Prefacing his remarks by proposing you never get into a political discussion unless you bring the word Hitler in. You have to have Hitler, so let's put Hitler out there, as if that caveat lessened the vulgarity of his impending comparison, on Friday nights Real Time actor/director/writer Rob Reiner (IMDb page) contended all the Tea Party needs to match Adolph Hitler is a charismatic leader:
He wasnt a majority guy, but he was charismatic and they were having bad economic times just like we are now people were out of work, they needed jobs and a guy came along and rallied the troops. My fear is that the Tea Party gets a charismatic leader, because all they're selling is fear and anger and that's all Hitler sold. Im angry and Im frightened and you should hate that guy over there.
Right, Bill Maher chirped in as Reiner, to applause from HBO's Los Angeles audience, declared: And thats what theyre doing.
(Apparently, that means he at least doesnt consider Sarah Palin to be a Hitler-like charismatic leader.) Audio: MP3 clip.
Shortly before, as he sat between Nicole Wallace and ABC News White House reporter Jake Tapper as the panel discussed Christine ODonnells supposed ignorance about how separation of church and state is in the First Amendment, Reiner denigrated Tea Party candidates: They're selling stupidity, theyre selling stupidity and ignorance and I've never seen a group of people, Ive never seen an election cycle with more ignorance than this one.
Maher agreed: Youre right. I have not either much to my delight.
From the Friday, October 22 Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO:
ROB REINER: You never get into a political discussion unless you bring the word Hitler in. You have to have Hitler, so lets put Hitler out there. Heres Hitler, okay? You have bad economic times, right? Hitler, by the way, never got more than 33 percent of the vote ever in Germany. You have bad economic times-
BILL MAHER: Well, he only had that one election, lets be honest.
REINER: Yeah, right.
MAHER: Hitler never ran for re-election.
REINER: No, thats true, thats true.
MAHER: There was no 1937 election.
REINER: He wasnt a majority guy, but he was charismatic and they were having bad economic times -- just like we are now people were out of work, they needed jobs and a guy came along and rallied the troops. My fear is that the Tea Party gets a charismatic leader, because all they're selling is fear and anger and that's all Hitler sold. Im angry and Im frightened and you should hate that guy over there.
MAHER: Right.
REINER: And thats what theyre doing.
(Audience applause)