When Will GOP Leaders Denounce the Pyromaniacs?

Threatening as they are, the fires burning around Los Angeles are not the most dangerous flames being fanned by hot hair in America these days.

"There is a coup going on," Glenn Beck lied to his radio followers on Monday. "There is a stealing of America, and the way it . . . has been done [is] through the -- the guise of an election."

Mr. Beck's incendiary and absurd charge is but one among a growing cacophony of extremely dangerous, radical nonsense being regurgitated by right-wing commentators, with the active or passive complicity of leading Republicans. They are playing with fire, and if they do not cease, someone -- or, quite possibly, the entire nation -- is going to get burned.

It is time for every voice of decency in America to be raised in unison to say firmly and unequivocally: "STOP!"

The venom being spewed against President Obama by Republicans and the screaming heads of Faux News and talk radio -- "Communist!" "Nazi!" "Death Panels!" "He's a secret Muslim!" "He's not an American citizen!" "He wants to kill Grandma!" "Take OUR country back!" -- goes far beyond the bounds of political debate. So does the carrying of firearms to appearances by the President.

Do these wild-eyed people on the right really want to reap what they are sowing?

What they are sowing is unmistakable. If you lead people to think that a black Communist-Nazi-Muslim-racist President who is not an American citizen and wants to euthanize old people has stolen America by taking power through a coup, you cannot fail to know what you are saying to your gullible listeners.

Nor can you fail to know what it is going to lead some of them to think it is their patriotic duty to do.

We've Been Down This Road Before

The nation has been down this road before. We were reminded of that sad truth by the recent death of Sen. Edward Kennedy and the recountings of his brothers' assassinations that it brought forth. Public discourse was polluted by the hate-filled rhetoric of extremists in the 1960s, and many leading politicians of the era endorsed that extremism. Even after the first Kennedy assassination, 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater famously spoke out in defense of extremism.

"We're heading into nut country today," President John F. Kennedy said to his wife on the morning of November 22, 1963, as he showed her an ad, bordered in the black of a funeral announcement, that the John Birch Society had placed in the Dallas Morning News, indicating that the Kennedys were pro-communist. A few weeks before, right-wing retired General Edwin A. Walker of Dallas had proclaimed, "Kennedy is a liability to the Free World."

Three years earlier, the first violent, hate-filled political mob of the Sixties had appeared in Dallas. It was not composed of scruffy young left-wing anti-Establishment "reds"; it was made up of "mature," neatly dressed "conservative" women of the Texas Establishment who wore red-white-and-blue. Democratic vice presidential nominee Lyndon Johnson and his wife were making a stop in Dallas near the end of the 1960 campaign. Holding a sign reading "LBJ SOLD OUT TO YANKEE SOCIALISTS," Republican Congressman Bruce Alger of Dallas led a "mink coat mob" of ladies of the right, their faces filled with primal rage, as they encircled their own state's Senator and his wife, jeering and cursing and spitting in Lady Bird's face.

Cheering an Assassination

Nor should it be forgotten that a sizable number of people, young as well -- or as unwell -- as old, greeted the assassination of President Kennedy as a cause for celebration. In numerous white schools in Mississippi, for example, children are said to have cheered at the news. In some instances, their teachers led the cheering. I arrived in Mississippi ten years after the assassination, and in my first years of teaching at the college level here many of my students related to me such incidents in their classrooms on November 22, 1963.

Why would Americans cheer the assassination of their president? Because many of them had been told lies about him very similar to those the merchants of hate are spreading about President Obama.

The parallels between the hate speech of the early 1960s and today are numerous and disturbing. President Kennedy was attacked for his religion (in his case at least he actually was a Catholic, if not a very serious one) and his support (belated though it was) of African Americans. He was charged with being a Communist.

But there are also important differences.

In the wake of the economic collapse last year, financial interests have been particularly keen on diverting the public's anger away from them. Traditionally, such diversions have been accomplished by redirecting the rage of lower- and middle-class whites against blacks (and/or immigrants) or the cultural-intellectual elite.

