California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton got in some hot water over the weekend for comparing the Republicans' messaging strategy to Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels' "big lie"--you know, the one that becomes true if you repeat it often enough. Of course, the Republican outrage machine was, well, outraged. Burton issued a measured apology. Etc. Etc.

But it gets really hard to say that the GOP isn't taking a page from Goebbels' playbook when the late William F. Buckley's old rag, "The National Review," chooses a cover like this to make their big September 10th Romney/Ryan issue....

Not only did the cover editors of "The National Review" take a bite of any old Nazi propaganda poster, but they took the one from the cover of "State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda" by Steven Luckert and Susan Bachrach, a book that you can order from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.



I guess Mitt's stronger than any brown shirt though because he can hold up his gigantic flag with only one arm while carrying a bunch of rolled-up propaganda posters in the other. The Nazi stormtrooper needs both hands to hold his banner aloft. Also, it's nice they added Paul Ryan carrying his high school year book or an old school family photo album back there. It gives the "National Review's" take on this classic a homey touch of Americana. Maybe the next issue of "The National Review" will feature Romney  wearing a suit of armor and carrying the flag while riding Rafalca. At least we know where their graphic designers get their inspiration...

UPDATE: Otto at Daily Kos posts a link to the "Shittiest Editorial Cartoon of the Moment" tumblr saying that the source of inspiration for the "National Review" cover could be Soviet. My takeaway from all of this is that at least conservatives don't just place Obama in Nazi/Soviet propaganda motifs--they do it to their own candidates as well. 

 Edited after my initial postng to add extra snark that I thought of later.