Indeed. They were ridiculed by the public, and quickly disowned by Obama.

And they were made to appeal to his un-American constituency, who want to vomit at the sight of anything patriotic.


I see them as replacement symbols, as the Nazi and Soviet symbols were replacements for symbols of Russian and German state institutions. And whether that is truly sinister, or simply reminiscent of something historically sinister, the symbolism is the same regardless.


The adaptations of these symbols are reminiscent of Nazi badges for the German Workers Front, German Students Union, Hitler Youth, Women's League, German Railroad Officials, and so forth.