Last Friday night on Hardball on MSNBC, Chris Matthews asked his guest, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann from MN-06, if Barack Obama had anti American views. She answered yes and then went on to call for an investigation, by the media and Congress, of people in government who have anti American views.
48 hours after her remarks, her Democratic opponent in MN-06, Elwyn Tinklenberg, raised $640,000. While Tinklenberg was raking in the coin, General Colin Powell made a comment about her, right after he endorsed Barack Obama on Meet The Press, saying that sort of divisiveness accomplishes nothing and is simply flat out wrong.
I think someone needs to go knock Congresswoman Bachmann on the noggin and tell her that it is not 1952 and she is not Joe McCarthy.
The year is 2008, folks, and I have to say that it warms my heart to see the tactics of the right, long discussed on this blog, falling completely flat. The American people aren't listening. They aren't listening to the robo calls from the McCain campaign saying that Obama pals around with terrorists. They aren't listening to Sarah Palin as she continues to flog a dead horse by bringing up Obama's anti-American "associations." (Which is very odd, considering her husband belongs to the Alaska secessionist movement who are quite clearly anti American). They aren't listening to the conservative douche bag machine as they play the fear and race card simultaneously.
Just like with Joe McCarthy, the American public is starting to wake up. Thank God. There was awhile there when I wondered if we had it in us. The polls haven't changed. The donations keep rolling in for Senator Obama and Democrats around the country. And, although the election is still two weeks away, I think it is safe to say that we have seen the end of Rovian politics. When our country is as divided as it is, things get really fucked up. Guess what? Things are pretty fucked up right now and the American people are sick of the negativity.
Barack Obama rolled the dice and stayed positive. He had pundit after pundit telling him to go really negative but he didn't. He stayed on task and spoke to the problems our nation faces. These are serious problems that need to be addressed by dedicated people with deep intellect and compassion.
In other words, him.
In all honesty, it may be the end of the Republican Party as we know it. Party leaders hitched their wagon to a volatile and decaying star. Much of the base are ignorant, bitter, and angry people whose only goal in life, seemingly, is force their dogma down people's throats. The convention in St Paul and the attacks against Senator Obama in the weeks since have exposed them for what they truly are...horrible and willfully ignorant people who exist only to hate and divide.
One of the best things about this nation, which is the main reason why I love it as much as I do, is that we always find a way to deal with the Michelle Bachmanns of our country. We've taken a few steps down the path of anger and fanaticism in the past. We always manage to come back, though, and show the people of the world what we are truly made of.
We're just about to do that again.
7 comments:
Best friggin article you've written yet! I sure hope my district wakes up and realizes that leadership cannot be based on ignorance and sound bites alone.
Chrissy
MN-06
I have heard others say recently the Republican party had pretty much had it. I myself, remain very, very afraid. Palin's supporters are about to get out pitchforks! They have demonstrated power means more to them than playing by the rules. Not very American in the traditional sense, and certainly not my interpretation.
Two things that worry me most:
*The former "old school" conservatives who blindly claim the Neocons are "not really any different", and there hasn't been any shift in the party over the last couple decades - meaning, they will just continue to vote for anything called Republican in the misguided belief they will have a couple extra bucks after taxes... amazing, but they ARE out there.
*The other problem are the new arrivals in the USA, who do gain voting rights after 7-10 years, yet feel the Libertarian and Religious values from their native country are somehow closer to the Republicans.
Ignoring this two fold threat to seeing America return to the centrist policies of the late '50s, and early '60s (yes, they WERE centrist if you really compare) could be catastrophic. We cannot survive another administration like Cheney's. How anyone can ignore the damage that has been done, and the reversal of actual conservative values, and disregard of the Constitution is beyond me.
Arianna Huffington has a very good piece;
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-internet-and-the-deat_b_136400.html
explaining her belief that we've seen the end of "Rovian" politics thanks to the Internet. It's hard to spread the lies and half-truths the right has relied upon for more than two decades, when there is now instant fact checking, digital video and viral email.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant. It's now possible to instantly shed the light of truth on the old-world politics of lie and smear.
Sadly, there will always be those who are angry, ignorant and bitter. If they flee or are run out of the GOP, they have to go somewhere.
It's hard to spread the lies and half-truths the right has relied upon for more than two decades, when there is now instant fact checking, digital video and viral email.
And yet the Obama campaign is vigorously denying that Joe Biden put his foot in his mouth again (about the 'manufactured crisis' that will test the forthcoming Obama administration).
Dan, the problem is that Huffie is herself a part of problem. Or are you going to claim that they only post what is true and factual and without spin? I dispute that the right has relied upon lies and half-truths, at least to any greater extent than the left has in the same time. This is just hilarious coming from people accusing the other guys of being the champions of demonization.
And I do tend to get angry when I'm accused of being ignorant and/or bitter. Funny how that works.
Juris, I don't really view you as an ordinary member of the right. In many ways, you are like last in line. The only real issue with both of you is that you fail to see what your party has become...fervent, angry ignorants trying to continue that work that Joe McCarthy, of all people, has done. I don't think either you or last are like this, thankfully. The Democrats have their own set of problems, to be sure, but none like this or as severely ridiculous.
"The only real issue..."
That's your issue, not mine. Hat tip to my e-friend Juris for that one. Not going to go into detail explaining it on here.
what your party
My party? Who in the sam fucking hell is that? I've been registered independent for years. The last party affiliation I had was Libertarian, and I quit them years ago as a bunch of hopeless lunatics. Do I tend to vote Republican - yes, because in Californistan the Dems are so far left they lost track of the center about 50 years ago. I liked the Republicans when they talked about limited govt (particularly at the federal level), but once wielding the levers of power they were no more interested in devolving power than the Dems ever were. The last 8 years have been pure hell as there isn't even a pretense to that philosophy any more. I hate the Repubs for that, as much as I hate the Dems for believing that govt is the solution to every problem (even things that aren't problems).
My party? You once again proved you haven't got a clue.
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