All Posts Tagged With: "anti-Obama hysteria"

Whether it’s the illiterate, irrational ramblings of local bloggers or the perfidious, phantasmic rantings of national commentators, the far right has declared all out jihad against the new president, pulling out all the stops — like truth, reality, facts, evidence, logic, reason, rationality — and spreading fear, distortions, misrepresentations and all out lies. I may address some of the local blogger silliness another time, but here’s an example of some of the ridiculous commentary on the national stage.

Marc Thiessen, former chief speechwriter for former President Bush, has been stirring the pot in the last couple of days. Yesterday, I posted about his “twisted op-ed” in Thursday’s Washington Post in which he proffered a very distorted view of the Bush legacy. In a post at National Review Online yesterday, Thiessen ratchets up the rhetoric to unabashed fear-mongering and hysterics:

The CIA program he is effectively shutting down is the reason why America has not been attacked again after 9/11. He has removed the tool that is singularly responsible for stopping al-Qaeda from flying planes into the Library Tower in Los Angeles, Heathrow Airport, and London’s Canary Warf, and blowing up apartment buildings in Chicago, among other plots. It’s not even the end of inauguration week, and Obama is already proving to be the most dangerous man ever to occupy the Oval Office.

Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent responds:

Obama is already “the most dangerous” President ever?

Here’s the thing about this. You have here an assertion that crosses over from mere opinion into verifiable or disprovable assertion. If you’re going to say that someone has already proven himself to be dangerous, as opposed to merely being potentially dangerous, you need to point to empirical evidence of this, such as lives lost to foreign threats on your watch. There haven’t been any such lives lost under President Obama yet, unlike other past Presidents.

This type of hysteria is not only foolish, it’s absurd. From Rush Limbaugh to countless, unflinchingly-loyal-no-matter-how-often-proven-wrong, diehard right-wing bloggers, there is a cacophonous chorus of toxic rhetoric desperately wishing and unabashedly rooting for this new president to fail. It astounds me. I’m not sure why exactly; I’m not sure why I expect more from this crowd.

No matter how strongly I disagreed with President Bush’s policies and actions, I never wanted him to fail as president. I would fight his agenda, but I never rooted for him to fail. Why would I? His failures negatively impacted me and my country. It’s like despising my boss so much that I rooted for him/her to fail, even though his/her failure could very well negatively impact me and my job!

It’s this type of irrational fear-mongering and hateful rhetoric that makes me worry more for this country than anything George Bush has done or Barack Obama may do. The cancer of “us vs. them” selfishness and refusal to find common ground is dividing this country in ever more irreparable ways. We are doing more harm to our own country than any terrorist could ever do. “United we stand, divided we fall.” We are a nation divided. If we do not find a way to come together, we will fall.

Ed Morrissey is among those on the right that are ready for these conspiracy theories to die once and for all …

I’m sure the comments section will fill with various conspiracy theories over Indonesian school records, Kenyan births, and so on.  None of it — absolutely none — has any real, solid evidence showing that Obama was born anywhere else than Hawaii apart from sheer speculation and hearsay, and even less evidence that Obama’s stepfather renounced Obama’s birthright citizenship, which he didn’t have the power to do anyway.  It’s a conspiracy theory spun by conspiracy theorists (Philip Berg is a 9/11 truther) who use their normal thresholds of evidence for this meme.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court can’t kill the conspiracy theories.  It can only kill the lawsuits, which is what they will almost certainly do tomorrow when they meet.

The lunatic fringe never runs out of steam. An advertisement for The Bill Handel Show on the website of a highly rated talk radio station in Los Angeles “asks” if Barack Obama is the Antichrist …

CLICK TO ENLARGE

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Prooftexting scripture to support a transparently political partisan agenda is heretical and potentially dangerous on so many levels. It’s grossly irresponsible for any God-fearing, Bible-believing Christian to engage in such dubious, fear-mongering, Pharisaical rhetoric.

(Courtesy: Digby)

Last week, I posted about the controversy concerning Barack Obama’s citizenship status, which generated some interesting discussion. After that post, I said I wouldn’t comment any further about it until there some sort of resolution. However, I was pointed by a reader to a lengthy post this morning by Joan Swirsky writing for Tulsa Today. I didn’t think it was possible, but I was truly shocked at what she wrote.

She first opines about the “deafening silence” by the media about the controversy, including the right-wing outlets.

It is no mystery that the leftist media have refused to mention this potentially looming Constitutional crisis in virtually all of their print and electronic coverage. Having shilled for Obama for the past two years – dismissing his longtime radical associations, obfuscating his radical voting record, and taking a pass at their jobs of vetting a presidential candidate –  their failure to cover the most explosive story of the 2008 campaign speaks volumes about collusion of the highest order.

Then there are the late-night comics, as well as snarky “humorists” like Bill Maher and Jon Stewart, who take pride in being irreverent and “outing” both people and subjects that others avoid. Not a word.

But what about the failure of the powerful conservative media – how to explain their total blackout of this story?

Could it be because the story is even too far fetched for even the most hardcore right-wingers? Joan singles out some specific examples Continued

Just when I thought I couldn’t be shocked more, along comes something like this:

Think Progress reports that the site has since be scrubbed of the graphic:

After local Democrats “alleged racist campaign tactics,” the Republican Club in Pemberton, NJ removed a banner yesterday from its website that compared Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to O.J. Simpson. “Obama loves America like O.J. loved Nicole,” the banner read. Though the image has now been removed, Blue Jersey saved a screen shot of the offensive banner.

