Wisconsin Republican state Senate candidate Dane Deutsch, District 25, has recently been criticized for posting a supposedly controversial tweet. It read, ""Hitler and Lincoln were both strong leaders. Lincoln's character made him the greater leader whose legacy and leadership still lives on!""
The tweet opened up the floodgates for Democrats. They questioned whether Deutsch understood the devastation Hitler wrought, and they're insisting that voters need to discuss and consider this statement during the election.
Of course, Deutsch defended his tweet by saying that he was merely suggesting that Lincoln and Hitler were great leaders, but Lincoln had a righteous character that allowed him to succeed—something that Hitler did not.
There are two sides to every argument. First of all, I think Deutsch is fully aware of the devastation and destruction Hitler caused. Who isn't? The Holocaust was one of the most horrific genocides to occur in history. As for the voters, I can definitely see how it may change the way they view Deutsch, and it is reasonable. The tweet has the potential to come off as offensive and completely inappropriate.
However, it's not fair to suggest that this statement was incorrect. Hitler was in fact a great leader. He mobilized an entire country to follow and respect him blindly. Was he a good guy? No, not even a little bit. That doesn't mean he was a bad leader, just a lunatic.
It's like saying Joseph Stalin or Hernán Cortés were bad leaders. It's just not true. They were excellent leaders who committed terrible crimes. Hitler brought his nation together and made it a world power just like every leader aspires to do, but he did it in a highly immoral and sickening fashion. You don't have to be a good person to be a great leader.
Although what Deutsch said may be true, the comment was not appropriate. As a politician you have to be very careful with your word choice. The extremely judgmental eyes of the nation are constantly on you. Every word is recorded as if it were some prophetic proclamation. Especially with right-wing loyalties and a German name like Deutsch, putting Hitler in any kind of positive light is a risk. In the political playing field, mundane details—like the origin of your name—will come back around to bite you.
Also, you would think Deutsch would learn from his fellow politicians. For example, take former president George W. Bush—the king of blockheaded remarks. We all remember his hilarious quote: ""There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. Fool me ... you can't get fooled again."" Now, if I were Deutsch I might think to myself, ""Hey self, don't say anything controversial because people will attack you for it."" But apparently Deutsch never got that message.
Being an aspiring politician, Deutsch should know that when you are in a position of power people will find any reason to subject you to constant scrutiny. Even if what you say is true, it doesn't matter to the general public. Your words will be dissected and examined until every last hint of potentially offensive material is exploited. Deutsch has to be careful about what he says and what he does, or before you know it, there will be a separate category of ""Deutschisms"" to add to political mockery.
Nick Fritz is sophomore majoring in marketing. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
