The Conservatives' Dangerous Game of Hate and Consequences
Empty of better ideas -- of any ideas -- of how to remain relevant, the reactionary wing of the conservative movement has chosen to quit faking respectability and get back to doing what they do best: cranking up the hate to eleven.
This is the week we have lived:
A week when Texas Governor Rick Perry -- a man with presidential aspirations -- gets comfortable being flippant about the idea secession, raising the specter of both the anti-civil rights movement and the Civil War.
A week when Texas Republican State Rep. Betty Brown (what is it with Texas?) told a hearing on voter registration that if Asians wanted to avoid problems at the polls they needed to change their names to something that's "easier for us to deal with."
A week when Illinois Republican Congressman Mark Kirk said he thought the people of Illinois "are ready to shoot" anyone who's going to raise taxes.
A week when the Caucasian Stepin Fetchit Glenn Beck -- which is more of a slam against Lincoln Perry than it is Glenn -- thought it was humorous to take on the guise of our president and pantomime him pouring gas on the average citizen before setting a match to him.
This is the week when even his cover as GOP Chairman couldn't outweigh his blackness and Michael Steele was unwelcome at the not-even-slightly-white-fright based tea parties where signs stoking the fears of WHITE SLAVERY were as prevalent as any saying: I LOVE AMERICA.
And this was the week where Minority Leader John Boehner's only take away from the Bush-authorized DHS report on the threat of extremist violence was that it was offensive to American soldiers.
Really? Offensive to soldiers? From the same John Boehner who, when presenting the Congressional Medal of Honor to the famed WW II era Tuskegee airmen repeatedly -- repeatedly -- referred to these great Americans as the "Tush-Chee-geee airmen." All those aides of his, and he couldn't have one of them run and get him a pronouncer?
Boehner could not disrespect or minimize more. Unless he were disrespecting and minimizing a warning on hate attacks directed primarily at people of color in this country.
And that's what really cuts: the conservatives, aided and abetted by their own Axis Sally Michelle Malkin who does the "that's not racist" dance of the seven white hoods at the slightest yank of her chain -- hate and deny and get indignant and deny some more when the reasoned try to connect the dots between their reactionary rhetoric and the violent consequences to which they lead. We're all just blowing some liberal kookiness and lefty conspiracies.
Tell that to the three Pittsburgh police officers killed by the young man who frequented neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic websites.
Tell that to the families of Marcelo Lucero, Jose Sucuzhanay. Both killed in the wake of President Obama's election in attacks prompted by their perceived place of origin and sexual orientation.
Tell that to the Southern Poverty Law Center which has been tracking an increase in hate crimes and hate group activities long before the "offensive" "conservative-baiting" DHS report.
Have something to say besides peppering every sentence with buzz words like "revolution," "fascism," and "secession."
And in that week what do reasonable people do? Wait to find out if CNN or Ashton Kutcher can arrive more quickly to a million Tweeters. Instead of meeting outrage head on, we let the haters slide.
These may be the last, desperate days of reactionary, anti-American Conservatism. But in the manner of a rabid animal backed against a wall, these are its most dangerous as well.
For more perspective, please visit That Minority Thing.com
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This is typical of politicians who have no realistic ideas, no competence, and no charisma. They find some group to hate and whip their followers into a frenzy; Hitler and the Jews Milosevitch and the Bosnians, etcl What is especially worrying is that the Bush administration has already moved us part way in that direction with their violation of both anti-torture laws and privacy rights. When you see someone like George Will opposing prosecution of torturers, you know the virus has spread so widely that the GOP cannot be trusted with power again until the entire present generation of leadership has passe on.
"It’s not what you look like, when you’re doin´ what you’re doin´.
It’s what you’re doin´ when you’re doin´ what you look like you’re doin´!"
Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Band
Scared people are very unpredictable and can be dang.erous
When it becomes cool again to be old and white and dress with bags of tea hanging off your hat--the GOP will come roaring back.
I'm glad the president is taking a lot of trips out of the country. (I'm only half kidding)
It may actually be safer somewhere else from what these reports keep saying..an
'''A week when Illinois Republican Congressman Mark Kirk said he thought the people of Illinois "are ready to shoot" anyone who's going to raise taxes.'''
WTF! This is serious, folks. I can't believe a US Concgressman would say some dangerous schitt like this. Letter writing time, people.!
Time for people to demand something be done with him, with Perry in TX and with that loonie tune fruit cake lady in MN tool
I think maybe some of the protesters weren't ignorant, hateful people. All conservatives I have spoken to were very upset with Bush's spending, which along with deregulating banks, insurance,hedge funds and wanting to give loans to everyone who wanted a house got us and Obama into this mess. I get nervous when each side demonizes the other's. Sure, maybe there are some racist, bigoted conservative people, but it seems unfair to paint them all with one brush. I voted for Obama, I probably will again, and like him, I'm not afraid to hear the other sides position.
They were hate rallies, simple as that! These people don't care that President Obama is giving them a tax cut. They just want to hate him, because he is not white.
Are you demanding that the mere act of receiving money from a politician means that the person receiving the money owes their allegiance to him/her?
Are you saying my $17 bribe, a paycheck, means that I must pledge my allegiance and loyalty to Obama??
I would like to think that Lou. Because I'm the same way. But there is no way that any of these rallies would of taken place if there wasn't some racial undertone.
Racial undertone???
The push to make everyone believe the tea parties where racist is falling on deaf ears outside of the pro-Obama liberal world.
