Visual Rhetoric and Public Memory: The Obama-Hitler Image Historical Context

     On October 29, 2008, an estimated crowd of 300 students gathered to protest the Obama administration at Texas A&M University in College Station.  Although political protest is a normal component of the American political atmosphere, this particular demonstration included a gesture of disgruntlement and hostility.  The student organization Young Conservatives of Texas (YTC) hosted an “Anti-Obama Carnival;” as one member describes, “The opportunity to make sure Obama gets a very clear TEXAS-SIZED MESSAGE to stop the liberal assault on our country cannot be passed up.”[1] In the Rudder Plaza, a large piece of blue plywood provided a backdrop for students to throw eggs at a picture of Obama while a sign read, “Hello my name is: Bad for America.” [2]  While the demonstration created a buzz around local and national headlines, perhaps the most pivotal moment during the event was an African-American student who walked in front of the sign to stop the protest.  The YTC claimed the egg toss was a symbolic act to represent “throw away your nest egg.”  Others felt the protest was an attack on Obama himself.  In addition, students were encouraged to partake in a game of “socialist on a stick Obama ring toss.”  These events created an instant spotlight and heated debate over free speech.  Despite the controversy, the protest highlights the value of political imagery, an aspect of political communication often overlooked.

     While the isolated incident at Texas A&M is an extreme example of political protests, the demonstration speaks to a discourse on visual politics and public memory.  Visual forms of politics is nothing new to American culture, however, recent examples illustrate how public memory and visual rhetoric can create potentially harmful images.  More specifically, images have surfaced that depict Obama as a modern day Hitler.  Although George W. Bush faced similar political images, the visuals of Obama as Hitler raise significant questions for consideration.  Before we can explore the Obama Hitler image, it is necessary to understand the context of contemporary American politics.  The first portion of this paper explores the 2008 election scene, followed with a discussion on Obama’s Administration during his first two years of office.  Then I provide information about the LaRouche Political Action Committee, which is the organization that created and circulated the Obama Hitler image.   The historical context surrounding the Obama-Hitler image provides necessary information needed to understand the complexity of the symbolic image. 

The 2008 Presidential Election:   

     The 2008 Presidential Election was historic and changed the landscape of American politics.  For the first time an African-American was elected President.   Time states, “In one of the craziest elections in American history, Barack Obama overcame a lack of experience, a funny name, two candidates who are political institutions and the racial divide to become the 44^th President of the United States.”[3]  While the election demonstrated progress for racial equality in America, it also has fueled a hostile political environment. 

     The road to the White House in 2008 was long and vigorous.  The candidates John McCain (Republican) and Barack Obama (Democrat) faced several painstaking issues.  Stepping into a political atmosphere agitated by eight years of the Bush Administration required the candidates to address issues of an economic recession, high unemployment rates, and an endless war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq.  The damage from the Bush Administration challenged the candidates to restore a nation torn apart.     

     The Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin featured a campaign message of “Experience” and “Country First.”  Charles Madigan explains, “The Republicans turned to McCain because, in the wake of George W. Bush’s disastrous presidency, he was the most un-Bush-like of the options and had a powerful story to tell, a true warrior’s story about honor, bravery, and determination.”[4]  Although McCain’s credentials displayed him as a heroic candidate, factors such as the Bush Doctrine, The Patriot Act, and Guantanamo Bay threaten his Republican platform. 

      The Democrat ticket included Barack Obama and Joe Biden with a central message of “Hope” and “Change.”  Carl Pederson claims, “Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination and the general election in part because of this message of change, a break with the recent past.”[5]   Obama’s story of politics touches upon the ideals of the American dream begins with his community involvement as a social activist in Chicago, which led him to run for the Illinois Senate. 

      On November 4, 2008, American citizens went to the polls with the world watching.  The voter turnout in 2008 shattered previous voting records.  An estimated 130 million voters casted a vote in the election and  Obama received nearly 70 million votes for the victory.  Furthermore, voting groups such as African-Americans, Hispanics, Women, and the Youth vote all increased in volume.

     The last factor to consider with the 2008 election is the rise of new media technologies. Although media technologies have slowly surfaced during recent election, politics and media exploded with the Internet in 2008.  Thomas Hollihan claims that the Internet has a “significant impact on political campaigns, citizens’ political activism, and communication with elected officials.”[6]  In 2008, both candidates relied on a variety of new media technologies including social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.  The McCain and Obama campaigns adapted to the demands of changing communication technologies to offer voters information that is more accessible. 

