“...for a long time now in American life anyway, at election time, everything becomes apocalyptic.”

Sometimes the choices really are that stark, and the consequences really are that great. Is this such an election? Maybe not, but then again, that’s probably what a lot of Germans said in 1933 too. If you can’t see that the world views and ultimate goals of the two parties are extremely divergent, you’re not paying attention.

It’s worth noting that by 1932, the three main political parties in Germany were the National Socialists, the Socialist Party of Germany, and the Communist Party of Germany. The two main rival parties to that “demonic three” were Catholic parties with strength in Bavaria and the Rheinland.

There were also two elections in 1932 and in 1933, indicating strong tendencies by the NSDAP (Nazis) to “stack the deck” in their favor. There is some resemblance between that and Democratic goals of packing the Supreme Court and admitting Puerto Rico and Washington DC as states.

However, I do not think we yet have quite the same rhetoric blaming minorities for all the problems in the country, as the NSDAP did with Jews—and as the CPD would have done with business owners if they’d ended up winning. It’s also worth noting that until the 1930s, the NSDAP had a consistently anti-business tone. Many historians call them “far right”, but it’s not at all like conservatism in the U.S., which tends to exalt free markets.

My take; it’s a big election, yes, with huge consequences, but not quite like the first German election of 1932.