What is different now is that for the first time in our history the two favored targets that conservatives have used in the past to misdirect the anger of the middle class away from the economic elite -- the intellectual/cultural elite and racial minorities -- have been combined in one person: a black, Harvard-educated President.

Thus the quantity of the fuel for the fire with which the reckless rightists are playing is doubled.

Large swaths of America have become in recent months the sort of "nut country" that President Kennedy accurately said Dallas was on that tragic Friday nearly 46 years ago. We know exactly who the people (ir)responsible for planting the nut trees from which the nuts hang are.

Where Do Republicans Stand on Playing with Matches?

Are there no responsible voices among leading Republicans who will come out and say in unambiguous terms that none of what these rightwing shouting heads are saying is true and condemn them for their totally irresponsible, unpatriotic, and incendiary statements?

The way to stop the spread of a dangerous conflagration is to remove the highly combustible materials from the fire's path. The only firefighters in a position to do that with respect to the rightwing arsonists are prominent Republicans. They have already failed in the role of first responders. Will they respond now?

Extremism in defense of liberty (a liberty that is in fact not under threat) is a vice. Responsible, patriotic members of Mr. Goldwater's party need to say so, loudly and clearly, before it is too late.

My plea to Republicans, Fox News, and those who control rightwing talk radio is simple: Take the matches out of the hands of these mental children.

Historian Robert S. McElvaine is Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts & Letters at Millsaps College & author of The Great Depression: America, 1929-1941 (Random House) and Down and Out in the Great Depression: Letters from the "Forgotten Man". (North Carolina). His latest book is Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America (Crown).

Comments

[dynwit]

It should be obvious that there are no Republicans decrying this l.o.0.n.i.n.e.s.s because they support it. They orchestrated it behind closed doors. They intentionally whipped up their fringe in order to regain power. It has K@rl R.0.v.e's signature all over it.

[Berettasskeeter]

Republicans will let it go because its politics. Conservatives let it go because the evidence is there that Beck is right. If you haven't looked at the backgrounds of the various people on Obama's staff and in his Administration, shame on you. Obama said that his agenda may be inferred from the people with whom he surrounds himself. Self-described Communists, eugenicists, sterilizers, child killers, etal?!
Semper fi

[LMPE]

At this point, I'd be perfectly fine with abrogating the Second Amendment and having the authorities take away everyone's weapons. In fact, I'd go one further: I'd push the takeover of America by the UN, also called one-worldism (people like James Von Brunn have always feared this and will go to any length to "prevent" it).

[VA in VA]

wtf...

[Berettasskeeter]

Are you shocked that a Liberal Leftist would actually voice what most feel?
Semper fi

[cct1984]

Wow, what a twisted view of history you have...typical leftist re-writing of history to suit your own narrow objectives. Don’t you think it’s a bit of a contradiction to insinuate that Kennedy was attacked because he was a communist--among other things--when in fact, the man who assassinated him, Lee Harvey Oswald, was himself a communist? You also paint with a very broad brush by implying that the White students who cheered Kennedy’s death (assuming for the sake of argument that happened) were representative of all conservatives. Did you take a survey of the political views of these schools? Did you survey schools from other parts of the country? Or did you, as I suspect, simply assume these White students were conservatives? Your jeremiad sounds like personal bias to me.

[minerva117]

How is any of this a re-writing of history. Was Kennedy NOT assassinated? BTW Lee Harvey Oswald was never tried and convicted of that crime. The "mink coat mob" is historically documented. As a matter of fact, every time I see an article that includes info about right-wing crazies in the past, some right-wing crazy accuses them of re-writing history. Right wing nut jobs have been doing and saying crazy things for a very long time, a great deal of it based on bigoted hatred of "the other". History is replete with their stories, there is no need to re-write it.

