Posted on 07/22/2018 4:41:22 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
The Democrat challenging Rep. Lee Zeldin (R) for his New York House seat said he was motivated to run for office because of "parallels" he saw between President Trump's political rise and Adolf Hitler's ascent to power in Germany.
The comments, made in February at a Democratic primary forum in East Marion, N.Y., were captured in a video sent to The Hill from a Republican operative and also posted online in the Facebook page of Southold Town Democratic Committee, a group committed to electing "leaders with Democratic values" in Southold, NY.
In the video, Perry Gershon, who previously worked as a lender in commercial real estate, recalls paying a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington during the 2016 presidential race.
"I was struck by the parallels between the rise of Donald Trump today and the rise of Hitler back then," Gershon says. "And I just said to myself that we have to stand up and make sure this doesn't happen in America."
It was from that point on, Gershon said that he began to pay close attention to the presidential race.
"When Trump won, I just said, we or I as a person need to step up and fight back," he says. "And we all as people Democrats, but also Americans need to step up and fight this wave of what could be authoritarianism."
"If you look at what's happened recently, it's sure seeming to go that way," he continues. "So I decided the best way I could fight the battle is to challenge Lee Zeldin for the office."
In the video, Gershon also cites examples of "creeping authoritarianism" under Trump, pointing to the president's support for a military parade in Washington and the president calling Democrats who did not clap during his State of the Union address "treasonous." "Donald Trump called his opponents the Democrats treasonous for not clapping at the State of the Union. This is creeping authoritarian rule, and if we dont step up behind one of these Democrats to take down Lee Zeldin, were all going to be at their mercy," he said.
Gershon's campaign responded to a request for comment from The Hill by trying to tie Zeldin to Trump.
"Donald Trump's disregard for our institutions, his belittling of our intelligence and law enforcement community, as well as the press, and his insistence that the rules do not apply to him have been troubling from day one," said spokesman Phil Shulman.
"Congressman Lee Zeldin and his fellow Washington insiders have enabled this behavior by abdicating their responsibility to be a check on the executive branch. Long Islanders deserve a Congressman who will stand up for what's right, regardless of political affiliation."
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Gershon beat out a crowded field of Democrats in New York's primary in June to challenge Zeldin in the Long Island congressional district one of a handful in the state that was won by Trump in 2016.
The seat has been rated as "Likely Republican" by The Cook Political Report
Zeldin's campaign said comparing Trump's rise to Hitler's was "disgusting."
"Gershon should be substantially more educated and sympathetic on this disgusting comparison," said Zeldin's campaign communications director Chris Boyle.
"It is appalling to compare the rise of President Trump to the rise of Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party who ordered the systematic killing of millions of Jewish people and other innocent people. This is the type of unhinged rhetoric that should disqualify Gershon from running for any office," Boyle added.
ETC...
I'm just letting everyone know how extreme Democrats have become.
“Democratic Values”?
Dem candidate ‘struck by the parallels’ between Obama’s rise and Hitler
Perry sounds like another TDS “walker”. The good news for him is, TDS is a permanent condition. It’s all La La Land from here on out. No more having to deal with the real world.
Pretty sure Hitler was an impoverished liberal arts major, not a billionaire private developer.
The incessant referencess to conservatives as Nazis, Hitler, fascism, homophobe, mysoganist, etc is getting old. Our response should be, anything you say.
Here we go again. Anyone who is different, try to pin that Hitler label on them. Nevermind that it is the Dim party whose current tactics of persuasion look quite a bit like those used by the Nazi’s.
>>”I was struck by the parallels between the rise of Donald Trump today and the rise of Hitler back then,”
And back in 2008, I was struck by the parallels between the rise of virtually-unknown Barack Obama, an androgynous man with no portfolio of accomplishments other than two small books describing his struggle, and the rise of Hitler back then.
Donald Trump was an art school failure?
Donald Trump was imprisoned for treason before rising to power and wrote about his “struggle”?
I’m “struck by the parallels” between today’s Democrat Party and the Weimar-era Red Front.
Does he know Nazi is slang for the National Socialist Wokers Party?
They nationalized whole industries, banned guns, promoted abortion and believed the state was almighty and above God.
...and I was struck by Obama’s Greek temple that looked just like Hitler’s. There is nothing Hitler-like about President Trump. TDS is strong with the author.
Not “anything you say”. I like “whattttt evvvvvver” better.
My new mantra when listening to irrational dems is “Nonsense.”
Dennis Prager made the excellent point that comparing Trump to NAZIs is a form of holocausts denial. I call them holocausts desecraters.
>>”Donald Trump called his opponents the Democrats treasonous for not clapping at the State of the Union
Recall the sh!tstorm when someone pointed out Obama was lying (and calling his own critics liars) in his POS-SOTU speech.
Yet it was okay when Barack denounced the Supreme Court in one of his POS-SOTU speeches.
Trump = Hitler, it's so obvious! I shouldn't have to explain it.
Call Planned Parenthood Clinics the “Auschwitz for the Unborn” and see what happens.
Hitler Cremated his Victims. Planned Parenthood sells their Victims for parts.
Yeah, POTUS trump is just like Hitler and the Irredeemable Deplorables are his NAZI followers. Got it.
This is as funny as a Letter that was in the L.A. Times today calling the Ultra Right Wing (snicker) Republicans and The Federalist Society the real Deep State.
The guy that wrote the Letter would have been one of the Useful Idiots in the Gulags crying when he heard Stalin died.
Adolph Hitler was a community agitator just like Barack Hussein Obama.
Recall Obama’s call for a civilian police force as big as the military.
Recall the Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm recitations by Obamajugend school students. Praise the leader every day. Mmmmm mmmmm mmmm.
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.