Political Theatrics: "Blitzkrieg" Does Not Equal "Holocaust"

Politics oftentimes results in over-dramatic misrepresentations of statements by political adversaries. Quotes are taken out of context, or applied to things that don't even remotely apply.

Sometimes, I just get tired of the sensationalizing. And frankly, I'm not afraid to call out my own side of the political spectrum when I see the need to.

Take this, for instance, from the New York Daily News:

Vice President Biden is out with an alarmed e-mail cash appeal warning that the GOP will mount a “blitzkrieg” against Democrats in the fall.

Comparing GOP tactics to the fast-striking forces of Nazi Germany, Biden warns in a message sent by the DCCC today: “As things heat up, you can expect House Democrats will be hit with a GOP blitzkrieg of vicious Swift-Boat-style attack ads, Karl Rove-inspired knockout tactics, thinly veiled attempts at character assassination and tea party disruptions.”

And while the GOP is mounting a blitzkrieg, Democrats are the allies.

“Our Democratic allies in the House need your help, and the President and I hope we can count on you to come to their defense so we can hold onto our Democratic Majority and continue moving American forward in a new direction,” Biden writes in the appeal.

Subtle? Not so much.

Update: Republicans were not amused by the implications of the e-mail.

Kevin Smith, spokesman for Minority Leader John Boehner, e-mailed a comment that seems sure to get under Democrats’ skins: “When will Democrats learn that invoking the Nazis’ crimes against humanity in a political debate is simply inappropriate?”

Herein lies my problem with the statement by Smith: the Nazi German blitzkrieg tactic had absolutely nothing to do with the Holocaust.

Blitzkrieg refers to the strategy that the Nazis used early in World War II, namely the use of concentrated tanks in swift-moving offensive campaigns in coordination with air power, artillery, and motorized infantry. The blitzkrieg wasn't related to the Nazi's horrific Holocaust war crimes.

Can we stop with the political theatrics, and focus on the issues, please?