Why Do They Hate Us? (The Republicans, Not Muslims)

What terrible offense against Republicans have Americans who support the Democratic Party committed that is has cast them so far beyond the pale that they are no longer fit to be represented by their president?
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
In this Sept. 17, 2012, photo, Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to reporters in Costa Mesa, Calif. Romneys remarks disparaging 47 percent of Americans are the latest in a string of poorly chosen words that play into Democrats portrayal of him as out of touch. But hes not the only one plagued by a campaign gaffe deemed elitist by critics. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
In this Sept. 17, 2012, photo, Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to reporters in Costa Mesa, Calif. Romneys remarks disparaging 47 percent of Americans are the latest in a string of poorly chosen words that play into Democrats portrayal of him as out of touch. But hes not the only one plagued by a campaign gaffe deemed elitist by critics. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

I did a web search of usage of the phrase "why do they hate us" over the last week and received over 3,000 hits. A quick perusal suggests the usages virtually all relate to Muslims. Governor Romney's recently revealed Boca Raton speech to his wealthy donors should prompt us to ask the same question about the Republican Party's plutocrats. Why do they hate us -- 47 percent of Americans by their reckoning? Romney denounced half of all Americans because, in his view, they would never vote for him. His contempt for the 47 percent is so complete that he produced the ultimate dismissal of his fellow Americans and promised not to represent them if he were to be elected President. "[M]y job is not to worry about those people."

What terrible offense against Republicans have Americans who support the Democratic Party committed that is has cast them so far beyond the pale that they are no longer fit to be represented by their president? Here is Romney's rationale, in the order he presented it, for why he has determined that the 47 percent, are not legitimate Americans worthy of representation.

1. We have engaged in unilateral class war against "those who have been successful."

MITT ROMNEY: [T]he thing which I find most disappointing in this president is his attack of -- of one America against another America -- America.

FEMALE VOICE: Yes.

MITT ROMNEY: The divi -- division of America, based on going after those who have been successful.

Romney did not explain how Obama "attack[ed]" "those who have been successful." Ten seconds later, Romney launched his "attack of one America against another America." Romney issued his series of indictments of the 47 percent by endorsing this assertion by one of his wealthy donors.

MALE VOICE: For the past three years, all everybody's been told is, "Don't worry. We'll take care of it." How are we gonna do it, in two months before the elections, to convince everybody you've gotta take care of yourself?

Romney responded.

MITT ROMNEY: Well, there are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right? There are 47 percent who are with him. Who are dependent upon government, who believe that -- that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they're entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing, to you name it. But that's -- it's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.

And -- and -- I mean the president starts off with 48 percent, 49 percent, 40 -- or he -- he starts off with a huge number. These are people who pay no income tax. 47 percent of Americans pay no income taxes. So our message of low taxes doesn't connect. And he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that's what they sell every -- every four years.

And -- and so my job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for for their lives.

Romney's response adds six condemnations of the 47 percent to his claim that they support unilateral class warfare against the "successful."

2. The 47 percent are "dependent upon government"
3. who "believe that they are victims"
4. "who believe that they're entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing, to you name it"
5. "who pay no income tax"
6. who "will vote for [Obama] no matter what," and
7. cannot be "convince[d]" "that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

For these seven reasons, the 47 percent display such anti-American behavior and attitudes that to save America it is essential that Romney be elected because unlike Obama Romney understands that "my job is not to worry about those people." The Republicans hate the Democrats because they have created a mythological world in which Democrats are moochers and Republicans are John Galt clones. The Republicans have taken Charles Murray's urgings to heart and believe that they failed America by failing to denounce Democrats as un-American parasites. This is why the far right's ayatollah, Rush Limbaugh, was overjoyed to learn of Romney's dismissal of 47 percent of Americans. Rush called it a "golden opportunity" and urged Romney to redouble his attacks on the 47 percent.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot