If you're a politician and your chummy past with neo-Nazis resurfaces, don't worry. Ask Ron Paul

Steve Scalise was, like, into palling around with neo-Nazis way before any other Republican made it cool. Photograph:

Im not a fan of hot takes, but this time Im putting my foot down. Nazis are bad.

But apparently some kids missed the public service announcements about it. Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise, the House GOP Whip and third-highest ranking member of the House GOP leadership tried to groove on Nazism in 2002, appearing at a convention of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO), which was founded by Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard and neo-Nazi David Duke.

Thankfully, now that his appearance has been unearthed, the Scalise spin machine is on it: Throughout his career in public service, Mr Scalise has spoken to hundreds of different groups with a broad range of viewpoints, said Scalise spokesperson Moira Bagley. Ahh, yes, and theres the expected out he was there, but he only exhaled.

She went on: In every case, he was building support for his policies, not the other way around.

Ordinarily, this would sound like a weaselly excuse ie The candidate has many speaking appearances on his schedule and, for the most part, thats exactly what Bagley seems to be selling. But she really has no idea what a solid excuse it is this time. Just this once, it doesnt have to be hot air.

After all, its probably not hard to turn a neo-Nazi into a potential Republican voter by telling him that a corporatized, authoritarian, nationalistic, militaristic party is the only thing standing between him and effete, war-losing, left-wing elites who are trying to destroy the homeland via a fifth-column of non-native minorities, college professors, homosexuals and other cultural degenerates.

Hell, Im not even mad about Scalise. Im just disappointed.

First of all, these people didnt even have the decency to be an original source of Nazism. Theyre just neo-Nazis, which is like hipster Eurotrash for racial violence. (Christ, doesnt America make anything anymore?) Sure, the neo-Nazis add a few American and novel elements to original Nazism, but they all sound like extra instruments in a cover song.

David Duke peddled all-new Holocaust denial what with the Holocaust having already happened when he was running for office, unlike in the 1930s when American Nazism was a new scene. Theres the reverence for the constitution in the American strain of neo-Nazism, which youd expect. And they want to abolish the IRS, a position with which Scalise probably agrees irrespective of whether the agency might also be used as an instrument of Jew/United Nations/Trilateral Commission control. But as for the rest of neo-Nazisms ideology, its just stale: the fifth-column thing, the hatred of unions (unless replaced by ones directed by the right sort of people), the love of full employment for male citizens and women working only in the home, the hatred for homosexuals. Maybe that was a new trip 80 years ago, but youd think they could bring something new to the conservatives marketplace of ideas already.

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If you're a politician and your chummy past with neo-Nazis resurfaces, don't worry. Ask Ron Paul