Frank Rich: The Obama Haters' Silent Enablers

New York Times:

WHEN a Fox News anchor, reacting to his own network's surging e-mail traffic, warns urgently on-camera of a rise in hate-filled, "amped up" Americans who are "taking the extra step and getting the gun out," maybe we should listen. He has better sources in that underground than most.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[protagonia]

The right is about to blow it all in a grand fashion.

Huge blunder after huge blunder.

[cuchulain]

Ya know, much of this has to do with an innate sense of fairness and tolerance that is a core part of being "liberal".

We've been so fair and so tolerant, we let the right takeover the airwaves and mainstream their lunatics.

In reality, the public face of the right right now is not legitimate. It's not credible. It doesn't belong on TV every Sunday and all through the week. It has nothing to add to the ongoing dialogue in a healthy democracy. All it does is take us down into the gutter.

From GOP leaders to the right's leaders on TV and radio, it's a rare, rare day when any of one of them has the slightest thing to say that would benefit this country. They have been soooo wrong, about sooooo many things, for sooooo long, it's time for America to shun them. They are an embarrassment. A complete embarrassment. They act like perpetually spoiled three-year-olds.

The MSM has a duty to put legitimate voices with legitimate concerns on TV and radio. Not haters. It has no duty to continue to give air time to lunatics who use violent rhetoric to gin up ratings. It's time to diversify our Media and end its center-right dominance and its tolerance of the hard right.

[MSaxe]

As the Republican right hate and fear mongers gradually merge with the Neo Nazi's philosophically, it's more important that they remain in the public airwaves and not be silenced. We all need to hear the racist fear mongering to know what it is. The vast majority of Americans do not support them.

The challenge on the right is to reject the hate mongers and become a legitimate party again. The more they spew their Limbaughisms in the radio echo chamber to their own dwindling numbers, the less likely they will form a real, and needed, opposition party. But based on how they've behaved over the last 20-30 years, they are just getting the long predicted demographic wake-up call that they represent fewer and fewer people every day.

There are still a few legitimate Republican voices, not self-styled conservatives, that are closer to the Blue Dog Democrats. I suspect these two will merge as the centrist voice the Republicans need to get back to a positive, financially conservative party that is more modern on social issues including race, gender, marriage, abortion, fear mongering, etc. Maybe moderate Republicans should show up at primaries again. But if the right wants to totally self-destruct down to lone wolves and gun toting reactionaries, it should not happen in silence.

[cuchulain]

@patricethree,

What you call "hatred from the left for the last 8 years", most reasonable, well-informed adults would call justified critique and outrage.

As in, we on the left were critical of things that Bush/Cheney and the GOP actually did. We were critical of actual wars, torture, illegal surveillance, economic inequality, gifts to Big Oil, environmental devastation, etc.

OTOH, the right goes ballistic (literally and figuratively) about things Obama and the Dems have never done, never proposed, and never will do.

That's the major difference between the two sides.

We were highly critical and often outraged by the actions of right wing leaders and power-brokers. Things they actually did. Things that have horrifically bad impact on the lives of millions.

You on the right have created a fever swamp of fantasies about Obama and the Dems and act on that. Like those imaginary concentration camps, taking the U.S off the dollar, apologizing to terrorists, taking over the private sector, taking people's guns.

You live in imaginary worlds. We live in reality.

[Cookie100]

Bring back the Fairness Doctrine NOW! This makes people using 'public airwaves' to tell the truth, not make up scurrilous lies about anything!

They have to be made to tell the truth, it's us or them! They are the American Taliban, extremists

[texgal7]

One more thing:

As a society we are entertained by the battle between "___" and "___." (Insert your own polarized pair here: left/right, rich/poor, liberal/conservative, men/women, etc., etc., etc. As long as this kind of conflict engages our attention, we are supporting the purveyors of conflict.

Please do not take this comment to be a recommendation for complete passivity. I do believe we have the right and obligation to take care of ourselves and our loved ones - as intelligently as possible.

[SimJack]

Thank you Mr. Rich. While it is understandable that some individuals hold prejudicial views, and constant education is required to diminish this phenomenon and move towards a more enlightened society, I expect and demand that the media and elected officials be held to the highest standards of ethical and moral conduct. When members of either group abuse the privilege of their positions to incite, instill or promote intolerance, hatred and violence they and the corporations that employ them should be held culpable, accountable, criminally responsible and be punished for their criminally or civilly reprehensible conduct.

[texgal7]

I rarely watch Fox News. This article raises an interesting question for me. Which is the more effective form of dealing with "hate" journalism. Is it (1) trying to fight back with every available weapon or is it (2) changing the channel, or pushing the "off" button?

In the long run, changing the channel is probably the most effective way of dealing with this kind of stuff, although definitely there is a need for law enforcement to be aware of the crazies and to deal with them in the best way the law allows.

[patricethree]

OMG After 8 years of hatred coming from the left, now they are outraged with the hate coming from the right. Talk about turning the tables of righteous indignation. The Holocaust shooter hated Fox News
and Bill O'Reilly and just about everybody, but the right wing takes the blame. Interesting how these tables are turning.