The Obama Administration:

     On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama became the 44^th President of the United States.  Presidential Inaugurations are a vital component in American politics.  The speech marks a new beginning and establishes the goals and agenda for the next four years.  Obama’s inauguration address highlighted a historic moment in American politics and drew an estimated crowd of 1.8 million people to the Washington Mall.[7] The New York Times describes, “Barack Hussein Obama became the 44^th president of the United States on Tuesday before a massive crowd reveling in a moment of historical significance.”[8]  With the declaration of the words to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States so help me God,” Chief Justice John Roberts swore in the first African-American President.

     Perhaps the most important aspect of a Presidential term is the first 100 days.  This time-period is known for its ability to display a shift in power in the White House.  The Obama Administration took office with determination.  The list of accomplishments during the first 100 days includes closing Guantanamo Bay, tax cuts for the middle class, lifting the ban on federal funding for stem cell research, and signing a $410 billion stimulus bill.  These actions reversed several of the policies put in place by the Bush Administration.  Within the few two days of office, Obama closed the highly criticized and controversial terrorist detention center: Guantanamo Bay.  A place where suspected torture was exerted on prisoners whom were without basic constitutional and international rights. Other items on Obama’s agenda included reform for the financial and automotive industry.

     Obama began to address the issue of healthcare reform in the second year of his presidency.  The idea of government involvement with providing healthcare to all Americans stirred a heated debate between Democrats and Republicans.  The Democrats’ perspective on healthcare reform addressed issues denying individuals access to insurance based on pre-existing conditions and other measures.  The Republicans viewed the health care bill as unconstitutional and claim an individual mandate is an “unprecedented overreach by the federal government forcing individuals to buy a good or service for no other reason then they happen to be alive or a person.”[9]  Despite the tensions on March 23, 2010, President Obama signed a historic healthcare bill into law. 

     The political, social, and economic climate from 2008-2010 sparked several groups and organizations to publically challenge Obama’s presidency.  The first issue to surface about Obama was accusations that claimed the President was not a United States citizen.  Although the campaign had previously presented Obama’s birth documents in 2007, those who opposed his presidency made attacks on Obama’s citizenship.  Some of the accusations included claims that Obama was born in Kenya and produced counterfeit documents in Hawaii about his birthplace.  A remarkable aspect with Obama’s biographical information is his mixture of race.  His father, an African-American from Kenya, and his mother an American from Kansas gave Obama a diverse ethnic background. 

     The media also contributed to the heighten fear surrounding Obama’s character.  Shortly, news outlets began accusing Obama of being a Muslim, a Marxist, a radical, a revolutionary, a socialist, a communist, a thug, a mobster, a racist, an agent of voter fraud, a black-power advocate, an anti-Semite, an enemy of Israel, an associate of terrorists-even the antichrist.[10]  Public figures such as Michael Savage fired attacks claiming, “Obama was hand picked by some very powerful forces within and outside the United States of America to drag this country into a hell that is has not seen since the Civil War.”[11] Furthermore, popular political talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, and Glenn Beck fueled public hatred toward Obama.  All of these examples helped shape the political atmosphere within American politics.  The contemporary landscape of American politics is headed in a direction of hostility.  One group that has contributed to this shift is the LaRouche Political Action Committee. 

LaRouche Political Action Committee:

     The LaRouche Political Action Committee has created a movement within the U.S. to impeach President Obama.  The LaRouche organization is centered on the theme of “Rescuing the World’s Economy.”  The founder of the PAC is no stranger to politics.  Lyndon LaRouche’s career entails eight presidential election attempts along with serving prison time for mail fraud and tax code violations.  It is no simple task to provide a historical account on LaRouche’s career and his PAC.  Steve Hensley of National Public Radio comments, “Lyndon LaRouche has been on the fringes of American politics for decades.  We’re not quite sure how to describe the highly personal political lens he brings to bear on the world.”[12] 

     The LaRouche PAC has a long history with American politics.  To develop an understanding of the organization’s goals and purpose, we need to examine their political philosophy.  The LaRouche organization believes:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.[13]

The constitution established by the LaRouche PAC contains principles and ideals of basic American values such as liberty and justice.  It also provides the foundation for the organizations political philosophy.  The LaRouche foundation has recently rooted their advocacy for the impeachment of President Obama based on the violation and neglect of these basic American principles. 

