The Contrast

The 9-12ers are here in DC today, "tens of thousands!" according to FOX News. While I am of course happy for them, enjoying their constitutional rights that their ideological forbears fought against (that whole Bill of Rights thing was bitterly opposed by the conservatives in the 1790s, and states' righters don't even think it applies to the states at all), I do find it odd that for such an incredible mass movement, promoted day and night by Fox News and every right wing radio host in America, they couldn't turn out more people than this. Oh, well, maybe next time.

I do worry about them though. I mean, a lot of them are older, and this anger they carry around must be terrible for the toll it takes in terms of the high blood pressure, hypertension, and heart disease. They really should take a Valium like a normal person.

Oh, and I also worry about their political beliefs. If this gang of Palinista, birther, secessionist, tea bagger, scream-at-the-President-and-members-of-Congress-rant-and-raver ever took power, this country would truly be in a world of hurt -- I mean we tried a slightly milder version of it from 2001 to January 20th of this year, and look how messed up we got.

Rachel Maddow did a superb piece on this gang of misfits and hooligans last night, which was especially fabulous because she did an interview with me you can see below.

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It was fun, although it's always hard to calibrate how perky to look when you are just staring into the remote camera with an earpiece in your ear. Hopefully, I didn't scare anybody. Although speaking of scaring people, my company inbox last night overflowed with angry right wingers saying, well, really angry things: calling me all kinds of names, making their usual threats, even calling me ugly (okay, you might not think one is so crazy, to each their own).

So, again, I appeal to you guys: relax, take deep breaths, maybe take your blood pressure medicine before your veins pop. I promise that after I get appointed to the death panel, all the euthanasia will be painless.

Comments

[SallyinSF]

05:00 PM on 09/14/2009

Of course they don't yet they all yell health care reform is a government takeover. Go figure...

[SallyinSF]

04:57 PM on 09/14/2009

Hey Mike, you know you're doing something right after an appearance on Rachel's show if you get unindated with wing nutter email. I always watch Rachel and Keith and that segment Rachel did on the 9/12 hooligan teabaggers and then with you was terrific! Keep doing what you're doing! And if you got unindated with nasty emails, it means the wing nutters are watching Rachel - think they might learn something? Nah!

[zanzig]

09:05 AM on 09/14/2009

Forget worrying about the age of these protesters. I am thankful that the effluxion of time will solve some of these problems.

[Skyhawk]

09:54 PM on 09/13/2009

If only we could put them on a rocket and ship'em off to some far away system.

[northstar11]

09:12 PM on 09/13/2009

there might be a point of unity here ----both sides are screaming secede.

[Indianrock]

04:16 PM on 09/13/2009

Some things that need to be hammered home: If you truly believe the world was a perfect place in 1800 and want that kind of legal structure/small government/minimal taxes, you first have to take all Corporations back to the size and power they had then. I'm sure the big Corporations and their lobbyists would love a United States with no countervailing force to check their power. From my perspective you also have to make sure private charities/churches will ALWAYS provide the safety net society ( government ) does now. ( not likely )

The "Utopia" buzzword: The desire to do something to help the less fortunate is not equal to desiring Utopia here and now. We won't achieve Utopia in this life. It's like saying you'll never get everyone off of cigarettes so don't try to even get one person to quit.

I hate to say it but it seems we're getting closer to another civil war. Even Thomas Jefferson said that one key aspect of a democracy was the losing party's submission to the election results. Speaking out, civilly, is fine but something bordering on guerrilla warfare is not.

[Lilly-G]

11:35 AM on 09/13/2009

I should be ashamed of myself for being glad the bulk of the crazies are old people - it makes sense, they haven't let go of the old racial ways of this country. That means there's possible hope for the future that this utter BS will go away.

