Like I said, PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING IN POLITICS. Iott may or may not have Nazi sympathies, but in this case, WHO CARES? There are photos of him dressed like this and the PERCEPTION of the vast majority of potential Republican voters, would likely be, that yes, if you like playing around in Waffen SS uniforms, than yes, you may well have Nazi leanings. That spells political disaster.
This also shows, that at the very least, Iott lacks basic common sense when it comes to politics. He may be a great guy...but if he lacks judgement, we shouldn’t support him.
As shown above, Dr. JOSEF MENGLE—one of the most sinister individuals of all history—was a member of the Wiking Waffen SS...for crying out loud!
It’s worth reposting widawake’s post that gets down to the problem:
Let’s talk facts:
(1) If a voter sees a candidate dressed up in a Nazi uniform, he will not wait for an explanation or an excuse. He will move on in 90% of cases. That’s reality.[EXACTLY]
(2) Most people think that reenactors are weird. This is because so many of them are. I am not a reenactor, but I am a Friend of the National Military Park at Gettysburg and I know hundreds of reenactors. They’re a lovable but eccentric bunch.
(3) This reenactment group is far more sinister than the usual harmless reenactment group. Iott’s group specializes in reenacting warfare on the Russian front by dressing as members of the SS. Most American WWII reenactors reenact engagements in which American troops were involved, like the Bulge. The bad guys normally dress in German Army uniforms, not SS uniforms with elaborate Nazi insignia. Iott’s group calls itself “Wiking” the name of an SS unit and they reenact engagements in which no US troops were involved. Reenactors do not name their groups after the people they perceive as bad guys, but the people that they perceive as good guys. The more that is learned about this group, the more disturbing the details will be.