There’s been a lot of talk lately about South Carolina’s well-earned reputation for dirty politics … but until recently we hadn’t seen much actual evidence of it during the 2012 election cycle. Sure, there have been plenty of hard-hitting political ads launched by (or on behalf of) all of the Republican presidential candidates, but for the most part these attacks have been surprisingly substantive.
With just days remaining before the Palmetto State’s pivotal “First in the South” presidential primary, though, things could be on the verge of getting very dirty, very fast.
Case in point? A prominent (and anonymous) Tea Party blogger has created an image of former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum that shows the pandering politician sporting a “Hitler moustache.”
Below is the original version of the controversial image, which features not only Santorum’s superimposed Adolf Hitler stache but also a reference to Godwin’s Law – which holds that “as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.”
(Click to enlarge)
What message was the creator of this image attempting to communicate? We’re not sure …
“Workin’ Tommy C” – a longtime contributor to the right wing Palmetto political website Stuffed Suits – has acknowledged creating the image in Photoshop. He says he came up with the idea in an effort to tweak Santorum supporter Billy Pickering, the Kentucky-based blogger who writes the website.
Tommy says that his “mild” criticism of Santorum in recent days has resulted in Pickering banning him from posting articles on the website – which is popular among South Carolina Tea Party activists.
He says he never attempted to post the image to the website.
“Pickering first got incensed over some VERY MILD criticisms of Rick Santorum I made in an article on Stuffed Suits,” Tommy wrote in an email to FITS that contained the Santorum/ Hitler image. “I should have known better than to be teamed up with an out-of-state political operative wannabe.”
Santorum’s campaign was not immediately available to comment regarding the controversial image.
Stay tuned for more …
UPDATE: Wow … “Workin’ Tommy C” has been busy. Here’s another one of his anti-Santorum efforts …
(Click to enlarge)
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By Trey January 18, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Now this is the South Carolina politics we all know and love.
Trey
Bradford Springs, SC
By snodgrass January 18, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Our country is going to Hell, and yet this is the kind of silliness that dominates political discourse these days.
“You called me names!”
“Well you drew a mustache on my picture!”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
By WorkingTommyC January 18, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Actually, I thought it was more of a “tempest in a teapot.”
The point behind the “Hitler Santorum” picture was to point out that with a big government fascist like Rick Santorum pushing unconstitutional assassinations and an intrusive (and also unconstitutional) social agenda regarding issues (like abortion, and marriage) that are legally up to the states, any internet discussion about Rick Santorum has got to, much more quickly than other debates, wind up proving “Godwin’s Law.”
According to Wikipedia, Godwin’s Law started out as a “a humorous observation made by Mike Godwin in 1990 that has become an Internet adage.” It seemed a much more appropriate way to parody Santorum than to show him pictured next to Adolf, despite the many Hitler-like poses Santorum has been photographed in that are all over the internet.
Anyway, it’s all in fun and I’m sure those with a sense of humor will “get” the humor and the political message. The ones who don’t appreciate it are probably as constipated as Santorum. (Yeah, I know, that last statement probably doesn’t make sense if you’re thinking of the “Google-bomb” definition of Santorum’s name.)
By Adobe January 18, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Did Will Folks furnish you with the cut and paste moustache which is actually a shot of Nikki’s trim?
By Mr. Dixie January 18, 2012 at 7:27 pm
The irony of it is that it makes him look better. It actually makes him look like he has a higher I.Q.
By WorkingTommyC January 18, 2012 at 7:40 pm
One wag pointed out to me that he looked like Charlie Chaplin in the photo.
I must admit that I was a bit disappointed to find that I wasn’t the only one proving Godwin’s Law in regards to Santorum: http://www.google.com/search?q=santorum+hitler&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=SRM&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvnsu&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=D2YXT6SRNInHsQL8_9mXAg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=641
By carolinmd January 20, 2012 at 1:39 pm
From your stand point, I suppose that it would appear that way.
By BigT January 18, 2012 at 7:49 pm
Obama is the closest president to Hitler we’ve EVER had…but there is a Gag order to say only nicey nices about the Furor-in-Chief…
That’s just the American media in 2012…and FITS is as Filthy as the rest…
By GOP January 20, 2012 at 10:24 am
Why is that? Because you don’t like him?
