“
Love it or leave it.”
“He’s our president, like it or not, and we should support him.”
“I don’t agree with everything he’s done, but he’s the commander in chief.”
Those are a sampling of quotes from many conservative Americans that were echoed repeatedly in the years between 2001 and 2009 regarding their feelings towards one of the most controversial and embattled presidents in recent history, George W. Bush. An election that was decided under (ahem) questionable circumstances, the misdirected reaction to Sept. 11, the civil liberties violations of the Patriot Act, the false pretenses that spurred the war in Iraq, the numerous scandals that rocked his cabinet and administration, the tragically inept reaction to Hurricane Katrina; none of these things warranted enough criticism and scrutiny from right wingers to spark outrage at the president.
“I don’t agree with everything he’s done, but he’s the commander in chief.”
But now that a black man with a funny-sounding name is sitting in that chair — his (gasp) attempts at health care reform are so detrimental to the very fabric of our country that these same people have taken to the streets and town halls calling him a socialist, a Nazi, or not even an American citizen.
If you watch interviews of these protestors, who range from “birthers” (those who don’t believe Obama is an American citizen) to “tea-baggers” (those who vehemently oppose his health care proposals) to just anti-Obama sign holders; you’ll hear screaming rants about how this president is destroying the country, how (in only 9 months in office) he’s done irrevocable damage to the nation.
Former President Jimmy Carter, in an interview with CNN, finally said what many others believe to be true:
“An overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man.”
Other pundits have denounced Carter’s claims, but one only has to look at the volume and venom spewed at these rallies, the racism persistent on right-wing message boards, the anger and hate that overflowed Republican rallies during the 2008 election, to know that there are a great many white Republicans who just cannot sit back and watch as a black man commands the highest office in the land.
You can dismiss them as hateful and ignorant — which they are — but don’t discount the impact of their crusade, because when too many hateful and ignorant people get together, bad things tend to happen. And the last thing this country needs is GOP-endorsed nationwide lynch mob. –todd williams
