The Obama SuperCongress measure directly mirrors the Hitler Enabling Law (Ermaechtigungsgesetz) of March 1933, by which the German Reichstag "democratically" voted to give Hitler emergency powers by passing the "Law for Removing the Distress of People and Reich," which gave Hitler the right to govern on his own, and in contravention to the Constitution, without consulting the parliament for a period of four years.
How was it done? The parliamentarians "made a deal."
Specifically, the crucial agreement with Hitler was concluded with the Centre Party, headed by a Catholic priest named Ludwig Kaas. Kaas agreed to deliver votes for Hitler in exchange for assurances of protections for religious liberties and the continued existence of the Centre Party. Hitler acceded, promising to memorialize the guarantees in writing. The letter of guarantee wasn't forthcoming, but Kaas fulfilled his part of the bargain, on the promise that the letter was being drafted. Not surprisingly, it never came.
At that point, the vote was assured. Only 84 Social Democrats (their ranks diminished by arrests) opposed the Enabling Act. The Centre Party and the National People's Party decided to take Hitler at his word, permitting him to act on behalf of the parliament, including passing laws which deviated from the Constitution "as long as they do not affect the institutions of the Reichstag and Reichsrat," and maintained the rights of the President.
The guarantees, as any sane person could see, were a farce. Within three months of the passage of the Enabling Act, all political parties but the Nazis had been banned. Hitler did not rule alongside the parliament, but effectively superseded it. It only met 12 times over the next 12 years—including the two sessions when it renewed the Enabling Act.