Ed Kuck, the Republican County committeeman who placed the image on the website, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he had put it up while adding pictures from a local rally for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Simpson was effectively found liable in a 1996 civil trial for the death of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson.

I promise that I’m trying to stop with all the politics posts, but the insanity just keeps coming. You simply won’t believe how much stuff I’m passing over as I try to get back to non-political posts, but some stuff is just too good outrageous to pass up. This latest lunacy comes from Tom Kovach of Renew America who suggests that Barack Obama (The False Prophet) will appoint Bill Clinton to the United Nations where he will ascend to his ultimate role as The Anti-Christ.

No, I’m not kidding.

The Holy Bible describes certain attributes of The Antichrist. He will be a man that ultimately “sets himself above all that is called god.” (If one claims to adhere to several different gods, even though each one claims exclusive dominion, then what does that say about the man?) The Antichrist will be a persecutor of Christians. He will be a consummately skilled liar. And, his identity will be revealed only after The Tribulation has already begun.

Now, before readers make too many assumptions, consider that The Antichrist will be preceded by a False Prophet, who will give The Antichrist his political power. Recently, former president Bill Clinton endorsed candidate Barack Obama, even though Hillary Clinton has only suspended (not withdrawn) her candidacy for president. Bill Clinton cannot become president again. But, he could be appointed — by a President Barack Obama, or even by a President Hillary Clinton — to become US Ambassador to the United Nations. And, in that position, he would be eligible to become UN Secretary General. That, in effect, would make Bill Clinton “king of the world,” if the UN seizes power. All of that handed to him by a man that rises up, “speaking boastfully” to the world about “change we can believe in.” Hmmmmm.

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It seems like a bit of a reach, although the timing may be about right. The last seven years might qualify as “The Tribulation” and a prelude to Armageddon. (Tongue planted firmly in cheek.)

False teaching is a very dangerous thing, and I’ve seen a lot of it in recent days and weeks. Trying to fit Biblical events into a political and/or idealogical framework is like pissing into the wind — nothing good will come of it.

Attacks and anti-Obama hysterics aren’t confined to people on the right. There are plenty of lunatic fringe on the left who pile on as well, like Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy. Here’s a brief excerpt from her rather long diatribe:

… seeing these articles and photographs of Senator Clinton and Senator Obama together, him with his hand on her back, just makes me cringe. Frankly, it makes me almost physically ill. See, I have done a lot of work in the Domestic Violence movement. And I have seen this cycle before: the man abuses, attacks, and lashes out at the woman. The woman makes excuses for, and accepts blame from, the man for his attacks. Not unlike Senator Clinton saying now that they are friends, respect each other, and support each other. I know what respect looks and feels like - Senator Obama has shown NONE for Senator Clinton. Senator McCain has, but Obama? No. Seeing these photos of her with him now reminds me of battered women wearing sunglasses to hide the bruises, and saying, “Oh, he didn’t really mean it. It was my fault, really, I shouldn’t have made him mad. He really does love me, in his own way, really! Don’t be mad at him!” Not only did Obama make sexist remarks about Senator Clinton, INCLUDING at the fundraiser the other night, but he reaped the benefit of the sexist and misogynistic remarks made by others, the veiled death threats (talking to YOU, Keith), the threats of violence, the degradation, not on her record, or on her speeches, but because she was a woman.

Keep in mind that this is a left-wing website. The hysterics get even better in the comment section: Continued

I apologize in advance for those readers of mine who cringe at politics. I try to avoid it when I can, but some stories and issues are just too compelling for me to ignore. Yesterday’s post kicked off a mini-marathon of campaign-related blog posts. (My apologies to those who can’t stomach the carnage. You’re welcome to step off this ride for this trip and I’ll catch up with you the next time by!)

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I had an inkling that my last post yesterday might stir up the hornet’s nest. The anti-Obama hysteria-mongers did not disappoint. While most of the commenters were reasonable in their remarks here, the real fun can be found in the comment section of the post on Free Republic about my blog post. (How this humble blog made it on that site, I have now idea.) Here’s a sampling of the hysterical comments:

“It’s hard to be a Christian, when your a Muslim”

“Obama is indeed the anti-Christ.”

“Obama has no patriotism. He is a product of marxists, pure and simple.”

“Of course the radical left IS closely allied with the Islamic extremist nutcases.”

“Hey Dr. Prescott! Why did you suddenly have Cal stop reading at Matthew 7:5? Didn’t you want him to read verse 6 where Jesus says “Don’t cast your pearls before swine”? Or would that have been a little too close a reference to Obama for you?” (Suggesting Obama is a pig?)

“To be a Muslim, or a Christian, or a Hindu for that matter, Obama would have to believe in a Power greater than himself. Which, in ObamaLand, would be heresy.”

And from the comments in my own blog post (in case you missed it):

“Osama Obama is truely a false prophet. He has twisted and changed the word of God to suit his lying means …

“Don’t be led by these false teachers and/or preachers who for political reasons, are willing and ready to toss the Lord under the bus. Yes, I’m speaking of those preachers who will follow Osama Obama to hell if they have to and take as many members with him.”

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It all leaves me literally shaking my head and marveling at the intensity of the contempt and hysterics over Obama. Reasoned opposition is one thing, and I can honestly respect that, even if I strongly disagree. But some of this lunacy is off the charts. And it’s not just limited to conservatives and right-wing zealots, as I’ll demonstrate in my next post.