tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476621888383604834.post4829000121414806581..comments2009-09-07T08:54:40.714-04:00Jim Sabinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03087828142188534542noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476621888383604834.post-21640608166710528112009-09-07T08:54:40.714-04:002009-09-07T08:54:40.714-04:00Hi Ross -<br /><br />Good to hear from you! Thank you for the important comment.<br /><br />Your observation that both Obama and Bush have been compared to Hitler is valuable evidence that the paranoid style isn&#39;t limited to one political group. There&#39;s a danger in dismissing opinions we see as off the wall as &quot;paranoid.&quot; The opinion (like the death panel belief) may be wrong, but it almost always reflects something about public outlook that is worth understanding.<br /><br />Re the loss of moderation and reasonableness in speech - one factor is gerrymandering. When legislators represent &quot;safe&quot; districts they do best by appealing to the more radical elements of their base. Another factor is money - moderation and reasonableness don&#39;t sell in the world of media.<br /><br />Best<br /><br />JimJim Sabinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03087828142188534542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476621888383604834.post-82008060857761862092009-09-06T12:20:26.349-04:002009-09-06T12:20:26.349-04:00Jim, I congratulate you on this post. I have seen such polar opposites as Obama and George W. Bush each compared to Hitler. As you know, at the peak of anti-semitism in Europe, it was possible to claim that Jews were all Communists and all Capitalists at the same time. Whatever happened to moderation and reasonableness in speech?<br />Ross NeisulerRoss Neisulerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02123532779068043328noreply@blogger.com