A Redditor on @askhistorians has a great answer about Hitler's oratory skills (he played to each audience, matching accent, register, references; he started calm but pulled audiences in emotionally)… reddit.com/r/AskHistorian…
But the post really hits close to home these days in going over the background of Hitler's public positions and his support:
"Hitler was loudly racist, shockingly proud of himself and had a history of violence and anger. … none of Hitler's faults were secret, or without commentary. Nobody voted for Hitler without knowing he was an anti-semite."
"[Some suggest] they were almost 'tricked' or 'misled' by Hitlerian propaganda. The reality is, no, Hitler was a crystal clear anti-semite w/a history of political violence who rested on nationalistic rhetoric. People voted for him *because* of these things, not in spite of them"
"[Hitler's] speeches rested upon nationalism and anti-semitic slogans, there were paramilitary groups of his supporters brawling with opponents and harassing Jewish locals."
I think this is exactly what's happening today with Trump's supporters. They're not shocked or disturbed by his racism. They support him BECAUSE they share his racism. There's no great secret here that we need to "listen to with more empathy". They are clear in their beliefs.