I'm a Latina living in the South but originally from LA and I have NEVER been discriminated against by any white people. Matter of fact I have kids from white men. And one of them is from the most Southern of Southern lands. Appalachia. Several miles north of Milton, FL right on the Alabama-Florida border.
I always joke with my girl that I couldn't understand her dad when I first meant him. But hey hormones and hot bodies have ways of communicating all of their own.
So what was this about white racists???
One might have expected that some of the more moderate Republicans would have seen the writing on the wall when all of their thrashing and innuendo-laden rhetoric failed so dismally last November.
Americans have sent a clear message that the politics of division are no longer acceptable, and that's why I wholly encourage Rush, Steele, Bachmann, Palin, Sanford, Jindal, Hannity, et al, to continue down the rhetorical path they chose to take before Obama even took the oath of office.
Each day that they maintain the incendiary posture, they relinquish just a little bit more of their share of the voting population's allegiance.
Really??
Obama has been relinquishing his share of the voting public's approval rating since he took office.
http://www
LOLOL! Rasmussen is a well-known Republican pollster. He was wrong in nearly every one of his "polls" during the primaries. Faux News loves to refer to him because he "doctors" his poll results heavily.
John, Keep writing. I too see the racial subtext to all this right-wing rhetoric. I too see it leading to violence. Even my 80 year old father, an intelligent soft-spoken man not given to over-statement, has told me he is concerned about President Obama's safety. He was raised Irish Catholic and remembers the assassination of President Kennedy. He sees the signs and is connecting the dots much the way you do. And he's no left-winger, he's just paying attention. (He was a Republican until Bush was elected.)
At the risk of repeating yourself, don't hesitate to print follow-ups on this topic - the right isn't going to stop, and something tragic may come of it. Vigilance is our only hope,
Vigilance and transparency. Once they start talking they show their stripes.
On Saturday talk radio there is a program about personal finances. Wonderful program until today when they announced that a week from Thursday they are linking with millions of viewers on a 1 1/2 hour on Hope for the economy. Sorry I missed the name, and the name of the man doing it. Can't drive and remember.
I got the idea that this is a "Main Street or Real Americans will save the economy because there is no recession.
Churches and businesses will link up by signing up and I think they pay a fee that goes to charity. Sorry I got so little but did anyone else hear this?
Someone younger with a better memory.
So true, John, thanks for the commentary.
The few times I've had no choice but listen to Rush Limbaugh all I've heard is complaining about problems, and attempts to place blame, rather than the offering of any workable solutions. People love to whine, and misery likes company. When the Republicans offer workable solutions to the problems they point out, I for one am ready to listen.
Waden A very thoughful post. Thanks I found the same with Limbaugh.
He does what he does for one reason. millions of dollars. He's a sell out.
I was listening to one of those shows the other day and the radio host's proposed solutions were flat tax or a really high sales tax to replace the income tax. Both of course punish the poor and reward the rich. This was followed by an ad for a hardware chain here in California which is having a no-sales-tax weekend sale. The ad suggested that people fed up with taxes might want to "tar and feather" politicians. Even retailers apparently want to cash in on division and hatred. I have to stop listening to them.
You hit upon the reason that I listen to rush. I pay attention to the local ads and I make sure I don't do business with them. I switched my tree trimmer and left out a home remodeler when I needed a bid on a job. I won't pay his salary.
Places like Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Dubai have this system and it creates unbelievable wealth for the people. Plus your savings get to grow without capital gains taxes on them. It's not a bad system although you're right--it favors the rich. Most things in life, do though.
My thoughts as well Cheney / Newt / Boehner / Palen / Joe the plumber- HEY- sounds kind of like a
' Comedy Group ' Except that nothing they say is funny - just DESPERATE. The hard line GOP seems to be frailing around looking for a way to' crush ' Obama before the 2010 mid term election.
They want power & control back so bad they can taste it. Remember :
the GOP has been in power 20 of the last 28 years.- most with a GOP congress.
So now they are having ' withdrawal pains ' and crave a ' FIX of POWER ' TO CALM THEIR PAIN.
They need to realize that they've had their time- Now someone else is in charge.
They need to step up , be statesman, and do what's good for the county - NOT the party .
After GOP / Reagan / Bush deregulation policies gave free reign to bankers & WAll ST- that led to
this crisis- that's the least they can do.
Your last statement is so true. To think that a news organisation like CNN would have something better to do that join in a race with the self-obsessed toyboy husband of a Hollywood actress to obtain one millioon tweeters in order to donate what is basically a small amount of money to a charity.
The tea party movement and all the rhetoric it engendered scared me greatly. As you say, this party may be on the wane, but a lot f deadly damage can still be wreaked.
http://emi
http://mys
Whats going on with CNN this dumb Twitter stuff. and John KIngs recent soft ball interview
with Cheney. King just let him lie and revise history ! No wonder voters are mis- informed / confused. Isn't the corporate owned news media supposed to keep us apprised of the truth ?
Are the fat cat anchors are out of touch with the people ? Seems so.
. I give them a grade of D . That's being kind.
So True and you must grade on a curve.
Good Article.
The fat cat anchors are just there to pull in a fat check. They are not there to do justice for the public.
Great article, your observations are on point. I strongly urge you to pick up Edgar J. Ridley's book on Amazon titled The Golden Apple: Changing the Structure of Civilization. It will highlight for you what we're up against, and how there must be a behavior change if a qualitative shift is to take place.
Linda L. Ridley
Edgar J. Ridley & Associates, Inc.
International Management Consultants
www.global
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