Tennessee state Sen. Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) likened Obamacare to the Holocaust in a blog post on Monday, the Washington Post reported.
"Democrats bragging about the number of mandatory sign ups for Obamacare is like Germans bragging about the number of manditory [sic] sign ups for 'train rides' for Jews in the 40s," Campfield wrote.
Following a wave of intense criticism, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney called Campfield's comment "ignorant and repugnant."
"While Stacey Campfield routinely makes remarks that are over the top, today's comments are ignorant and repugnant. No political or policy disagreement should ever be compared to the suffering endured by an entire generation of people. Those comments have no place in our public discourse. He should offer an apology to members of the Jewish faith immediately," Devaney said in a statement.
Democratic Party Chairman Roy Herron also released a statement calling the comparison "outrageous."
"Senator Campfield's blog post this morning is just the latest example of Tea Party Republican extremism," Herron said. "To compare attempts to save American lives through access to healthcare with Nazis killing European Jews is outrageous, pathetic, and hateful."
Still, Campfield stands by his remarks. In an interview with WKRN-TV, he said he "is not minimizing loss of life" during the Holocaust and claimed "it is not an accurate portrayal for the administration to brag and signups for Obamacare when it's mandatory."
"When you control people's health, you control their lives and if they live or die," he told the station.
This is not the first time Campfield comments have come under fire. About one year ago, he posted a photo online of an "Assault Pressure Cooker" with the caption "Here comes Feinstein again," making a reference to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's gun legislation and the Boston Marathon bombings.
Following criticism for the post, he suggested on CNN that he was making a specific point by sharing the photo, claiming gun control after a tragic shooting is like pressure cooker control after the marathon bombings.
