Where Will Right-Wing Anger Lead?

Take a look at this first flyer.  It's been preserved in the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza, previously known as the Texas School Book Depository.  This "advertisement" is one of about 5,000 distributed in downtown Dallas several days prior to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Hate jocks on the radio, right-wing fearmongers on Fox News, websites filled with unspeakable vitriol against President Obama, tea parties, birthers, conspiracy theorists, racist cartoons, racist emails, loaded guns at presidential rallies, Republican politicians denigrating our Commander-in-chief. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the hateful grandstanding needs to stop.  I'm not a big fan of Pelosi's but I do agree with what she said today:  "I saw this myself in the late seventies in San Francisco.  This kind of rhetoric was very frightening and it gave.  It created a climate in which violence took place.  I wish that we all again would curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made, with the understanding that some of the ears this is falling on are not as balanced as the person making the statement might assume."

Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Matt Drudge have been doing their very best to incite a race war.  (Limbaugh has even suggested that we need to return to segregated busing.)  You want to see a race war?  Just wait until someone from the far right fringe takes a shot at the President after being nudged on by these cretins. 

What the ultraconservative paranoiacs don't comprehend (or maybe they do comprehend and simply don't give a fuck) is that when they spit on the President, they're spitting on the sixty-six million of us who voted for him.  They're not just calling him despicable names, they're calling all of us those names. 

I am sick of it.  I'm sick of right-wingers whining about losing their so-called "way of life" when nothing has really altered in America.  Nobody's rights are being suppressed.  Washington is still controlled by greedy corporations.  That's not going to change.  The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, children go hungry while the Mormon Church and the Catholic Church raise huge amounts of cash to defeat gay marriage.  I'm sick of corrupt politicians.  I'm sick of lying Republicans and spineless Democrats.  I'm sick of fanatics accusing Obama of taking away their firearms when no gun control laws have passed under his watch.  And I'm really, really, really sick of religious fundies who spend their days preaching against LGBT rights and their nights cheating on their spouses.

Is there anger on the left?  Sure thing.  Color me angry.  But you won't see me - or any progressives - advocating the overthrow of a government that was duly elected by the people. 

Comments

[Bee Girl]

I agree 100%. I'm embarrassed to live in America right now. The Bush years made us look stupid to the world. Imagine what they're thinking about us now. I wonder how much the foreign press is picking up on this.

Gaina? Are you seeing all this on TV in England?

[Daniel]

I simply cannot articulate the lengths to which I would go if the right attempted to, or god forbid, succeeded in assassinating the President. I would instantly view it as an assault on my country and would respond in kind.

What the right forgets, more than the 66 million who voted for Obama, more than facts/history/truth, is that the characterization of the left as weak or whiny is not entirely true. Those who keep their composure longer in the face of direct assault tend to have a higher threshold for insult; yet once that threshold is passed, the response of those who were wronged surpasses the red-faced anger of Tea Parties and cannot be satisfied by mere apology.

[Trent]

Agreed. The right is out of control. I fear it's only a matter of time before something tragic happens - and then the conservative sheeple will learn what "public outcry" really means.

[Skepticat]

Spot on. Painfully, frighteningly, sadly spot on.

[George Tafelski]

Great find and great post. There have always been village idiots but now they are armed to the teeth and feast on lies and misinformation propagated at speeds unimaginable to Gutenberg. We don't just live in interesting times but in damn dangerous times.

Have you noticed that extremists don't have a sense of humor? I am a great fan of all the political satire out there today but laughter has always been a defense mechanism for humans and we on the left spend a great deal of time laughing at those assholes. Maybe we continue to do so at our own peril and our elected leaders.

[Count Spatula]

This is why the left wing should have done more to challenge the excesses of the right wing, while they were in power; to set a limit on how far these crazies can go, and to make them start to cope with other views. But I guess everyone was too busy playing Wii, looking at porn, blogging and watching the Sopranos.

So here we are.

[Joe]

Are you telling me you never called the Bush administration "illegal" or "illegitimate"? Your argument is hilarious and hypocritical.

