Why is This GOP House Candidate Dressed as a Nazi?

[EarlG]

An election year already notable for its menagerie of extreme and unusual candidates can add another one: Rich Iott, the Republican nominee for Congress from Ohio's 9th District, and a Tea Party favorite, who for years donned a German Waffen SS uniform and participated in Nazi re-enactments.

Iott, whose district lies in Northwest Ohio, was involved with a group that calls itself Wiking, whose members are devoted to re-enacting the exploits of an actual Nazi division, the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking, which fought mainly on the Eastern Front during World War II. Iott's participation in the Wiking group is not mentioned on his campaign's website, and his name and photographs were removed from the Wiking website.

(snip)

Iott says he does not recall exactly when he joined the Wiking group (his name appears on a unit roster as far back as 2003), but did so with his son "as a father-son bonding thing." He says his name and pictures were removed from the Wiking website not out of concern that they would harm his political career, but because he quit the group three years ago, after his son lost interest.

More...

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/10/why-is-this-gop-house-candidate-dressed-as-a-nazi/64319

(For those of you who didn't see Real Time With Bill Maher tonight.)

[Drale]

1. He is showing

the true colors of the Republican party and the tea baggers and that color is black(the color of fascism).

[opihimoimoi]

2. The Baggers sure got some unfunny charactors...a Nazi no less...OMG

[AspenRose]

3. Because he is a Nazi?

:puke:

[struggle4progress]

22. ding ding ding

[Karenina]

34. Is this a trick question?

:rofl::freak::rofl:

[mrcheerful]

4. Well according to Bill he got involved with the Nazis because the boy scouts were full

and it was a way for him and his son to bond. To his credit he left the group after his son became disinterested in it. :crazy:

[Ken Burch]

9. Well either way your get to, as The Firesign Theatre put it

"find a bunch of guys who dress alike and follow them around!"

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. He is one sick SOB.

Ick.

[lonestarnot]

6. If that isn't creepy, I don't know what is.

:creepy:

[EFerrari]

19. Creepy to us but thrilling to about half of all tea baggers. Bet me. n/t

[Octafish]

7. Cincinnazi.

...Iott, a tea party-backed candidate, spent time fighting another battle before he hit the campaign trail against Kaptur as a member of the 5th SS Wiking Panzer Division, a group of Ohio World War II renactors who, according to their website, strive to "salute" the "idealists" from occupied northern Europe who saw the Third Reich as "the protector of personal freedom and their very way of life" and signed up to fight for the Wermacht and "gave their lives for their loved ones and a basic desire to be free."

SOURCE: Ohio Tea Partier Spent Weekends Playing Nazi Games

[KingFlorez]

8. Because that's what the GOP has become

[Radical Activist]

10. I hate Ohio Nazis.

This is truly disturbing. The Nazis rose to power fighting German Communists so it's extra disturbing to see them emphasize that aspect of the unit's history.

[brewens]

11. Looks like he spent some serious money on his Nazi costume.

Not just a father son thing. That'd be something he's really into.

[Radical Activist]

12. I wonder how long it will take to release the "I'm not a Nazi" ad.

He can call Christine O'Donnell's producer.

[jillan]

14. I was thinking the same exact thing!

[jillan]

13. EarlG - you are definitely one of best, and DU is lucky to have you as an admin, But....

do you think it's time you change your avatar? Unfortunately for herbal tea, which I too am an addict, seeing a picture of a teabag has taken on a whole new meaning.

[kentuck]

15. Maher was right.

This has to be the craziest year ever in politics.

[glitch]

16. +infinity. Beck emboldened those still closeted even after Limbaugh (and Bush/Cheney).

Must be those bulging (and teary) baby blues.

[PinkFloyd]

44. True, he's right but you know what's really scarey?

Many of these wacko, crazy bastards are ahead or at least competing in the polls. The fact that these idiots are even running for national office AND being taken seriously makes a very sad statement about the state of our country. Just how bad do you have to fuck up on the right before people finally say, "That guy shouldn't run for office." And for the 'baggers, the more fucked up the better!

[NWHarkness]

17. The real question is

why aren't the rest of them?

[EFerrari]

18. Nobody could make this stuff up. n/t

[kenny blankenship]

20. Oh lighten up! They're just celebrating their heritage.

Won't someone please scream Godwin?