[VA in VA]

No, he is not implying that ALL conservative cheered his death. But the hatred before his death was very real. There were at least two assassination attempts on JFK stopped by the FBI just days before Dallas. One in Tampa and some other city in Texas (I think). The hatred WAS real then and IS real now. I hear it here in Virginia every day. Ignoring it would be criminal. I know Secret Service people that are really pissed at the GOP, with the current active number of threat investigation rising 400% over the past few months. If an attempt is made, the GOP should share the guilt for not saying anything to STOP and tone down the rhetoric.

PS (Robert S. McElvaine): I would really like to hear more of the details on those white Republican Coup people you spoke of. Sometimes I too think I'm living in a Oliver Stone movie here in Northern VA.

[Libbyland]

To all of you who don't think the extremism has anything to do with race, ask my 13 year old son about what the kids in his red-red-red Tennessee public school have to say about Barack Obama: "we hate him because he's a f^*#ing n*&%ger. He's a communist, a socialist, a G*$%damn muslim, but mostly because he's a n*&%ger." He asks them why they feel that way, and they answer "because my dad or mom says so, and they're right 'cause our preacher says so too." He asks them why they still listen to rap music, and they respond "because that's all n*&%gers are good for." He ask them about football and basketball, and they say "well, n*&%gers are good for that too."
From the mouths of babes.

[Berettasskeeter]

My son, while in a Memphis high school, told me that a majority of his classmates were pretty liberal, and that he never heard any of the things you speak of. I believe either you, or your son, are making it up!
Semper fi

[Robert S. McElvaine - Huffpost Blogger]

If you think someone is making this sort of thing up, you must be leading a very sheltered existence. I have personally heard intelligent white Republicans talking about having a coup to overturn the election. And check out the sort of comments my son was receiving from FB "friends" on election night:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-s-mcelvaine/a-20-year-old-on-the-mean_b_141956.html

[VA in VA]

This expresses nearly exactly what I have been feeling lately, almost to the point that I could have written it myself. I am truly afraid that someone will be taking a shot at him very shortly (next few months) and then (maybe) these people will believe the rhetoric has gone too far. Up until then, I think the GOP will continue to co-op the fear (e.g. Grassly with his two-faced megaphone comment at the "unplug grandma" rally) to their advantage and simply follow behind, trying to say they had nothing to do with it. I am very sad and ashamed of my GOP friends letting this happen without any hint of a "let's be civil about this" sidebar. They lost an election and the GOP can not seem to handle the consequences.

[Aaror]

There are people who think that when the politics turns against them they can resort to violence. The most comforting thought I can give you is that the military represents the population of the US more than the Right thinks. If it comes to Civil war, the military will side with the constitution, not the conservitives. And the military will destroy Blackwater when the mercenaries try to fight the US armed forces.

[Berettasskeeter]

The military WILL side with the Constitution! I wouldn't bet on them coming down on the side of the Left, though, since the Left advocates abrogating the Constitution.
Semper fi

[NCIndependant]

Proof?

[mom792]

I so agree, it must stop. Mr. Boener, Mr.Cantor, Mr. McCain, stand up and be a citizen, stop this hatred spewing from the ultra-conservative fringe of your party. Please.

[Wayne1ea]

They are all cowards. Furthermore they would like nothing more than to see Obama fail and watch as our Country, which I still love, go down the hole. don't depend on those dimwits to do anything but obstruct and spread lies.

[mexobserver]

Excellent candid view of how HATEFUL the Re-thugs want to turn the "Land Of The Free". Free for what???? For HATING? for practicing RACISM??? for shedding their sheep skin and reveal themselves WHITE ANGLO-SAXON PROTESTANT SUPREMACISTS??? Why doesn't the Authentic Democracy on Earth HASN'T YET PRONOUNCED THIS TYPE OF MEDIATIC ABUSE (FAUX NEWS & others in TV and ULTRA-NAZI­-RIGHTWING RADIO STATIONS, A CRIME OF HATE PUNISHABLE BY REMOVAL OF ANY LICENSE TO WORK IN THE MEDIA??? This is a total lack of respect for the public, I mean the majority in the US public, who are sick and tired of being pushed and pulled between fear and rage and hate, fear and rage and hate, and so on and so forth....

