After more than two decades in office, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson isn't afraid to ruffle feathers with an inflammatory comment or two. That might explain why he had no qualms appearing on a political talk show and repeatedly likening Michigan Speaker of the House Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) -- a fellow Republican -- to Hitler.
Brooks Patterson was a guest on WKAR-TV's "Off the Record" Friday, where he argued his opinion about Michigan's no-fault auto insurance laws, a current source of conversation and contention in Lansing.
Apparently, he's not pleased with how Bolger is handling the debate.
"'Adolf' Bolger, you mean? He's really become very arrogant and he's throwing his weight around up there," Patterson said on the show. "If he thinks he's going to be a candidate for governor, he better learn how to control his temper, he better learn to work with the consensus within his own party."
If the name weren't enough to illustrate his point, Brooks Patterson pulled a comb from his pocket and used it to give himself a Hitler-esque moustache on Friday's episode of "Off the Record."
See the clip above, and watch the full episode on WKAR.
"I think sometimes 'Adolf' steps a little bit to the fringe, and he's embarrassing himself," he said.
The debate over a proposal to limit benefits for victims of automobile accidents is a serious one, and particularly to the Oakland County executive. He was in a car crash last year that left him injured and his driver James Cram paralyzed. The legislation would put a $1 million cap on medical benefits paid out for catastrophic auto injuries. To explain his support for the current no-cap regulation, Brooks Patterson used the example of Cram, who he says has already had more than $2 million of medical expenses.
Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and other proponents of the insurance reform argue that it still provides extensive coverage while lowering rates in a state with high insurance premiums and, relatedly, a high number of uninsured drivers.
According to the Oakland Press, Brooks Patterson's comment wasn't just an attention-grabbing insult. He continued the comparison, the paper notes:
"One of my guys pointed out to me that when Hitler did take office, take power in Germany, the first thing he did was to round up the sick and the handicapped and send them off to camps, and we never saw them again because he was trying to protect the purity of the Aryan race. "That's really what we're going to do here," Patterson said. "We're going to round up the really, really seriously injured and ship them off to nursing homes."
Bolger responded to Brooks Patterson's comments in a statement Friday.
"Reasonable people can disagree on policy, but it's not reasonable to resort to name calling," he said, according to MLive. "My biggest disappointment has been that I like Brooks Patterson, so I am sad to see him act like this about anyone. Beyond that, I think everyone else has said everything that can be said."
Patterson took to Twitter and apologized to the Jewish community if his comment had caused any harm (but not to Bolger directly).
No matter how calmly he says them in his soothing voice, Brooks Patterson certainly has a way with inflammatory words. Below, see some of his wildest comments.
"Gun-Toting Zealots"
When Royal Oak's annual entertainment festival Arts, Beats & Eats contemplated banning holstered firearms in 2010, Patterson referred to open-carry supporters as "gun-toting zealots." He also had a suggestion for fans of the Second Amendment: "If they want to carry guns, why don't they join the army and get their asses over to Afghanistan?"
The Back of Jack's Van
Patterson, a former prosecutor, hedged his support for Jack Kevorkian, the Michigan doctor who famously championed physician-assisted suicide. "I don't think he was the right ambassador to represent the issue," he told ABC News. "It was the law be damned with him. The issue would have been better debated in a more serious arena than in the back of Jack's van. ... It was a sideshow. Helping people commit suicide in the back of a van is not dying with dignity."
Flagged Comments
"I wanted to put up all these American flags before Obama confiscates them all," he said, ad-libbing before beginning his 2012 State of the County address during a teleprompter malfunction. The audience reportedly groaned.
A Eulogy For Coleman Young
There was no love lost between longtime Detroit Mayor Coleman Young and Patterson, and their strained relationship only accelerated city-suburb divide in the 1980s and '90s. Here's what Patterson had to say about Young to the Detroit <em>Free Press</em> after the Detroit mayor's death: "He was singly responsible for the demise of Detroit. ... I can see he was a significant political force, but I don't think he marshaled his energies in a constructive way. I think he was destructive."
Been Caught Stealin'
Patterson had more harsh words for Detroit and Mayor Dave Bing in 2010, when he accused the city of Detroit of trying to poach businesses from Oakland County, including the Detroit Pistons (who play in Auburn Hills). "I don't see how moving furniture around on the deck of the Titanic helps this region grow," Patterson said. "I've worked darn hard to bring economic development to Oakland County, and to keep it here. I've got a team that pounds on doors all over the world looking for new jobs and growth for Oakland. And I don't appreciate Detroit, Wayne County or anyone else trying to steal them once I've gotten them here."
Oakland County Is For Sprawlers
As Oakland County Executive, Patterson is unapologetic about his love for suburban sprawl: "I love sprawl. I need it. I promote it. Oakland County can't get enough of it. Are you getting the picture? Sprawl is not evil. In fact, it is good. It is the inevitable result of a free people exercising their cherished, constitutionally protected rights as individuals to pursue their dreams when choosing where to live, where to work, where to educate, and where to recreate."
The Tiara
No examination of Patterson's past would be complete without remembering former Detroit City Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins, who accused Patterson of racism (bizzarely singing "Onward, Christian Soldiers") at a meeting over the fate of Cobo Hall in 2009. Patterson was asked by a Fox 2 newscaster whether it was true that he wanted to steal more of Detroit's "crown jewels," like the Detroit Institute of Arts. He laughed, loudly. "I'm after Barbara-Rose Collins's tiara. I want that. And I want 'The [Joe Louis] Fist.' That's all I want."
Anti-Slavery?
One more inflammatory quote from Patterson -- again about Barbara-Rose Collins, from the same argument over Cobo Hall: "Barbara-Rose Collins has distinguished herself this week saying Detroit is not a plantation. That should tell you about the person you're dealing with. I've been saying that I'd rather own a 1947 Buick than own Barbara-Rose Collins."
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/03/l-brooks-patterson-jase-bolger-adolf-hitler-video_n_3211058.html
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