[melissamsouza]

10:43 PM on 09/12/2009

Mike, great as usual and I enjoyed the Calhoun piece as well. I wish I could brush off all this craziness in good humor, like you do, but unfortunately there is something very sinister, very ugly brewing here and it is increasing in intensity by the minute (read Colbert King's piece in the Washington Post today). These people are enraged and desperate--but their leaders in the so-called "Republican" Party are on the same wavelength as they are. John Batchelor had a column today with GOP comments on their "next moves". The comments were quite scary; these people are catching fire with the same rage, resentment, frustration as their Constituents. They just can't come to terms with their powerlessness, and they're counting tuntil 2010; in their delusional fury they are convinced they will regain power. Karl Rove, who predicted with precision that McCain would turn Obama into mincemeat (I actually remember the interview, it was one of the two times I watched Fox), is now applying his clairvoyance to 2010, when he thinks the Republicans will regain 70 seats!!!!!!!! in Congress. That is this Party's mindset--they are convinced the country is as reactionary as they are, and that they did a magnificent job almost sinking the U.S. like the Titanic. This is dangerous stuff--we are talking lunacy here, seriously, psychoanalytically. These people will not accept a further losses nor an Obama re-election--they would rather go down in flames and take the country with them.

[BMS]

09:36 PM on 09/12/2009

Mike, I saw you on Rachel's show. Your interview was very informative; I had never heard of Calhoun Conservatism before.

You were just the right level of perky (!) and not scary at all. :)

[equestrian]

08:41 PM on 09/12/2009

We'll outlive most of these wackos. Their kind of intense, irrational rage and hate are extremely dangerous to one's health. It'll be an early bye-bye for many of them.
More proof of Darwinism. Those who can't adapt to changed conditions don't survive.

[jcorrington]

12:28 PM on 09/13/2009

But the scary thing is, these wackaloons reproduce lots more than critically thinking folks. The small party of protesters in my small town had all their kids out toting nasty signs, so I have to wonder if they will go away soon.

Anyway, Mike caught you on Rachel and you did an excellent job - thanks!

[msgirlintn]

08:34 PM on 09/12/2009

I saw you on Rachel last night and I appreciate your thoughts. It is racist. NBC ran the statement about the Muslims moving in and taking over tonight. Nuts! But it does bother me to see all these old people on Medicare protesting Socialized Medicine. Bet none of them wants to give up their Medicare or Social Security.

[SallyinSF]

05:02 PM on 09/14/2009

Geez, posted in wrong place. Of course they don't want to give up their Medicare or Social Security yet they see health care reform as a "governement takeover." The hypocrisy is just stunning.

[colourful]

07:39 PM on 09/12/2009

Good interview. It felt good to hear both you and Rachael address a very serious issue boiling up in our society... The Conservative Party is revealing there true level of intolerance. The fact that they Hannity, Bill-O, Beck, Lou, and the rest, say that race is not an issue, yet know through the comments from their audience, that they are appealing those racist, and provide a safe-heaven for that hate is disingenuous.

I wish our educational institutions also honored those that really make civil rights possible. It’s those unheard of voices that speak out at our leaders; that vote their conscious; withdraw support for those that advocate injustice, and expose those that wish to suppress equality.

Thank you,

[offred]

07:31 PM on 09/12/2009

"...a lot of them are older, and this anger they carry around must be terrible for the toll it takes in terms of the high blood pressure, hypertension, and heart disease."

Don't worry about them. If they blow a gasket spewing right-wing memes, they'll they'll be ok. They've got government-sponsored Medicare.

[Trejo12]

09:19 PM on 09/12/2009

I read your interesting article and I have to agree with you—but this divides us further.

You are correct in observing that today’s conservatives—including Republican partisans and angry street activists—would, in all likelihood, object fundamentally to the political philosophy of the American Revolution. Today, who wouldn’t? The Founding Fathers created a political system based on the concept of “individual rights.” Today, there are no elected defenders of individual rights in Washington. There are only politicians advocating outright government seizure of medicine (the Obama Democrats) or the “fair” seizure of medicine via simple expansion of existing programs (the Bush Republicans).

Since you mentioned the Founders’ political philosophy, you might want to consider a non-conservative, co-sponsor of today’s Washington march, one alluded to but dismissed as “utopian” by Rachel Maddow: the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights located in Washington, DC.

The Center's Web site devotes an entire page of analysis to the Tea Party movement. Unlike today’s conservatives, they did not “grow out of” (read “give-up”) a moral (not “utopian”) defense of capitalism. Quite the contrary: they are vigorously applying Ayn Rand’s moral defense of the Founders’ political achievements to the issues of the day.