The NRCC drew fire for an attack on Nancy Pelosi Democrats say goes too far for the second time in a week today. On Oct. 6, Democrats were upset when the GOP group called on Gen. Stanley McChrystal to put Pelosi "in her place." Today, it was the NRCC's seeming comparison of Pelosi to Adolf Hitler that had Democrats up in arms.
"The NRCC's despicable promotion of a video comparing Speaker Pelosi's effort to reform health insurance in America to Adolf Hitler's extermination of millions is a shocking new low that must be condemned," DCCC spokesperson Jennifer Crider said.
The offending tweet was posted around noon. Politico's Glenn Thrush reported it:
[S]omeone at the NRCC posted a bizarre Tweet linking to an altered three-minute section of the 2004 Hitler biopic "Der Untergang" from the conservative site Moonbattery -- with a voice-over of the The Fuhrer ranting about how only Nancy Pelosi shares his vision of health care reform....
Hitler, played by Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, is trapped in his bunker with his generals, and rants [in the phony subtitles] about President Obama's revisions to his socialized medicine plan -- and how only he and Nancy Pelosi are still fighting the good fight.
After Thrush contacted the man in charge of the NRCC's Twitter feed, John Randall, the post was taken down. But not before the Democrats got a hold of it and sent their feelings far and wide.
Randall wasn't available when TPMDC called. But he told Thrush:
"We saw the video this morning and thought, like other parodies, that it was funny. In 20-20 hindsight, we realized it was in poor taste and pulled it down... I don't want anyone to think we're comparing Democrats to Nazis and to Hitler."

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Walter Mitty
October 13, 2009 1:53 PM
Wow. I can't believe Randall didn't blame the tweet on an intern. To say "We saw the video this morning and thought, like other parodies, that it was funny" is damning and gives the Dems an opening to really blast on this issue.
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midnight rambler
October 13, 2009 2:07 PM
To be fair, I don't think this is like the Obama/Hitler comparisons. There's a whole genre of videos using this clip with altered subtitles for parodies of almost anything. Do a YouTube search for "Downfall" and you'll come up with a million (many referring to Republicans).
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midnight rambler
October 13, 2009 2:14 PM in reply to midnight rambler
FWIW, this one is pretty funny:
Hitler Finds Out Sarah Palin Resigns
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Walter Mitty
October 13, 2009 2:25 PM in reply to midnight rambler
And how many did the DNC, DCCC or the DSCC endorse? This isn't the DNC stumbling across the vid while searching Youtube, this is the NRCC linking to the vid and blasting it out via their twitter account.
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midnight rambler
October 13, 2009 2:50 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
It's too stupid to take seriously though. It seems to be portraying Obama as the good guy for supporting the public option, while Pelosi is evil for (apparently) wanting to pass single-payer socialized medicine? Somebody got both seriously off-message and disconnected from reality.
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Jim H
October 13, 2009 2:29 PM in reply to midnight rambler
Yeah, this one is just lame. The first one of these that I've seen was this one which I thought was hilarious (though, I did watch the game that it was referring to so I knew the context).
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Cal Gal
October 13, 2009 2:37 PM
Nancy can take it. She is one tough cookie.
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hunter
October 13, 2009 3:53 PM in reply to Cal Gal
Well, yeah, of course she can. That's what makes this so much fun...the GOP just has no concept of how crazy this stuff sounds.
General, put her in her place!
Her "place" is holding the military's purse-strings, thank you.
She's playing out of her league!
Just what exactly is out of the Speaker of the House's league?
...and now this.
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KeithL
October 13, 2009 2:48 PM
Holy Cow, that same scene from the movie sure has lost of different dialogues! I agree midnight, the Palin clip was funny, if too long.
The Pelosi thing clearly demonstrates the Republican Party's terminal lack of humor. Or, in shootme's case, a pathetic misunderstanding of irony. It seems that the Republican "humorist" who created this has seen the gazillion plus one of funny left-minded Youtubes using the same film clip and downloaded it. Then, after a quick switcheroo with snappy Republican blockbusters, he showed it to his friends.
We should strive for pity. In the world of humor, Republicans are Diogenes, seeking an honest clue.
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Powkat
October 13, 2009 2:51 PM
"I don't want anyone to think we're comparing Democrats to Nazis and to Hitler." Since when? They have tolerated the tea baggers waving their Obama as Hitler signs for 6 motnhs, with little or disapproval from politicians or the party. Who is suprised that it has now become official? Hands? Bueller?, Bueller?
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Clavis
October 13, 2009 2:54 PM
Republicans are assholes. Never be afraid to tell them so.
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billp
October 13, 2009 7:00 PM
The NRCC had to take this down after a while to appear to be disapproving of it. No matter, it will be forwarded and discussed and as such has served its purpose, carrying out the current GOP strategy:
1. Use apocalyptic rhetoric that exacerbates fear, bigotry and extremism among the uneducated and intolerant.
2. Counter any liberal criticism of your inflammatory calls for action by saying they can't take a joke.
3. Keep turning up the heat and act surprised when somebody finally heeds your calls for extreme action.
4. Be sure to maintain you were only speaking figuratively and you are being unfairly blamed when violence occurs.
5. Keep your celebrations behind closed doors.
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