Schwarzenegger Releases Data on Hitler Comments

[Snellius]

The NY Times this morning released a revised transcript, provided by Arnold Schickelgroper's own campaign aides, clarifying his controversial comments about Hitler, comments which Mr. Schickelgroper had originally said he had forgotten making.

In an interview yesterday as he campaigned in California, Mr. Schwarzenegger said that he did not know precisely where the relevant outtakes were and that aides were trying to trying to find them.
...
In the portion of the interview read over the phone and later distributed by the campaign, Mr. Schwarzenegger said: "In many ways I admired people -- It depends for what. I admired Hitler for instance because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education, up to power. And I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for his way of getting to the people and so on. But I didn't admire him for what he did with it. It is very hard to say who I admired and who are my heroes. And I admired basically people who are powerful people, like Kennedy. Who people listen to and just wait until he comes out with telling them what to do. People like that I admire a lot."

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/04/national/04BOOK.html

However, the following excerpts from Arnold Schickelgroper’s interview, missing from the Times online version, are included in the print edition.

I feel if you want to create a strong nation and a strong country you cannot let everybody be an individual, because everybody has his own opinion and you can't just stick together as a strong nation. Then you have to tell people what to do and you can't just let them float away. In Germany, there was a lot of unity, and with the police force and everything.
...
Asked what system of government he preferred, Mr. Schwarzenegger said, "America," but he continued: ‘Except there’s only one thing I don’t like here and that people go on their own little trips too much. The unity isn’t there anymore. And I don’t think it’s too much the people’s fault. I think it’s because we don’t have a strong leader here."

[soothsayer]

1. Ah, just like dumbya saying we have too many freedoms

These cats are scary!

[thebigidea]

2. oh, so it's all settled... he's not a Nazi... oh wait... uh... err?

man, scary quotes.


BRING US UNITY, ARNOLD! JOIN ARNOLD!

[felix19]

18. Yikes! {Brilliant!} n/t

[robbedvoter]

3. Ja, ja! Hitler and Kennedy - got it! It was in the NYT article

The damning part is the awe at the Nuremberg speech - where people were believing everything he said - it's that aspiration that should scare people in this country not the lame disclaimer that "Hitler did bad things"

[pschoeb]

9. He also impies he only thought the Nazis bad after conquests

snip
"Yes, in Germany they used power and authority but it was used in the wrong way," Mr. Schwarzenegger said, according to Mr. Butler. "But it was misused on the power. First, it started having, I mean, getting Germany out of the great recession and having everybody jobs and so on and then it was just misused. And they said, let's take this country, and so on." Mr. Schwarzenegger concluded: "That's bad."

The Nazis used power correctly before invasions, taking over countries was bad, he doesn't address the holocaust at all - so who knows if he thought it was bad.

Patrick Schoeb

[Flubadubya]

4. Power Lust...

This is the overriding theme coming from this nasty little treatise. Oh, Ahnuld wants UNITY alright, as long as he is the center of attention. SICKO!

[IndianaGreen]

6. Hey, the man is a Republican

What did you expect him to say? This is the same message we heard in the Clear Channel-sponsored "Support the Troops" rallies. We are united!

:eyes:

[Snellius]

5. Did he marry a Kennedy as a power conquest?

A triumph of the will in his climb to power? I wonder how Maria feels about his admiring "Kennedy" not for what he did or stood for but because millions of sheeple adored him as if he were a god?

ARNOLD SCHICKELGROPER IS A WEIRD, POWER-OBSESSED EGO MANIAC!

[PurityOfEssence]

25. Joe Kennedy was pro-Hitler

Maybe it's just a Catholic thing; we know that this was at least part of the issue, along with Irish nationalism.

Kennedy was removed as embassador to England in 1940 when it was discovered that he was involved with passing secrets from the British Government to the Germans. British Intelligence wanted to prosecute him, but Roosevelt intervened, ending Kennedy's political career in the process. (No love lost anyway; Roosevelt and Kennedy had serious problems with each other dating back at least until 1917.) The British were furious, but what could they do? They were allowed to try two U.S. Navy Petty Officers for espionage, and they were convicted and executed. Yes, that's right, executed.

This is all detailed in William Stevenson's "A Man Called Intrepid", written by the Canadian head of counter-intelligence at Bletchley Park.

[Cocoa]

7. it also exposes his hypocrisy

the hypocrisy pales in comparison to the power-worship, but it's there.

He is excusing his past actions and controversial behavior by appealing to un-Nazi-like values. Like when discussing his Oui interview, he said he was being deliberately outrageous to promote his entertainment career, and he downplays his "movie set" behavior in a similar way.