By Jambo86 January 20, 2012 at 11:04 am
Spoken like someone who has no sense of history. Do you have any idea at all of the evil that Hitler personified? Before you answer I will answer for you. You have not the slightest idea of what the entire world and the Jews of Europe went though because of this man and his and those that followed him. The people who like to compare those that they do not agree with to Hitler are among the stupidest people on the planet.
By melto January 20, 2012 at 11:14 am
This is a new history lesson for the American and world populations to wrap their shrinking heads around. O is leading Congress or is Congress leading O ?
By Bonhoeffer January 18, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Der Sieg Wird Unser Sein!
By Robert Hagwood January 18, 2012 at 8:21 pm
At least he didn’t “rule 34″ Santorum.
By ? January 18, 2012 at 10:09 pm
don’t have to when google’s got it under control
By cb January 18, 2012 at 10:37 pm
We are closing schools, laying people off. Families are being foreclosed on and being put out in the streets. And all Santorum, running for President can talk about is who is Gay. We need to start looking at what is best for the country. We are not in high school any more. Hello!!! Yes it is a good way to raise money. But I think the Republicans have a “gay agenda”, more than the gay community has. They have nothing to say, so they go for the gay! It will be a dark day for ALL of us if this man wins. It is not just a Gay thing; Santorum has frequently stated that he does not believe a “right to privacy” exists under the Constitution, even within marriage. The boy and girl kind!
By GOP January 20, 2012 at 10:26 am
Bingo!! I Santorum became president, he would spend his first 3 years fighting DADT, Abortion, and gay marrige instead of fixing the economy.
By melto January 20, 2012 at 11:09 am
The GAY thing in reference to the fall of powerful civilizations,when they turn their back on GOD and do perverted sexual acts such as men on men.Why beat around the bush. Say what is really on their minds.
By THINKer January 20, 2012 at 1:06 pm
@melto
“Say what is really on their minds.”
– Why don’t you tell us what would that be? The fact that you want government to be telling people what they can and can’t do in their bedroom is down right unconstitutional at best!
Tell me what would happen if people suddenly “turned to god” and the problems still persisted? I bet you’d say that they’re not doing it right :). You see, the problem with “turning to god” is that you NEVER know if you’re doing it right. It’s wishful thinking at its worst!
By yakshavings January 27, 2012 at 5:45 am
yeah @melto, please remove your handicapped head from your giant, judgmental a$$ and recognize that #1 Just because you dont agree with something doesnt mean youre right. If God made every single human in his own image, then there is a part of God that is pretty gay. #2 Its not one of the ten commandments, its one of the 600+ laws of Moses, and if youre going to follow that one, then you cant wear “garments of mixed fabric” or artificial fabrics like polyester, and women cant wear pants,and women can be stoned for adultery. Yeah lets go back to those times, that sounds fun.
Or you can mind your damn business.
By RINO January 19, 2012 at 5:43 am
I don’t support Santorum, but the ad about him playing to the Unions is really bad. He was a senator in Pennsylvania which had a lot of steel mills and union factories. It would have been political suicide for him not to pander to the unions up there. If he had been a senator here, I am sure he would have been anti-union.
By RAS January 19, 2012 at 8:18 am
Romney explained!
By coldcock January 20, 2012 at 9:33 pm
“If he[Romney] had been a senator here, I am sure he would have been anti-union.”
Yeah, Rino, that is the problem, he wants to be two different romneys depending on where he’s pandering. The electorate doesn’t know which pandering romney they are voting for….
By ceilidh10 January 19, 2012 at 8:49 am
Javoll, Mein Furhrer !
Sanctorum fur Furhrer !
By Cooter Brown January 19, 2012 at 9:41 am
Dat’s funnie– lil’ Ricky looks mo lik Charlie Chaplin dan de Furer in dat foto. Looks dam sillie! hehehehehahahahahahahehehehee!
By Cooter Brown January 19, 2012 at 9:44 am
See whut I meens:
http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/68/68_images/68greatdictatorhead.jpg
By WorkingTommyC January 19, 2012 at 10:41 am
You’re right! Chaplin has the same constipated expression as Santorum in that photo!
By ceilidh10 January 19, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Wonder if the Pope will lend the Popemobile to Sanctimonious Sanc Scrotum while he is campaigning ??
