Trump hands a victory to Polish nationalists

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

President Donald Trump is unlikely to suffer politically at home for making history abroad as the first sitting American president in decades to visit Warsaw while forgoing a stop at the city’s monument to the Jewish Ghetto Uprising.

But the president’s decision to skip that symbolic visit was seen as handing a victory to the ruling Polish right-wing nationalist party – the Law and Justice Party has been highlighting the role of the Poles who fought against Nazi Germany while downplaying the persecution of 3 million Polish Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, who has at times defended the Trump administration, called it a “mistake not to go” to the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes.

“The Polish leadership these days is minimizing the Holocaust, and minimizing the Polish role,” Dershowitz said in an interview. “It would have sent a powerful message about Western civilization, which is what Trump is promoting. The Polish government wants to focus on nationalism – and that focuses on what happened to people of Polish, not Jewish, ethnicity.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/06/trump-poland-visit-nationalists-240266

[Hortensis]

1. Simply meeting with Poland's authoritarian, nationalist

far-right government gave these very bad people a "victory." Presidents of any nation don't meet just any leader. It's supposed to be an honor, a visit to another nation even more so.

[blue-wave]

5. Remember That Trump was supported during his campaign by the alt-right (racists, KKK, etc.)

So the present Polish government fits well with Trump's base of support. It is though, very perplexing that the racist alt right is looking to Eastern Europe for their hope. They consider someone like Putin a hero and savior for the white race. In their view, they look to Eastern Europe because it was not "spoiled" and destroyed by "western decadence." Yeah, Putin the totalitarian, a hero? But the racist alt right love that kind of tyranny.

I have a theory about Trump's visit to Poland and with Putin. Poland and Russia are historical adversaries. I believe Trump is there to somehow unite them and most of Central/Eastern Europe, in alt right lock step. Across the former Iron Curtain countries, right wing governments and ideologies have been taking hold. The very thought is horrifying.

The perplexing part is the racist alt right, with their ideology embracing race theory, consider Eastern Europeans Untermenschen (inferior people). The alt right racists would like nothing more than to have all Eastern Europeans as slaves or worse. For Poland, Russia and the other Eastern European countries to embrace this ideology is mind boggling. These are the countries that fought the Nazis and this ideology in WWII, suffering horrific loss. They are playing with fire and will likely get burned very badly.

[Doug the Dem]

2. So, this so-called "Law and Justice Party" is the Government?

If so, it isn't really a big story, as meeting with the people in charge is S.O.P.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. What Holocaust?

What Oświęcim?

What idiots we have running the White House.

[question everything]

4. I am always reminded of when Bush said "and Poland!" during one of his debates with Kerry.

Though I think that there has been a regime change since then.