From crazy Russian dentist-realtor-lawyers melting down on cable TV, to people who don’t know what the word “fascist” means, but think the word sounds cool, to walking examples of Godwin’s Law, the public discourse, at least as portrayed in the media, has become irrational to the point where it can no longer be fairly called “discourse”.
Certainly, we have our fair share of crazies on the left, too. Those who were with me on a visit to Berkeley last spring got to hear in colorful terms exactly what I think of Code Pink, and especially what I think of Cindy Sheehan. (Oh, and Cynthia McKinney, too!) And I bet you’d almost forgotten about this awesome rant from the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting last May…
OK, so our country is full of loud, stupid people. This may be the most shocking revelation since “college students drink”. But something about the town hall screamers makes them more than just crazy. These people, with their seemingly out-of-nowhere Hitler invocations, have crossed from mere insanity into actual malice. Left-wing protesters were often heard calling for Bush to be impeached and tried for war crimes. This was hailed by many on the right as being the ultimate in unpatriotic, America-hating, pinko Commie activity. But the protesters we’re seeing on the news these days are inciting violent threats against the party in power. Comparing Obama and Congressional Democrats to Nazis is particularly bad: the comparison is so out-of-place that it carries no legitimate rhetorical value, yet it paints the opponent as an enemy who must be defeated at all costs, including by extralegal means.
Funny how quickly things change… Many of these people were the type to become angry at TV comedians who made fun of George W. Bush, saying “he’s our President and he deserves our respect”. (No, he’s our President and he deserves to hear exactly what we think of him. And further, he ought to have a sense of humor about himself, because if he doesn’t, he’s liable to become a bitter shell of a man, like his Vice President.)
So what drives this hateful opposition? What motivates somebody to introduce a blatantly-forged Certificate of Live Muslim Kenyan Birth to a White Lady as evidence in a real court, in a real lawsuit? As much as I hate it when people overplay the racism card, the birther/secret Muslim movements do smack of racism, or at least of gross xenophobia.
Meanwhile, the town hall screamers and teabaggers are complaining about a perceived “socialist” bent, taking as an axiom that socialism is the Ulllltimaaaate Eeeeeviiiiiil. Shhhh! Nobody tell them about Medicare, unemployment benefits, corn subsidies, or public schools. Oh, or the bank bailout that the previous President started. Decades ago, they called anybody who disagreed with them “communist”. In the early 2000’s, “unpatriotic” and “un-American” were the popular accusations. A few months ago, “fascist” enjoyed a brief period of popularity, but “socialist” has been the catch-all for the last year, and looks to be going strong.
Anyway, I’m now seeing more and more media coverage (or maybe I’m just watching more MSNBC…) portraying the opposition for what it really is: GOP operatives who have no qualms about channeling and directing the irrational fears of a small group of Americans for political gain. And in the end, what the protests come down to isn’t people interested in upholding the “natural-born” clause of the Constitution, or people who are interested in honestly debating health care. They’re just people who have been goaded into openly expressing their fear of an African-American liberal. They’re conspiracy theorists who are afraid of Obama, because he’s black, and to the left. Black, and to the left. Black. And to the left.