[COPerez]

Bring us the links to ANY "hatred coming from the left" over the past 8 years. Especially anything that could be construed as inciting to violence. Links, please.

[BBackSoon]

Wow, you really believe that don’t you?

In the last 8 years I seem to remember people demanding a stop to the war(s) and the impeachment of the President and the VP, and even the prosecution of the Bush and Cheney among others but I don’t seem to remember anyone calling for a violent coup, or an assignation of our leaders.

These are not the same things.

[MossyOak]

There is a huge difference between being furious with the president over starting a war in which thousands were killed and the outright racial hatred of the kind we see on Fox and Rush now. The left demonstrated and bitched, the right grabs their precious guns... there is a huge difference.

[KindMisica]

That Australian owner of FOX, Rupert Murdoch, must really hate America for some reason beyond me. He's pitting Americans against each other and laughing all the way to the bank.

[MSaxe]

As someone who was a high schooler in Dallas on Nov 22, 1963, I know that right wing hate mongers have a lasting effect on all of us. On that day and the days before, the Dallas Morning News published advertisements and articles spewing the John Birch Society's hatred for John Kennedy. The tone was very similar to what Rich is describing. But these articles had little effect to move the mass of the population.

We all know what happened. But remember, that these right wing, neo-conservative John Bircher's are of the same political philosophy of Reagan and the neo-cons under Bush II and Karl Rove. Add to it that the Republican opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 virtually joined them at the hip with the southern, formerly Democratic, racists. This is what we are getting now.

With the echo chamber of instant communications, these real fascist, John Birchers, have the tools to mobilize their second amendment loving followers into an active frenzy. Just listen to 10 minutes of Limbaugh (if you can take it) and the emotion packed lies that are repeated and repeated will light a match to the fearful racist white remaining. These bible thumpers have had the bully pulpit for almost 30 years. They don't like change and don't want to use their self appointed prominent positions in society.

Rich's article is a warning call.

[SantaFeConservative]

You may want to check your history books ... Republicans voted FOR the Civil Rights Act in much higher percentages than the democrats.

[rattler99]

the dem*craps aren't interested in the truth

[MSaxe]

Get your facts straight. Here's the vote: By party and region

Note: "Southern", as used in this section, refers to members of Congress from the eleven states that made up the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. "Northern" refers to members from the other 39 states, regardless of the geographic location of those states.

The original House version:

* Southern Democrats: 7-87 (7%-93%)
* Southern Republicans: 0-10 (0%-100%)

* Northern Democrats: 145-9 (94%-6%)
* Northern Republicans: 138-24 (85%-15%)

The Senate version:

* Southern Democrats: 1-20 (5%-95%) (only Senator Ralph Yarborough of Texas voted in favor)
* Southern Republicans: 0-1 (0%-100%) (this was Senator John Tower of Texas)
* Northern Democrats: 45-1 (98%-2%) (only Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia opposed the measure)
* Northern Republicans: 27-5 (84%-16%) (Senators Bourke Hickenlooper of Iowa, Barry Goldwater of Arizona, Edwin L. Mechem of New Mexico, Milward L. Simpson of Wyoming, and Norris H. Cotton of New Hampshire opposed the measure)
-----
Like I said, the racist Southern Democrats later became the disguised racist Southern Republicans. That's rapidly become the only significant regional block left in the Republican Party. If you hang with racists, maybe you walk like a duck.

Read Rich's article.

[OMG1109]

I also say this was a great article but now the question is, how to stop it? I would suggest people like Frank Rich get air time on radio and get MSM involved immediately and put an end in allowing this hate to continue!

And it needs to start with FOX News talk shows !

[lvdragonlady]

As long as we have 'freedom of speech' and there is nothing in place that requires the 'talking heads' to be honest or truthful, when they speak, there is not much we can do to stop it.
What we have to do is be alert to anything 'out of the norm' or that sets of warning bells in ones head.
This kind of thinking can not be truly stopped or eliminated, as it has existed from the beginning of time.
Let us hope and say a pray to whomever you pray to, that President Obama is kept safe.

[DBtv]

With regard to the mass media, "freedom of speech" is a cynical myth. Only the economic elite that controls the communications channels have a forum to present their propaganda to the mentally malleable collective unwashed.

[COPerez]

Bring back the Fairness Doctrine.

It's a small step that might help...

[dRwOOD]

Great article - thank you sir

[1088]

He should also called out our elected officials who has radical views! We the must go after the reps in the house and congress for doing a better job on name calling. They are the one's should be setting the example. We cannot sit idle anymore!

[bobh]

The climate of hate and menace is a conscious element of out-of-power Republican strategy.
When your ideas are not competitive, you get what advantage you can by intimidation, by instilling in the opposition fear of what your followers' reactions might be.

[drlouise]

Hate is hate whether it comes from radical Muslims or radical talk show hosts. Hate doesn't help anyone any time. Most wars just create further problems down the line; violence begets violence. Whatever happened to love your neighbor?

[OlongapoEd]

That's easy...those on the right deal with the "Love your neighbor" concept by having a completely self-serving and narrow definition of "neighbor".