican Party which actively trashed that housing market? Doesn't seem to me to be a very wise investment move.
Bottom Line: Come the Revolution, I will NOT be buying my pitchforks at Home Dept … I'm heading to Lowe's!
One of the reasons I won't shop at Home Depot, or Lowe's either, for that matter. We have one of each here in Eugene, but we also have a locally owned store called Jerry's that is the equal of either of them. I'll head for Jerry's every time.
Home Depot's prices are a little lower than Lowe's, but I am just not comfortable shopping there. Has anyone besides me ever had a feeling in a store that it is just not a good place to be? Heaven knows I have enough physical allergies, but this is a felling more like a psychic allergy. Home Depot gives me that feeling. Not one store but the chain. Could Langone's views psychically saturate the stores? I would doubt it, but it would explain it.
I'm not aware of any local store here that carries the same stuff but I need to do some looking around.
I also felt great discomfort shopping there years ago.
I went to Home Depot once and never went back. I prefer to shop locally but after almost all the little stores closed I had to resort to Lowe's. I still buy my lumber at a locally owned lumber yard where I am friends with the 3 owners. Believe it or not, it's less expensive and they have free delivery.
It's all that Agent Orange/substitute pesticide pervading that place.
I felt it too years ago and have avoided it since.
Who owns Ace Hardware as that's where I blew a wad on my last rake purchase.
It's that or Lowe's here.
Well, first it was the American wealthy industrialists that gave Hitler power. Yes, he did essentially toss out the Chancellor and replace him with himself, but had the American rich stayed out the people would have early on seen Hitler for the incompetent nincompoop that he was. When people use Hitler to try and make a comparison to anything the argument is lost.
I don't know about others, but I don't think Pope Francis is going to be handing out awards to the super rich that care so little about others they do not even pay taxes.
I think Paul Ryan's comment about poor children needing a lunch program at school because their parents do not care about them deserves the douche of the year award. (comment made at CPAC)
Thanks TC – I don't and will not shop at Home Depot. There is a small privately owned hardware store in town, I shop there. Shop local and buy American.
It is trutr that America's Plutocons joined with German Plutocons to back Hitler. One of the most notorious was Prescott Bush, Crawford Caligula's grandpa. He continued to pr45ovide Hitler war materials through offshore subsidies, even after America entered the war. Roosevelt made him stop by threatening to sieze his assets, Is it any wonder that GW, aka Neocon Nazi, tried to estiblish the Fourth Reich here?
. . . and to think that my project manager (re home renovations) took me to Home Depot today to pick out some things needed for the renovation (which thankfully is almost done!).
Wasn't it Prescott Bush, and other wealthy Americans, that aided Hitler for economic gain? It seems that Langone knows too much about and is too comfortable with bandying about Hitler and his "accomplishments". Mind, having been born in 1935 and having been a blue collar worker in his early years, he may not have first hand knowledge of the Nazis, he certainly was influenced by older American industrialist like Grandaddy Bush. I think he doth protest too much.
See above.
I was not aware of this guy before this article. I will not be shopping at Home depot in the future.
Home Depot, the Wal-Fart of hardware, has been on my do not shop list for years.