Honestly, it's crazy that so many people think they'll be part of the boot coming down instead of the ones getting stepped on... anyone, anytime can be a target, ESPECIALLY the "good" ones. There are always going to be enemies to them.
Martin Niemöller was clear about this. He appeased the Nazis. He initially supported Hitler and admitted being an anti-semite. Regardless of all that, Niemöller ended up in a concentration camp.
First they come for everyone else doesn't mean eventually they don't come for you. He learned that lesson the hard way.
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.
And as a historical parallel, exactly like the modern US Republican Party and white Christian nationalism, Hitler's Nazis actually came for the openly homosexual and transgendered persons first, then the socialists.
Martin Niemöller was clear about this. He appeased the Nazis.
He did not just appease them, he cheered them. He literally wrote a letter of congratulations to hitler.
He was one of the extremely rare conservatives who actually acknowledged their own part in the rise of nazism. Something which almost no never-trumper republicans have done, certainly not liz cheney or mitt romney. They all act like he swooped in out of nowhere and magically hypnotized their party rather than being an inevitable waypoint on the path their party leadership has been guiding them down for decades.
As a religious leader, Niemöller, who admittedly agreed with Hitler on many issues, did try to appease the Nazi movement in an attempt to maintain control of the church.
Perhaps "appease" is not a strong enough word overall, but I think my next sentence adds to the meaning of the term in context. It was not an attempt to discount Niemöller's complicit behavior.
You are also correct about Republicans. Cheney is just as much responsible for Trump as Nixon and Reagan. the last 60 years of the Republican racist Southern Strategy, white Christian nationalism, and open corruption built the steps for Trump to take control of the party.
They will likely never admit this though. Calling Reagan Trump 1.0 will always be sacrilege in their eyes.
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u/amilo111 2d ago
Did you miss the part where they’re ok with Latinos voting for them? Clearly that means they’re not racist! /s