The Demonization of Barack Obama

On November 22, 1963, as a fateful motorcade headed into downtown Dallas, leaflets were circulated throughout the city featuring profiles of President John F. Kennedy and headlined, "Wanted for Treason." On the day JFK was assassinated, there were factions from within the extreme right wing of the American political spectrum expressing the most violent hatred for President Kennedy, accusing him of being soft on communism, a betrayer of anti-Castro Cubans and an ultra-liberal supporter of civil rights for African-Americans. Before the bullets ricocheted in Dealey Plaza on that violent day, they were preceded by words of violence. It is that historical context that connects directly with the unprecedented verbal venom being projected at the 44th President of the United States.

Even before the historic election that placed Barack Obama in the White House, crowds at several of John McCain's rallies openly called for Barack Obama to be "killed." Since Obama's inauguration, the rhetoric has far from dissipated. If anything, the vitriolic contempt stemming from right wing extremists in America has grown more strident. There are the "birthers," who are convinced that Barack Obama is not a native-born American citizen, and therefore believe his presidency is inherently illegitimate. Far more ominously, there are those who are not content with just denouncing the "foreign occupier," as some extremists refer to Obama; at rallies and on talk radio, a noisy contingent has talked about Obama representing tyranny, and have engaged in language that approaches the level of incitement towards violence.

President Barack Obama is not above criticism, as is the case with any politician. However, those who are pouring out hate and contempt towards Barack Obama, on a scale that approaches irrationality, actually drown out and delegitimize those who have genuine, thoughtful criticism of the policies of the Obama administration, especially with regards to the economic crisis and America's exploding national debt and rampaging deficits. While wrapping their vituperation in the American flag, these extremists masquerading as patriots are actually damaging the heart and soul of the conservative movement in the United States, while stoking the flames of violence within America that can prove more destructive to the national interest than the threat posed by any external foe.

While listening to the joyous celebrations that erupted among many forums connected with the Republican Party when Chicago lost its bid to host the 2016 Olympic games, despite the personal intervention of President Obama, I had a feeling of déjà vu. Imagine, supporters of a U.S. political party that claims to be patriotic erupting in paroxysms of ecstasy over the defeat of an American Olympic bid, only because this somehow denigrates Obama. Where have I seen this before?

In France, just before World War II. For a brief period, a left-wing coalition government came to power in France, and for the first time a French Jew, Leon Blum, was that nation's Premier. The right wing went ballistic. Under no circumstances would they cooperate with Blum and his government. When Blum's coalition, known as the Popular Front, reached out to conservative circles in France, they were rebuffed at every opportunity. Extremists attacked the Jewish Premier with violent verbosity, even when Leon Blum went against his own party's agenda, and actually supported conservative policies on foreign affairs and military expenditures. The right wing in France chanted in response, "better Adolf Hitler than Leon Blum." In 1940, thanks in large part to the disunity and political polarization they had sowed, they got their wish, when the nation they claimed to love collapsed in a humiliating defeat.

Before the anti-Obama pathology that has gripped America's right wing has gone past the point of no return, are there any conservatives of conscience and civic courage willing to speak out? If not, their collective silence may prove more destructive to the United States than any plot being hatched by Al-Qaeda.

 

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Comments

[sting7]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/07/borger.opposition/index.html

[december30]

It is the small minority of hatemongers, republicans, democrats too, right wing nuts, making America a joke all over the world. It is truly sad.

[Kevins]

"Issues" that they take seriously include:
A. President Obama is unborn.
B. President Obama is a racist who hates his own white mother.
C. President Obama is every scary political ideology wrapped into one creature, with fangs.
D. President Obama cannot be trusted to talk to school children, nor should they have to look at him.
E. President Obama is a muslim, anti-Christian, hater of American religious freedom.

Irrational in every respect.

As is the desire for the US President to fail--not at this or that, but fail completely, across the board, at everything. Fail to right the economy. Fail to create jobs. Fail in health care reform. Fail in foreign policy--Dick Cheney even seemed at one point to be hoping America was bombed; that would show everyone how terrible Obama was.... None of this sort of thing is...sane.

[Kevins]

As you point out, it's the frothing, irrational quality that comes through vividly. The right-wing isn't just critical, it is incensed.

So much so that it attacks anything--even what's in America's interests--if it attacks the President.

Which is why their two main slogans this term are "NO" and "Yay, America Lost".
This is certainly dangerous.
Though they are clearly a fringe, and a spent political force, they have a quality of desperation, even mania, that cuts them off from rational argument, and makes them prone to irrational acts, and perhaps on to violence and domestic terrorism.

