A Political Joke, Hacked

Four Variations on an Offensive Joke

A joke has been going the rounds, to this effect:

Q. What's the difference between George Bush and Hitler?
A. Hitler was elected.

This is no good, of course: Hitler was not elected. He ran for president against Hindenburg and lost.

This disappointing outcome suggests a glib follow-on along the lines of the old shower-curtain joke:

Q. What's the difference between George Bush and Hitler?
A. Gee, I don't know.

But it doesn't quite have the element of truth needed for good satire, and it's completely meaningless without the elaborate setup. Maybe a great comic with a first-rate straight man could do it.

In fact, Hitler was appointed chancellor in a political deal that was perfectly legal even though in hindsight one might find it to have been a poor idea. So there's the factual approach:

Q. What's the difference between George Bush and Hitler?
A. Hitler gained office in a legitimate, constitutional fashion.

True enough, but not quite terse and aphoristic, is it?

Let's be a little more forceful:

Q. What's the difference between George Bush and Hitler?
A. When Hitler lost the election, they didn't make him President.

If that's too rude for you, we can preserve the original idea with a different emphasis:

Q. What's the difference between Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Hitler?
A. Reagan was elected.

Date last modified: April 16, 2003.
Built April 16, 2003

Dan Drake's Home Page
Mail to dd@dandrake.com

Copyright (C) 2003 Daniel Drake. A royalty-free license to reproduce this document in whole or in part is hereby granted provided (i) all additions, omissions, and other changes are clearly marked; (ii) the work is not reproduced as, or as part of, a work for which payment is charged; (iii) this notice is reproduced without change. Quotations for critical or polemical purposes, with proper attribution, are permitted in any case, being obviously fair use.

Document: http://www.dandrake.com/bushversus.html