[commenting]

It's like 1930s Germany all over again, except that Muslims are the new Jews. You'd think we would have learned from last time a racist, populist demagogue gained control of a nation.

(Yes, I'm aware that "Godwin's Law invoked". In this case, it's actually relevant.)

[hx87]

Except, you know, we don't have an Article 48, any proposed Enabling Act would be filibustered to hell, and our society is nowhere near as authoritarian as it used to be, much less 1930s Germany.

[commenting]

Well, let's see what happens in the next four years. I hope you're right.

One potential danger is that Trump will now be indirectly in charge of the entire country's mass surveillance apparatus. That's a powerful system that could be potentially be weaponized against sections of the population that Trump deems undesirable.

[dsfyu404ed]

I think there's a good chance that someone with experience in highly regulated industries will not do that.

[mikeash]

Hitler started out in a relatively powerless position, and got his Enabling Act afterwards. You say it wouldn't happen, but I think all it would take is one big terrorist attack and the people would be clamoring for it.

[hx87]

Hitler had a united party, a divided opposition including a party who didn't care what happened as long as the interests of a particular institution were protected, an actual Communist party to blame, and a pliant, senile boss with enormous reserve powers. Sure, the possibility of a machtergreifung are non-zero, but then again they're non-zero in any country. Even the most locked-down USA would be more open than 1970s USSR or China today, much less 1930s Germany.

[lostlogin]

You're much more closely watched though. If things go bad now the scope for harm is much greater.

[masklinn]

> It's like 1930s Germany all over again, except that Muslims are the new Jews.

Considering how a certain segment of the population interpreted Trump campaign's last ad and cheered at that interpretation I wouldn't "worry", Muslims are more Jew+ than new Jews: the old ones are still going in the oven.

[eli_gottlieb]

We Jews are still the Jews here.