By WorkingTommyC January 19, 2012 at 1:08 pm
And the santorum-as-hitler.jpg images continue to climb the Google charts in searches for “santorum.”
BTW: that was with the “safe search” on. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DO A SEARCH WITH “SAFE SEARCH” OFF!
By dirtbogger January 19, 2012 at 1:48 pm
OMG
By coldcock January 20, 2012 at 11:08 am
“OMG”
yeah, imagine, you might run into some unsafe concoction references.
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By Desperately Seeking Dr.Paul January 20, 2012 at 10:07 am
I’m over the edge with this. I’m going to even be a bit off topic here, but why can’t we all just talk about Ron Paul! Get rid of the rest and let’s get serious about getting back to the basics. Please…let’s all focus on beating the socialism media gorilla’s by getting our voices heard out there. The media won’t do it, so we have to. Ron Paul for President!
By Jo January 20, 2012 at 12:33 pm
@desparately seeking dr paul, do yourself a favor and research, i mean really, really research ron paul then ask yourself if you really, really want this man to be president of the greatest nation on earth. if you’re not chilled to the bone after doing your due diligence consider voting for someone else. anyone but this man.
By Exteban Ayanes January 20, 2012 at 10:28 am
Man that is funny!
And listen to all the pathetic little gunhugging konservative kindergartners complaining about this photoshopping tactic while they continue to circulate photographs of President Obama as The Joker, or a Muslim mullah, or as Buckwheat.
That Nazi ‘stache looks perfect on Santorum.
By anonymous January 20, 2012 at 10:31 am
please remove this photo it’s offensive… to Hitler.
By Fred January 20, 2012 at 10:36 am
Whoever drew that is a f’in a hole and anyone who thinks it’s funny is pathetic.
By Cru January 20, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Lol’d, u so mad.
By coldcock January 20, 2012 at 10:49 am
I like the second and wordier “murdering non-combatants in undeclared wars” poster.
By Hail Hitler January 20, 2012 at 11:09 am
WEll, Well, Well, He sure does look like Hitler. :D
By melto January 20, 2012 at 11:19 am
Good to see who is really for Israel.I guess we will all find out soon enough.
By jeepgypsy January 20, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Brain-dead lefties trying to draw analogies between Republicans and Nazis. What an original concept. Why didn’t they think of this before?
By carolinmd January 20, 2012 at 1:48 pm
How did you miss all the photos of George W. wearing that scruffy piece of fur? Originality is not a word in the liberal vocbulary…monkey see monkey do is closer to their strategy…
By Cru January 20, 2012 at 1:56 pm
I know, analogies between any other tyrant would be fitting, Hitler is played out.
By Gods will January 20, 2012 at 2:06 pm
When members of the Republican party give a standing ovation too candidates that make racist hate filled comments about other groups,if I remember my history, Hitler also recieved standing ovation when “he” gave hate filled speeches….Newt and Santorum both have earned the title Nazi’s
By GodsWill January 20, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Santourum and Newt both deserve the title Nazi’s
history has taught us that men like these two should never be elected to public office…they would not serve the interest of ALL Americans, they would only serve the interest of the people that are like them…everyone else would only suffer under the leasdership of these two…Mitt Romney would not make a great leader either…he would only serve the interest of the very rich, there would be no middle class..just very rich and poor…Mitt Romney IS NOT a very truthful man..he will lie…Santorum and Newt would cause even a greater divide in the country along racial lines…these Two men would cause a struggle never seen in our history…they are truly fools….but Santorum,Newt have earned the title Nazi, because of their beliefs and actions ( with words) the only one left is Ron Paul, would he make a great leader? he appears to be the only one that would serve ALL Americans and not just the Rich, he has more experience than the other 3 Mitt, Santorum and Newt are not for ALL Americans.
By GodsWill January 20, 2012 at 2:28 pm
We need to stop the War on America that is being financed from Texas…there will NEVER be another TEXAN elected to the Presidency…after what Bush did to the country…he destroyed our economy…our economy will take 20 years or longer to recover …George Bush and Rick Perry both have bought shame too the great state Of TEXAS…long live America…and long live Texas
By Liberty4Me January 20, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Good Job buddy….spreading them again…LOL