Goldberg: Liberalism is 'great grand niece once removed' of Nazism

David Edwards and Nick Juliano Published: Thursday January 10, 2008  del.icio.us |
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Promoting his new provocatively titled book Liberal Fascism, conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg said modern day liberalism is at least a distant relative of Adolf Hitler's political philosophy, if not a direct descendant.

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, asked Goldberg whether he could "draw a line from Mussolini to Hillary Clinton or Mussolini to Barack Obama."

"I'm saying you can draw a line, but it's not a straight one," Goldberg said Thursday on Morning Joe. "I'm not saying that today's liberalism is the son of Nazism or the son of Italian fascism. I'm saying sort of like the great-grand niece once removed. They have some common DNA, some common themes, some family resemblances that come up, but we also have them in the Republican party today. I think compassionate conservatism is essentially a right wing progressivism, and it is very scary which way that could go."

In the book, though, Goldberg makes a more severe observation about Clinton's supposedly fascist tendencies, according to a review.

The book includes a "secret history of the left," writes reviewer Daniel Pipes, that includes the accusation: "Hillary Clinton hopes 'to insert the state deep into family life,' an essential step of the totalitarian project."

Goldberg did not spare his own party from criticism in Thursday's appearance. He said he was "more worried" about Mike Huckabee's GOP candidacy than any of the others, but acknowledged, "I have problems with all of these guys."

Goldberg's book has been widely panned on the left. Critics see it as a blatant attempt to cash in on political interest surrounding the presidential primaries with a book that promises more than it can deliver.

The National Review columnist defended the book's title, saying it was a quote from a speech by HG Wells and he claimed that progressives of the 1920s actually supported the likes of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the decades before World War II. Goldberg also claimed that Fascism was more connected to communism that most people realize.

"Fascism and bolshevism were both heresies of socialism," Goldberg claimed.

Goldberg's book was released last month after much delay. Although it's sold well on Amazon.com, some customers have not been so kind, affixing tags like "propaganda" and "wingnut welfare" to its entry.

This video is from MSNBC's Morning Joe, broadcast January 10, 2008.