[One more Thing]

I don't believe the United States ever achieved superior status as a civilized society despite our economic and military superiority. China, India or some other country, maybe France, with an educated population will soon put us in our place and we will be free to act as the barbarian rascals we are!

[alumtrix]

Let's not forget that there has been an attempt on every president since Reagan.

[JMBrodie]

Go back farther. Every president: Carter, Ford, Johnson, um JFK..., Eisenhower, Truman, FDR...

You get the idea.

Again, the point is that such talk is a problem, whoever is in the White House.

[heartsick]

And isn't that disgraceful for a supposedly civilized nation? If you're trying to say it's OK now, forget it. I don't buy that and I would like for these people to be rounded up, put in jail and not let out until their threat assessment is determined. If they are determined to be a threat to the President, then throw away the key.

[Lee Andrew]

The fact is that the GOP (Gang of Predators) are certified domestic _terrorists.

_Terrorism
Pronunciation: ˈter-ər-ˌi-zəm
Function: noun
Date: 1795

: the systematic use of _terror especially as a means of coercion.

Sounds vaguely familiar in their antics with teabagging, secessionist rhetoric ET AL.

--

Cordialement,

LeeAndrew

[ProudMilVet]

Could anyone have imagined it ? A Major American Political Party taken hostage like this ?

[One more Thing]

Don't blame it on the Republicans only. There are the Blue Dogs and there are the quiet Democrats who by their silence give consent.

Besides, the Country has no moral leader, just an evangelical crusade to destroy life as we love it!

[ProudMilVet]

There is no longer any Republican Party. What we have in their place is Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck & the rest of the Fear & Hatemongers at Fox News!

[Easyrollins]

Someone wrote that civilization must go forward and we must leave behind a small minority, they know who they are and they should all move into a couple of states and live their miserable existence together, loving each other and hating everyone else.

[cinesimon]

Along with the long list of childish behavior we have seen from the right these past few months, the excuse they use in response to this reality is "well, Bush was demonized, also".
Even if it was at the same insane level that is aimed at Obama, how is that an excuse? "But mom, Jimmy did it, it must be OK". How childish is that?

Regardless: after 9/11, Bush had 92% support. Even through the beginning of Afghanistan, his numbers were in the 80s. But as Iraq became certain and disagreement deemed unpatriotic, as Cheney began to shred the constitution and expand presidential powers whilst squelching the other two branches of government, those numbers declined significantly. As Bush began to do things like invade a country for no other reason than to spread christian nationalist hegemony(and power over oil of course), the vitriolic attacks really began - and, I think, legitimately. Why should a president who has attacked a country for no legitimate purpose not face fierce criticism?
As for the attacks on Obama: despite legitimate issues both the left and the right that could be pursued from both sides(Obama is a centrist), their attacks have nothing do do with the real world, and what Obama is actually doing.
The right wing are manufacturing conspiracy theories left right and center, and there are plenty folk on the right who're lapping it up without so much as a question.
There appears to be no conservative willing to remind them of reality.

[VeryFairMOR]

Boy, thank goodness there was NO demonization of president Bush? Wouldn't that have been unfortunate?
And Dick Cheney? I don't know what our country would have done had Mr. Cheney been deimonized.
None of the decent people on the right wish any harm to come to our president.

[StJames]

Not like this. This is very different. The president gets 30 death threats every day. 4 times the number Bush received. Regardless of what you might think of their politics, comparatively few liberals own guns.

[alumtrix]

guns are to liberals what abortions are to conservatives.


hidden secrets until discovered

[Bob McCarty]

You really fooled me, Sheldon, when you wrote the book about Hillary and continually bashed her. Heck, you made conservatives like me think you were one of us. Now, it turns out you're just carrying the political "water" for BHO.

[cinesimon]

That's right: plant your head in the sand if you don't like the reality that is presented to you.
So we can strike you off as a decent conservative.

[blue42]

Maybe it is time to start speaking about the elephant in the room which is the assanation of this president which would probably be the straw that breaks the camels back for african americans in this countyr.

[Anthrofreak]

Yeah. That would definitely crush the hopes and spirit of the African American population in the U.S. You might even see increased African American migration to Canada and possibly Europe. But some people would LOVE that. They've been wanting us to go back to where they dragged us away from for a few centuries now.

[StJames]

Oh no please do NOT go there. That is exactly what the wingnuts want to be able to point to.

[dynwit]

They will not speak out because they helped hatch the entire sham in the back rooms of Washington, following the advice of their Emperor Palatine, K @ r l R 0 v e.