[diane]

Joe,
The Supreme Court decided the 2000 election with justices that were appointed by HIS father.
If that had been a Democrat the republicans would have called it the same thing.
The right is saying right now that Obama is illegal and illigitamate and fighting in court. Please!!!!

[Adam]

Joe,

I'm not one to defend Limbaugh, he lies to the American people telling them that it's a jewel etcetera - but when he mentioned segregated busing, he was being ironic. He is well known for using that method of conveying his opinion.
Also, I think Obama's nationality needs to be looked into. He's paid $1 million to prevent the leaking of a document and three different sources in Kenya have said they've got his Birth Certificate. Hawaii was (and still is?) a place for immagrants to use as a stepping stone into the mainland. I just htink it should be checked out.

"I'm sick of lying Republicans and spineless Democrats."

Then take a look at David Jon Sponheim!
http://www.americasthirdparty.com/

Cordially,
Adam

[barf]

time to go to the mattress'

i have waiting since i was in chicago in 68 for this, and it's time for bloodshed in the streets. the left will not go quietly, and we are armed and ready too....

[euthyfro]

I'm with you, barf. The only thing i remotely agree with the reactionary psychos on is the importance of an armed citizenry. All that the radicals (and here i'm going with the classical dichotomy of right wing Reactionaries v. left wing Radicals) are missing is a truly revolutionary leadership. The Democratic Party will never produce that leadership or frame our circumstances as what they are: Class War.

[Doc Pain]

A lot of the 'far-right' like to bring up the fact that, indeed, we spent a lot of time calling "W" a lot of names, but that was only after about his 3rd year in office and he basically abandoned anything that concerned the country...his one and only obsession was "Iraq". and any time ANYone said anything different....the neocon response was "9-11, 9-11, 9-11......"....THEN they (neo's, gop, False News...et.al.) made it their only mission to call US (anyone with a brain and a shred of decency) "the Enemy" or "sympathetic to the terrorist" "nutjobs", "pinheads" ect, ect......WELL....if you take a close look at their "Protest" marches, you'll notice a disturbing trend....they want their POWER back and are willing to use violence to get it back. and this they truly believe as you show take heed. This is just the tip of a very large and demented Iceberg and as the old saying goes..."The Sh** is gonna hit the fan" mark my words.....this country is very rapidly headed for extreme acts of violence committed by "Right-Wing Nutjobs" and they will proudly stand on their Bibles and proclaim "They" are the only "True Americans".......I've spent the last 8 years being treated like the Enemy of America....and I'm personally not taking it anymore. I finally realized what G.O.P. stands for "Gloriously Oppressing People".

[Woody]

But you won't see me - or any progressives - advocating the overthrow of a government that was duly elected by the people.

An important caveat: "duly elected by the people."

One which Joe's limited reading ability and crippled cognitive competence apparently missed, so he could write:

Are you telling me you never called the Bush administration "illegal" or "illegitimate"? Your argument is hilarious and hypocritical. Posted by: Joe

The Bush regime was illegal and illegitimate. Appointed in 2000, and in 2004 returned by stolen and/or fraudulent manipulation of electronically cast ballots.

[roooth]

Do yourself a favor,(I know this will seem a little wierd), stop saying all this makes you "sick" - because if you say it enough, raise your stress level enough, and you will get sick.

And, quite frankly, we need you to be healthy for this fight.

Say you're through with standing by silently.

Say you're through with pretending the people who promote this hate are just good Americans with differing opinions.

Point out at every opportunity just how wrong and deranged these nutbags are and why that is the very reason they, and those who egg them on, should have NO SAY in how we legislate.

They lost. We won. Game over.

Let's all tell them collectively - and individually - to go fuck themselves, and get the fuck out of our way while we clean up the mess they made.

We cannot show fear because they threaten - that only encourages them.

What we should be doing right now is demanding that any violations of the law be prosecuted. We already have laws on the books to stop a lot of this, we're just so terrified of the backlash from the bullies that we're letting them keep stepping on us.

They lost. We won - unless we allow them to use bullying to force a do-over.