     In 2009, the LaRouche PAC introduced public attacks on Obama’s presidency with a desire to have him impeached from the White House.  What began as a disagreement on Obama’s healthcare reform policy, quickly spiraled into associating Obama to the legacy of Adolf Hitler.  According to LaRouche:

President Barack Obama’s stated intention, to shut down and destroy the NASA program is at root, when added to the Hitler like health-care policy, and the general, destructive features of all other leading politics, is one step too far to bear.  There is no longer room on this planet for a United States and President Obama to occupy the same space.[14]

The LaRouche PAC has produced several documents to circulate this message.  It can be easily found on any of the organizations documents such as brochures and on the website larouchepac.com.  On the website, users can click on the “Impeach Obama” tab to view this message and an image of Obama with a Hitler mustache.  Furthermore, a message from Lyndon LaRouche claims, “The need for Obama’s ouster, either by resignation or impeachment is now an existential issue for both our republic and the welfare of the planet generally.”[15]  While the LaRouche PAC clearly demonstrates the power of visual rhetoric and public memory on the contemporary political landscape, the association to Hitler needs further exploration. 

     The use of imagery to identify Obama’s political figure with Hitler is a potentially harmful and dangerous rhetorical strategy.  The history of Hitler’s attempt for world power along with his malicious attack on Jews, Blacks, and other minorities is a chilling thought for many people.  Adolf Hitler is recognized as an evil genius that engineered the greatest single human tragedy the world has ever known.[16]  Images of Hitler represent layered meanings with the horrific events of the Holocaust and Nazi ideology.  Historians agree on Hitler’s ability to understand “psychology of the masses” and warn against his talents to manipulate the general-public.[17]  Therefore, imagery of Hitler in a political context creates a legitimate concern about a dangerous dictator who is capable of mass murder. 

     Hitler imagery in contemporary visual politics has created a stir about the practice of politics.  Although differences and divide among political parties and ideologies has always existed and will continue to exist, it raises vital questions about visual rhetoric and public memory.  David Harris, President of the National Jewish Democratic Council frames the question: “Are Nazi and Hitler comparisons—and invoking imagery—ever acceptable in political discourse?”[18]

This questions only begins to spark my interest in the Obama-Hitler image and will continue to drive my research and future scholarship on the subject of visual rhetoric and public memory. 

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[1] Neuman. J.,”Obama risks egg-throwing in trip to Texas A&M.” October 16, 2009.www.latimesblogs.com (accessed September 28, 2010). 

[2] Molitor, J.,"Obama 'carnival' turns into protest." October 30, 2008.www.thebatt.com (accessed September 28, 2010).

[3] Von Drehle, D., "Why History Can't Wait." Time, December 17, 2008.

[4] Madigan ,C.M., Destiny Calling: How the People Elected Barack Obama. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2009.

[5] Pederson, C., Obama’s America.  Edinburgh: University Press Ltd, 2009. 

[6] Hollihan, T.A.. Uncivil Wars: Political Campaigns in a Media Age. Boston, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 

[7] Ruane, M.E. & Davis, A.C.. "D.C.'s Inauguration Head Count: 1.8 Million." The Washington Post (2009).

[8] Hulse, C.. “Obama is Sworn in as the 44^th President” The New York Times (2009). 

[9] Excerpt is from Republican Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, who appeared on “Good Morning America” on March 23, 2009.  For more information: Khan, H.. “Obama Signs Health Care Bill Today as GOP Challenges Constitutionality” ABC News (2010).    

[10] Massing, M.. “Un-American: Have you listened to the right-wing media lately?” Columbia Journalism Review. 2009: p. 14-16.

[11] IBID, p. 15.

[12] Hensley, S., "Barney Frank Unleashed at Town Hall." August 19, 2009.www.npr.org (accessed September 28, 2010).

[13] “The LaRouche Plan” as described on the website: www.larouchepac.com

[14] The following passage is from a 2009 LaRouche brochure on healthcare reform.  The back cover of the brochure displays an image of Obama with a Hitler mustache and is accompanied by the text.  The information can also be found at the www.larouchpac.com website under the “Impeach Obama” section. 

[15] LaRouche, L.H., "Why Obama Must Be Impeached." February 3, 2010. http://www.larouchepac.com/node/13385 (accessed September 28, 20108, 2010).

[16] Matanle,I., Adolph Hitler. New York: Crescent Books, 1983.

[17] Kershaw, I., The ‘Hitler Myth’ Image and Reality in the Third Reich. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.   

[18] Harris, D.A., "Are Obama-Hitler Comparisons Okay?." August 6, 2009. www.huffingtonpost.com (accessed September 28, 2010).