AfD. In last week’s blog I mentioned that I had a concern about Elon Musk’s support of the AfD party in Germany. After I wrote that I realized I did not know much about AfD. Rather than depending on the media I decided to ask a German citizen about his opinion of AfD.
His response was very thoughtful, well-written and balanced. I want to share it with you. I did some minor editing. I hope you find it as interesting as I did:
I wanted to let your questions simmer in my mind before writing a thoughtful response. In a way, I’m taking the luxury people had in the pre-email era—when letter writing allowed for less immediate reactions but more time to sit with one’s thoughts.
Regarding Elon’s support of the AfD, I have to say I’m rather unhappy about it. Of course, he has the right to voice his opinions, but one would hope that someone with such immense influence—controlling a major social media platform and, consequently, a significant portion of our attention and discourse—would wield that right more responsibly than the average person. Sadly, the idea that great power comes with great responsibility seems to have been moved to the dustbin these days.
When assessing the AfD, the question inevitably arises: is it a continuation of Germany’s Nazi past, or merely a party challenging old, self-imposed taboos, as Elon might put it? On the surface, their platform does not explicitly mirror the extreme excesses of the Nazi party. You won’t find the rabid anti-Semitism that the Nazis openly promoted (if such rhetoric were present, the party would be ruled unconstitutional in today’s Germany). Nor do they advocate for the expansionist and militarist policies the Nazis pursued under the guise of “Lebensraum.” In this sense, comparisons to the Nazi party can easily be dismissed as alarmist exaggerations.
However, there are troubling continuities. The AFD’s portrayal of the German people as victims of foreign influence undermining their “Volksgemeinschaft” —or, in modern terms, their “national character”—echoes the psychological underpinnings of the NSDAP’s (National Socialist’s Democratic Party—Nazi) message. The scapegoat has shifted from Jewish communities to Muslim immigrants, but the narrative of self-victimhood and the desire to find scapegoats whose expelling would solve our national problems remains eerily familiar.
Moreover, their stance on Germany’s remembrance culture—essentially advocating to “move on” and reclaim national pride—is presented as a fresh perspective but is, in fact, identical to arguments made by those sympathetic to the Nazi state in the 1950s. The persistence of these old thought patterns, now repackaged by the AfD, is further evidenced by electoral data showing higher AFD vote shares in regions historically aligned with Nazi ideology (see https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/explaining-alternative-fur-deutschland-partys-electoral-success-shadow-nazi-voting).
Perhaps the most extreme form of historical revisionism comes from the Reichsbürger movement, which claims the Federal Republic of Germany is democratically illegitimate because it was imposed by the Allies. They argue that the German Reich still exists and is the legal construct which they see themselves as part of. While the AFD officially distances itself from this viewpoint (as adopting it would lead to their legal prohibition), there are significant cultural and personal overlaps between Reichsbürger adherents and AfD supporters (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichsb%C3%BCrger_movement), which again reveals deeply anti-constitutional and anti-democratic tendencies in the movement.
So, are the AfD Nazis? Probably, most of them are not in a strict sense. But are they sending calls out to the ether that awaken some of the darker ghosts of Germany’s past? Absolutely.
On the left. I continue to be very disappointed in the Democratic Party. I still fail to see an intelligent conversation about why the losses occurred — not just the presidency but the House and Senate. Communications I receive from the party are mostly complaints about Trump and requests for money. I am waiting for better policy statements.
Alexandra Ocasio Cortez suggests the party was not progressive enough. I do not agree.
James Carvil has made some insightful statements about Biden.
I am waiting for thoughtful statements on immigration, abortion, the pendulum swing on racial representation, the national debt and other issues. Complaining about Trump is easy, self-analysis is difficult.
On the right. As for Trump’s first week I will limit my thoughts to one matter. I love our Constitution. I am not an expert but I understand that one of the redeeming values about the constitution is that there is a process for change. If we want to add or take away, we have steps to achieve change.
Article V of the Constitution establishes the two ways in which it may be amended:
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
The 14th Amendment says “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” It could not be any plainer – all persons born in the United States are citizens.
It follows for me that any attempt to deny citizenship to persons born in the US is in opposition to the Constitution. Such attempts are violations of the Constitution.
If someone wants to change the 14th Amendment we have a constitutional process. Executive order is not one of the two processes. In my opinion, Trump’s executive order that migrant children born in the US are not citizens is a violation of the Constitution.
The fact that the President is attempting to violate the Constitution should be disturbing to anyone who loves the Constitution. What is more alarming to me is that we have no information indicating that any advisor to the President told him he was in violation of the Constitution and tried to stop him. That is evidence to me that he has successfully surrounded himself with people who are loyal to him over loyalty to the Constitution. That is alarming.
This and That
I lived in the frightening era before Salk found the polio vaccine. I believe the recent Samoan evidence about unvaccinated children dying from the measles. Thus, I am deeply disturbed about the rise in unvaccinated children for polio and the measles.
Good News
Kindness
Woman Says Man’s Random Act Of Kindness ‘Made My Whole Year’
Delivery Driver Walks Through Snowstorm After Crash To Help Cancer Patient
Rare Snowstorm In The South Brings Out The Best In Neighbors
My editor is on a girl’s trip, enjoying sunshine in Florida. Any errors are mine alone.
Peace,
Jerry
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