[Orsino]

68. Autogodwinization. n/t

[Strelnikov_]

21. Franz Liebkind for Congress

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZKZ3C1ML8

[blondeatlast]

23. He was just Nazi-curious, just like that other TeaBagger lady who wasn't a witch

but was. You know, the Magic Christian lady.

[sofa king]

63. The Witch and the Nazi-curious: Coming This Fall On Fox!

[Heidi]

24. Recommended.

:kick:

[Bombero1956]

25. this might be fun

send a bunch of Confederate reenactors up to Ohio and see who wins. On a serious note I wonder if people in this country are the only ones who dress up in military uniforms and run around the countryside shooting at each other with blanks? Do people in other parts of the world do the same thing? Is this a white thing? I can't imagine there are any African Americans who want to reenact the days of the old south. Do American Indians want to reenact the Trail of Tears or the Wounded Knee Massacre? I wonder if these folks have forgotten how horrible war is. Now we have a man running for Congress who dresses up like a Nazi and celebrates the side that had a hand in the killing of 5,753,100 Jews. I think George Carlin said it best when he said that these assholes should put in real bullets.

[MadHound]

28. Actually reenacting goes on around the world

In Europe they get into medieval and Viking reenacting. In Japan, they get into samurai reenacting. It isn't a widespread thing beyond that.

[tabasco]

49. Of course it does, and

the reenactors strongly identify themselves with the group they portray.

Just went to one today - a Civil war reenactment

[caraher]

29. Actually, they do have these in other countries

I wondered the same and looked it up... but in Europe it's more about the Napoleonic era. And of course there are legal prohibitions in Germany against Nazi symbols...

[Kolesar]

39. German reenactors dress up as Plains Indians

Which is a nice tribute, in my opinion.

[Eugenian]

53. war play

"On a serious note I wonder if people in this country are the only ones who dress up in military uniforms and run around the countryside shooting at each other with blanks? Do people in other parts of the world do the same thing?"

I believe the Brits have their share of middle-aged white guys who like to reenact historic medieval battles.

[Codeine]

64. I have friends in England

who do WW1 and War of the Roses reenacting as one of their main hobbies.

[TexasObserver]

26. recommend

[saltpoint]

27. "I am not a Nazi. I'm you."

[Jefferson23]

36. ROFL, very good! Amazing this man used this group to bond with

his son. Let's give him father of the year award too.

Hateful bigoted schmucks.

[saltpoint]

46. "Father of the Year" -- LOL.

:thumbsup:

[pacalo]

59. Hahaaa! Good one!

[LiberalAndProud]

30. The man seems to be infatuated with war.

Historical fascination or fetish?

In a follow-up email today, Iott seemed at pains to address concerns that his conduct may have alienated veterans groups but made no specific mention of possible offense to Jews or human rights groups: "Never, in any of my reenacting of military history, have I meant any disrespect to anyone who served in our military or anyone who has been affected by the tragedy of war. In fact, I have immense respect for veterans who served our country valiantly, and my respect of the military and our veterans is one of the reasons I have actively studied military history throughout my life." He added that he has participated in re-enactments as a Civil War Union infantryman, a World War I dough boy and World War II American infantryman and paratrooper.

Anyone this enamored of warfare shouldn't be left anywhere near Congress.

[Eugenian]

56. Wiking Division

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_SS_Panzer_Division_Wiking#War_crimes

[Codeine]

67. I read copious amounts of military history and

have painted and deployed thousands of model soldiers from many eras in tabletop wargames for most of my adult life. I've also played complex military simulation boardgames since I was about nine years old and built a zillion model tanks and planes as well. None of that "infatuates" me with war -- I just dig military history.

There are plenty of leftists and liberals in these hobbies; we have an annual weeklong mini-convention of about a dozen folks - all of whom are staunchly left - who spend days on end playing wargames; it's just geeky, history-based fun.

That said, ain't none of us dressing up as Nazis. ;)

[jmondine]

31. What do you call it when you enact Godwin's Law on yourself?

[spanone]

32. i guess he's not courting the jewish vote?

[sufrommich]

33. Springtime for Hitler and Germany

Springtime for Hitler and Germany
Deutschland is happy and gay!
We're marching to a faster pace
Look out, here comes the master race!
Springtime for Hitler and Germany
Rhineland's a fine land once more!
Springtime for Hitler and Germany
Watch out, Europe
We're going on tour!
Springtime for Hitler and Germany... :rofl:

[NBachers]

35. I think he looks quite butch, robust, dominating, and jovial in his uniform

Every repuke candidate in every race should have ownership of these loons thrust into their campaign all day long.

