If there’s one thing the far right-wing and the pseudointellectuals propagandists who spend all their time trying to knit philosophical hoods to fit over the ideals of white supremacy that animate modern conservatism is good at doing, it’s telling on themselves in humiliating fashion.
Candace Owens, one of the most prominent members of Koch-funded astroturf “youth outreach” group Turning Point USA and a woman who was praised by President Trump as a “very smart thinker,” found herself in boiling hot water this afternoon after an ill-considered defense of nationalism led to a whitewashing of the Holocaust and the horrors of Nazi Germany.
Dear @RealCandaceO: As a Jewish historian, I'd like to assure you that the problem with Hitler wasn't that he wanted to conquer other places, but that he wanted to kill Jews, disabled folks, Roma, Communists, and others. https://t.co/nHUKAdsFMA pic.twitter.com/9fP3TnJ1kK
— David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) February 8, 2019
It’s pretty telling that Owens was willing to overlook the small matter of the systematic murder of over ten million people, including six million Jews, in order to explain that in reality, it was Hitler’s “globalism” that was the problem, not the ultranationalism and the concepts of racial purity that accompanied it.
It’s ironic because TPUSA’s usual tactic is to argue that Hitler was a “socialist” because the word “socialism” was in the name “National Socialism,” while any basic history textbook will tell you that Hitler despised socialists and persecuted them as harshly as he did all other dissident groups, painting them as one half of the imaginary “Judeo-Bolshevik” conspiracy that was invading Germany.
As you can imagine, social media exploded in fury and outrage at her callous remarks. One of her most prominent critics was former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton, who gently reminded Owens that there was “nothing great about the Third Reich,” which somehow is something that needs to be said in the age of Trump.
Good afternoon Andrew – Ignorance about Hitler’s evil regime must always be confronted. That burden should not fall on Holocaust survivors. There was nothing, using @RealCandaceO own words, “great” about the Third Reich before it began annexing & invading its neighbors. https://t.co/Pq8vdtirly
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) February 8, 2019
Candace, clearly on the defensive and looking for something to latch on to and control the narrative with, reacted with uncalled for vitriol and unhinged hatred towards Clinton, who reacted with her trademark class and politeness, with just a little twinge of troll at the end.
Hi Candace – I wish you a life full of love, health & happiness. I love my parents. I’m also not my parents. Hope you have a wonderful rest of Friday & a great weekend. And, here is a helpful resource from @HolocaustMuseum – https://t.co/KMoVntxgBZ https://t.co/dlu4jaKVQv
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) February 8, 2019
It’s time for all of us to take a step back and think about what has gone so wrong that we’re in the year 2019 and people who are friends with the United States President are doing their best to erase the crimes of humanity’s greatest monster.
