# The Congress and Godwin's law **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 16, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963 "2010-07-16T20:26:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/1 "2010-07-16T20:26:45Z")
A Republican member of Congress actually compared Obama to Hitler, on the floor, for getting BP to fund the Gulf Coast clean up. No offense but: what. the. fuck? What is happening to your political system? ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/2 "2010-07-16T20:39:48Z")
I realised this is not new news, apologies if this is a re-thread. But seriously. What the fuck? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/3 "2010-07-16T20:51:38Z")
There are 435 congressmen from 435 difference congressional districts. Comparing Obama to Hitler will get you re-elected in some of them. At least we don’t have any districts where you can get re-elected by calling him a nigger (or I don’t think we do)… I guess you could call that progress. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/4 "2010-07-16T20:54:20Z")
Nitpick: **Godwin’s Law** ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/5 "2010-07-16T20:58:42Z")
> [@B.Serum](#): > > Nitpick: **Godwin’s Law** Pretty good nitpick though. Dang. Mods? ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/6 "2010-07-16T21:15:16Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > There are 435 congressmen from 435 difference congressional districts. Comparing Obama to Hitler will get you re-elected in some of them. At least we don’t have any districts where you can get re-elected by calling him a nigger (or I don’t think we do)… I guess you could call that progress. I wouldn’t put money on it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/7 "2010-07-16T21:20:39Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > There are 435 congressmen from 435 difference congressional districts. Comparing Obama to Hitler will get you re-elected in some of them. At least we don’t have any districts where you can get re-elected by calling him a nigger (or I don’t think we do)… I guess you could call that progress. It’s sweet that you think that there are no districts where one might be re-elected to office by calling Mr. Obama a nigger. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/8 "2010-07-16T21:26:08Z")
What happened is that the first non-white/biracial/African-American (take your pick of whatever people feel like calling him today) president was elected, and some people lost their ever-lovin’ minds at the threat that the person running the country no longer looked like them. And yes, there are plenty of districts in which calling President Obama a nigger, or comparing him to Hitler, will not only get you elected/re-elected, but will earn you a fucking parade through the center of town as a true American patriot. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/9 "2010-07-16T21:29:12Z")
Maybe so, but do you have any evidence for any of the 435 representatives and 100 senators actually literally calling Obama a nigger? I don’t think you’ll discover such a thing. You might find some code words, but you aren’t going to find an actual n-word. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/10 "2010-07-16T21:38:56Z")
> [@Stoneburg](#): > > Pretty good nitpick though. Dang. Mods? Fixed it. [The title originally said "Goodwin’s law.] > [@Stoneburg](#): > > No offense but: what. the. fuck? What is happening to your political system? Whatever is happening already happened. This has been going on for years, so while it’s repugnant, people are used to it or getting there. It obviously works well enough to get people elected or re-elected even if it is rapidly leading to greater disenchantment with the political system. ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/11 "2010-07-16T23:53:11Z")
Ok. But a MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT on the FLOOR OF THE PARLIAMENT comparing the HEAD OF STATE to Hitler. That has to be a MILESTONE. A dark, broken, urinated on and hopefully soon removed to be ground into dust and shot into the sun milestone. It’s a member of parliament! It’s not a drunken idiot at an extremist rally. And he’s not doing it in a bantering way in a private conversation, he’s doing it while speaking in the parliament. Is this not a political, if not social, suicide? The GOP at least have to completely disown this guy if they are to have any credibility. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/12 "2010-07-17T00:00:53Z")
> [@Stoneburg](#): > > It’s a member of parliament! It’s not a drunken idiot at an extremist rally. And he’s not doing it in a bantering way in a private conversation, he’s doing it while speaking in the parliament. > > Is this not a political, if not social, suicide? The GOP at least have to completely disown this guy if they are to have any credibility. You aren’t very familiar with the modern GOP, are you? ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/13 "2010-07-17T00:15:16Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > You aren’t very familiar with the modern GOP, are you? More than I’d like, I think. But I think it would be extremely insulting and prejudiced of me to think that they not disowning this guy would be a given. I mean it is not that he crossed a line. From where he is at he can’t even see the line anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/14 "2010-07-17T00:24:25Z")
I would only get up in arms if the Member of Parliament insulted the Prime Minister. As it is, he insulted the President. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/15 "2010-07-20T02:02:10Z")
There was a billboard up somewhere in the Midwest comparing the President to Hitler. It turns my stomach. But it didn’t upset me when Bush was compared to Hitler. America is pretty rough and tumble and always has been. I resent far more the President’s speech before a joint session of Congress being interrupted with an accusation of “Liar!” than I do someone comparing him to Hitler on the floor on Congress. I would have resented Bush’s speech being interruped just the same. Some yokels just don’t understand the rules – both written and unwritten. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/16 "2010-07-20T03:44:38Z")
[Hey, Godwin’s Law!](http://xkcd.com/261/) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/17 "2010-07-20T03:47:53Z")
You know _who else_ got compared to Hitler by his countries legislature??? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/18 "2010-07-20T12:50:41Z")
Remember when MoveOn had users submitting home-made videos, and one of those compared Bush to Hitler? Remember how nuts that made the GOP? No? Here’s a reminder: > **[Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News...](https://www.foxnews.com/)** > > Breaking News, Latest News and Current News from FOXNews.com. Breaking news and video. Latest Current News: U.S., World, Entertainment, Health, Business, Technology, Politics, Sports. Now they have an actual elected representative making the same comparison, on the House floor. The next person who claims both parties are equally bad would do well to compare these two incidences. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/19 "2010-07-20T13:22:30Z")
If he was being compared to Hitler for actually doing something _wrong_, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. But getting people to pay the costs of their own negligent or evil acts is precisely what a government _should_ be used for, from the libertarian perspective. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963/20 "2010-07-20T13:26:28Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > If he was being compared to Hitler for actually doing something _wrong_, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. But getting people to pay the costs of their own negligent or evil acts is precisely what a government _should_ be used for, from the libertarian perspective. But, [Hitler Ate Sugar!](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HitlerAteSugar) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-congress-and-godwins-law/546963.md?page=2)