But don't say this is making you sick - say that it is making you strong - and determined not to allow this in YOUR country.

[ckerst]

Until you start shouting back at them, literally, they won't back down. Until they are kicked in the nuts, figuratively, they will continue to get worse.

[Jae]

I disagree. The violence is pathetic and should be stopped. The racist remarks as well. But saying that when one insults the president they are insulting everyone who voted for him is a stretch. I spent the last 4 years (if not more) talking about what a monkey W was. W was an idiot. W was a criminal. But I am not insulting those who voted for him. (If I say "those who were dumb enough to vote for him" I am.)
I'm just insulting W.
I don't think we can stoop to their level. The past 8 years we've heard over and over how unamerican it is to insult the president. How unamerican it is to disagree with policy. Well it isn't. It wasn't when Bush was in office, it isn't now that Obama is.

[Max P.]

"Do yourself a favor,(I know this will seem a little wierd), stop saying all this makes you "sick" - because if you say it enough, raise your stress level enough, and you will get sick... But don't say this is making you sick."

To roooth: The word "sick" also means "fed up" and "disgusted" - It's used that way a lot in my part of the country. I appreciate you wanting me to stay healthy, though :}

[Amanda]

And rightwingers have the nerve to photoshop Obama's face like The Joker. Ah, the irony.

[Carol]

This story is EXACTLY how I've been feeling. I'm so frustrated with the rhetoric coming from conservatives. They've given up any pretense of civility. Spoiled children, the lot of them.

[Kyle Brady]

Hey Max,

Good points! I've been considering these same points myself, over at my blog [ http://www.kyle-brady.com/category/oped ], but I didn't know about the JFK poster.

Scary stuff - it's why I'm a registered Democrat even though I share some of what was formerly the core ideals of the Republican party: military spending, "defense", etc.

--Kyle

[MillerinTN]

I agree with President Carter. If you have lived among these crazies, you know what they are about. When they get many of the GOP congresspersons behind them, there is no end to their ignorance. They truly belive they'll fight the civil war again. The incitement of this group is nothing more than the GOP trying to garner any vote wherever they can, and they've elected this truly unpatriotic way of doing it.

[Max P.]

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate all the thoughtful comments.

[Susan]

Time to shut the white-trash up. You can't get a passport without a birth certificate. This is a racist diversion from the illiterate Right.
The Right has no facts and the Left is too weak. How about calling these low-lifes out whenever they emerge from their holes (or mistrisses/preachers arms). They are so tragically uninformed it will be like shooting fish in a barrel. Heard the latest from old fart Grassley? Grassley whining that he was insulted that the President called him out on the death panels fiasco? (When he said the Health Bill would 'pull the plug on gramma'). Why doesn't he understand that those words were taped and broadcast? He's a 75 year old freak who apparently thinks that his words aren't recorded - shouldn't he retire to Alaska and chat with Stephenson about trucks and tubes?
Our problem is that we're matching wits with unarmed opponents!
All positions don't deserve equal time... cut the freaks off, they have nothing to add to the conversation.

[Susan]

Also, I think Obama's nationality needs to be looked into. He's paid $1 million to prevent the leaking of a document and three different sources in Kenya have said they've got his Birth Certificate. Hawaii was (and still is?) a place for immagrants to use as a stepping stone into the mainland. I just htink it should be checked out.

Adam - you lost the election and the congress ... this issue is a diversion from the lunatic fringe to take their minds off their impotence. Adam - read a book once in a while - you can't be president if you're not a citizen - that's why the Terminator isn't running ... your post also proves an important point - you people are brain-washed AND you can't spell!!! (Try right-clicking on the underlined words to find the correct spelling - it will make you look like you graduated from 8th grade!)

[Susan]

Great find and great post. There have always been village idiots but now they are armed to the teeth and feast on lies and misinformation propagated at speeds unimaginable to Gutenberg. We don't just live in interesting times but in damn dangerous times.

Great post, George - but lets remember that JFK was not just demeaned but was assassinated. That's the worry these days.