[Budokan]

Um, the answer to your question would be an unqualified "No."

[Json]

LOL The question was "WHEN will they denounce the pyromaniacs?"

[CanisLatrans]

Are you kidding? The GOP leadership are the ones that SOLD them the matches. At a reasonable mark-up, of course.

[Hillrick]

I believe this is their Hail Mary.

[Rogan]

It was when they took down JFK too. (And a host of other important progressive leaders, during the same era...)

[Policon]

I think Mr. McElvaine is sad that conservatives are showing Obama the same respect Bush was given by liberals for eight years. Is "Not My President" unpatriotic as well?

[escorpion]

Point of fact: If anyone had shown up at a Bush rally carrying a gun, legally or not, that person would still be rotting in Guantanamo Bay. Get real.

[Berettasskeeter]

You say this is a "point of fact". Okay, what's your proof of this? As noone has shown up at an Obama rally carrying a gun, other than law enforcement, I fail to see that as a proof.
Semper fi

[bigeking]

While I agree with Berettasskeeter for the most part, what really makes me mad is how you and other left wing loonies paint conservatives with the same brush as the extremists. The people you are talking about carrying guns to Obama appearances, the people who cheered at Kennedy's assassination are the same nuts that cheered at Martin Luther King's assassination. They are extremists on the far brink of reality, and the are not all conservatives, they are also liberals! I personally know two yellow dog democrates who had never voted republican in their lives until the last election. The would not vote for Obama because he was black, and that was the only reason!
Extremism is on all sides of the political spectrum, and what is going on know gets the pot boiling. It does not take anyone but themselves to get themselves whipped up into a frenzy.
Are their extremist on right wing radio, you bet, but they are also on left wing radio!
Extremists are not the only people who do not like what is going on right now in Washington, alot of people do not like it, and I think it will show up at the next election in 2010!

[Rogan]

So, you're asserting that left wing radio extremists, are also encouraging nuts to target our elected President, the same way right wing media outlets are?

Doesn't sound remotely reasonable, when you divest that point of a couple hundred words of ramble and obfuscation, does it?

(You're just making the bad logic, of better propagandists, show more clearly. Don't try that stuff at home; Limbaugh is a professional.)

[Berettasskeeter]

Your Leftist radio extremists said not only the same things of Bush, but called for his arrest, as well as others of his Admin., while still in office. How is that not worse than what is going on now?
Semper fi

[Berettasskeeter]

Wow, you take historical fact and twist it to your ends very nicely! Noone in the conservative mainstream has mentioned race. Only the Liberals have done so!! All your claims are the breathless hatred of conservatives.
What conservatives are decrying, and they did the same to Bush, is the unrestrained spending being advocated by Obama and the Left/Democrats, and the seizure of control of government beyond what the Congress has specifically authorized. Take a look at who Obama has appointed to take over the airwaves, ala the Fairness Doctrine. Take a look at his green czar, an avowed communist. How about Holdren (sp?), who advocates euthanasia and enforced sterilization.
None of these, which we oppose, have anything to do with race. You might remind yourself that we like Clarence Thomas and J.C. Watts, among others, very much. And they are black.
Semper fi

[Nitehawk]

Yeah we kinda caught that all the conservatives were decrying was just the budget when Sarah Palin talked about palling around with terrorists. Or when Rush talked about everyone bending over for Obama. Or when Glen Beck and Chuck Norris had an open discussion about succession. I could go on but your very thesis shows you are just reciting taling points.

[Berettasskeeter]

I presume you speak of the terrorists Bill Ayers an his wife, with whom Obama has had numerous social and professional contacts. If you thought these things could be kept hidden away by Obama and his crowd, you're wrong. Palin was exactly correct, and more and more information is coming out about the rest of the President's associates.
Semper fi