[11 Bravo]

37. Truth in advertising?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

38. K & R

[awoke_in_2003]

40. "as a father-son bonding thing."

because nothing says "father-son bonding" quite like dressing up as Nazis. I hate Ohio Nazis :)

[spanone]

41. cause it's the official gop uniform

[Rex]

42. Why did he choose a nazi out of all the re-enactment characters

in history, no civil war groups around? No ALLIED groups around? Interesting he chose the BAD GUY as his part in life to play.

Interesting...and OF COURSE he meant NOTHING by the act of BEING a NAZI, it was all for his...wait for it...SON!?!?!

How FUCKED UP do you have to be to even DO something like that?

And his name is Rich Iott!?!?!


Are you just playing with my mind now?

RICH '3RD REICH' IOTT 'IDIOT'.

Too easy, series!

:rofl:

[GSLevel9]

48. were all Russian soldiers in WW2 "communists"?? nt

[political_Dem]

43. There are some seriously messed up people in this country.

This TP asshole is yet another example that this "grassroots organization" (a term I use very loosely) doesn't know its
ass from a hole in the ground when it has to do with history.

Did this man forget who won WW II? This is the same affliction going around with those folks who love the Confederacy!

[Divine Discontent]

60. anti-American, and the ads against him should be this man dresses up as the ENEMY in WWII against

the USA, and he wants to be elected!

[Grateful for Hope]

45. Recommended.

[GSLevel9]

47. just to be factual...

all German soldiers are about as NAZI as CONFEDERATE soldiers all being slave-owners.

The division was comprised of VOLUNTEERS from conquered northern European nations. I personally find it more repulsing that they were a division of "traitor's" than a division of "Nazi's".

Btw, they were a bad-ass division in their prime. No nation in WW2 had a single division that could take them in combat.

[Dark]

51. Actually, the fact that he chose an SS unit is disturbing.

See my post below. The SS were truly evil bastards.

[GSLevel9]

55. I'm going to sound like a 15 year old kid here...

but I think it's the "coolness" factor that attracts there people to join SS reenactment clubs.

Let's face it, their uniforms "looked cool"... these divisions were the best equipped in the German military. They had the latest Tiger tanks and the latest small arms. They were equipped with the first "assault rifles" the StG 44 that the Russians blatantly copied and named the Ak47, they had more "stuff"

That is what attracts the "amateur History Channel watching" warmongers to like the SS.

The real NAZI'S designed it that way... they wanted youths to WANT to be SS soldiers...

[Dark]

50. The creepy part isn't that he was a German soldier. In order to re-enact battles, somebody has to be

the other side. Somebody has to be the confederates or the redcoats or, yes, the Germans.

What's creepy is that he chose the SS. They were the ones who committed many of the atrocities, ran the Gestapo, took care of political enemies and controlled the concentration camps. The SS-Waffen was their combat division.

There were plenty of German units in the regular army (Heer), and many in the wermacht (Germany's military) didn't like Hitler. They were not innocent of War Crimes, but the SS was the one that committed the most heinous.

Also, the creepiness extends to the praise they heap on the unit. That's some fucked up shit right there.

(A little bit of history: The Stormtroopers, aka brownshirts, were not SS. They were abbreviated SA, and the SS killed all the stormtrooper leaders in 1934 during the "Night of the Long Knives". The SS did begin as a part of the SA, but branched off early on).

[Eugenian]

52. Typo alert

The candidate's name is missing a "d" and an "i."

Oh, and it has an extra "t."

[TexasObserver]

54. He was probably coming back from a GOP campaign event.

[BrklynLiberal]

57. Anyone who sees that still votes for him is as stupid as everyone assumes they are.

[rasputin1952]

58. Firepits from hell for these bastards!

:grr:

[marmar]

61. Because his white uniform with the pointy hat was at the cleaners

nt

[Divine Discontent]

62. Father-Son playing dress-up... how CUTE! I hate Ohio Nazis...

[spanone]

65. if you think like a nazi, dress like a nazi

[Godot51]

66. Re-enactors

My question is always thus: why don't these re-enactors join up, put on real uniforms, take real training and engage in real war. War is not play.

[Codeine]

69. War is not play, but reenacting is.

I didn't join the military because I didn't want to kill people I didn't know for political reasons. That does not preclude an interest in historical military conflicts.

[Bill McBlueState]

70. Here's the story in the local paper

Feel free to register and comment:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101009/NEWS16/101009548