A Historical Deja Vu

To the Editor:

I could never understand how Germany, a nation of great universities and singular achievements in the arts and sciences, could have followed a demagogue like Adolph Hitler into the suicidal insanity and evil of Fascism.

But now comes the ravings of Donald Trump, in my view, a former disgraced president who betrayed his oath of office and conspired and sought to overturn an honest and free national election in order to hang on to power. I believe Trump is a presidential candidate who foments a dystopian view of America and calls for violence and revenge against his perceived enemies. And we see the cultish, non-questioning enthusiastic support of the majority of Republicans, and the self-serving, craven, and hypocritical allegiance of the GOP leadership. This dangerous aberration of American norms and ideals offers a powerful reminder of the consuming mindlessness, the irrational fear, and the pathetic self-delusion that can take a great people into the wasteland of tragic self-destruction and historical shame.

This is not who we are, and even though the clown show of the current Republican party is often laughable and fodder for late night TV hosts, its potentially destructive goals need to be taken seriously.