To the Editor:
Re “From ‘Dunderhead’ to Demagogue” (Books of The Times, Sept. 28):
I read Michiko Kakutani’s review of a new book on Hitler with alarm. Hitler is described as an “egomaniac” with “characteristic fondness for superlatives.” Hitler was also known for his “bottomless mendacity.” He was also an “effective orator and actor” who peppered his speeches with “coarse phrases and put-downs of hecklers.”
Hitler presented himself in messianic terms promising “to lead Germany to a new era of national greatness.” His actual knowledge of matters was limited. Hitler’s rise could have been halted, but was not, given an “erosion of the political center” and the country’s resentment of elites. There was government dysfunction because of the unwillingness of political parties to compromise.
Many in the country believed that they needed “a man of iron” to shake things up. Hitler was willing to do away with the rule of law and separation of powers. He had a dark view of the world.
Are not all of those characteristics applicable to Donald Trump? As Thomas L. Friedman concludes in “Trump? How Could We?” (column, Sept. 28), “Electing such a man would be insanity.”
I sincerely hope this country’s citizens are not insane.
MARC CHAFETZ
Washington
Note from KBJ: I thought this letter was about Barack Obama until I got to the penultimate paragraph. Think about it. We elected a community organizer, i.e., a rabble-rouser, as our president. Where was Marc Chafetz with his Hitler analogy when we needed him?