[loudnclear]

8. Almost same thing Farrakan said and blasted as an anti-Semite

remember, Farrakan said that Hitler was (not an exact quote but close) something like 'greatly evil.' The ADL had his head for his statement. What will they do about Arnie? Probably nothing becuase he is suiting their political agenda.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. "This would be a lot easier if it were a dictatorship"....

...direct quote from Dubya. Not once, but three separate times.

Any wonder why a guy like Arnold would be backed by a guy like Dubya?

[ConcernedCanuk]

11. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a Fence-sitter on the Aahnold thing -

But either for fuel for the fire -

- or a bit of a chuckle

- Hundreds of Aahnolds quotes at

[Snellius]

12. Why hasn't the Times updated this story?

The print and online versions of this story are dramatically different, one a partial exoneration of yesterday's charge, the other almost a reinforcement of its essential truth. For example, in the print edition, it makes clear that the subject of Hitler came up in direct response to the question "Who are your heroes?"

It also is more suggestive that the only reason Arnold is coming out with this today is because this interview is all on tape, a tape which he bought from the producer and personally possesses. Will he destroy the evidence or will he produce it as he evidently promised? In other words, as with the groping charges, after denying them, he is coming clean only because he got caught, as it were, with his pants down.

[Flubadubya]

13. With his pants down?

Nothing to see here, move along...

[felix19]

14. Ah. Now we'regetting into some issues

that should have been brought up in the mass media weeks, no months ago.

They were brought up here at DU and caused no end of nonsensical controversy, primarily over the question of 'blaming the son for the sins of the father' -- which of course was totally beside the point and was a bogus distraction coming from the astroturf industry.

This guy has an admitted admiration for Hitler for his power to command. His leadership -- Führerschaft -- which is really the only campaign theme he's offered, the only thing he says will solve California's problems. "LEADERSHIP! I am the Man of the People! Give me your Vote! I Command and Order You!" Oh, and then of course there's the scapegoating thing, scapegoating the Indians for California's problems, claiming he won't "pander" to them, and will "change things" regarding their gambling revenues and will force them to pay taxes to the state. He can't do that -- but that's beside the point; the point is to use the Nazi scapegoating technique to designate some out group as the cause of problems, and say the solution is to force the scapegoat to become the solution. Nazis were far and away the masters of the technique.

Now we see why the whole Nazi/Hitler thing was and is important. Why it should have been addressed far earlier. It doesn't mean that the candidate is a Nazi or ever was. That is beside the point. The point has always been the influence of Nazi "philosophy" on him and whether it is being expressed in his candidacy now.

Well. Judge for yourself.

It's just too bad it has taken so long to be brought up in widespread public discourse.

[Snellius]

16. Absolutely on target

What is ironic is that Arnold's denial of his admiration of Hitler reveals him, even more clearly, to be in sympathy with the authoritarian and totalitartian values he represents.

And how can anyone admire Hitler's speaking skills and claim he doesn't admire Hitler. It's like saying one is shocked that Jeffrey Dahmer ate so many people but admires his table manners.

What's significant about this whole story is not Arnold's denial but that he admits it.

[Spazito]

22. ROFL!

Love the table manners analogy, perfect!

[leesa]

15. Oh the Repukes won't like him admiring Kennedy, even if it is for the

noble reason of power.

[rocktivity]

17. Greg Palast Releases Comments on the Schwarzenegger - Ken Lay Meeting

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=283&row=0

and so does ConsumerWatchdog.org:
http://www.ConsumerWatchdog.org/utilities/pr/pr003708.php3

Happy to refresh your memory, Arnold. But do we really want a political leader who is so poor at remembering things?


rocknation

[w4rma]

19. "I admire him … for what he did with it."

…
Asked who his heroes are, he answered, "I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education, up to power. I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for what he did with it."
…
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/Politics/arnold031002_past.html

[tlcandie]

20. Something else bothers me about him just like *it....

He has two different personalities and/or faces. One for his wife, family and friends and one when he is away from his every day life...

* has the same problem. Purported compassionate Christian, etc., and liar, drunk, and whatever else on the other hand.

Can someone put this into a better frame of reference, please? It truly disturbs me.

[monobrau]

21. Power

Love of power, pure and simple, regardless of the cost.
Love of power and a bad memory.
I'd say he has what it takes to be the next republican canidate for president, as soon as they change the constitution for him.

[PurityOfEssence]

23. Herr Schickelgroper!

That's fabulous! This quote is damning; the fact that HE DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER IT just shows that fascist trampling of the individual is so nuch a part of his thought processes that it's "normal" to him. He's unfit for office in a pluralist society; he's a dictator.

[damnraddem]

24. Oh, yes, he obviously hates Hitler --

after all, envy can do that to one.

[MetaTrope]

26. The entire history of mankind to choose from

And the would-be governor of California cites Hitler as his idol. There's something a little disturbing about that.