By Dennis Loo
In the August 13, 2009 New York Times Paul Krugman (“Republican Death Trip”) wrote about the brawl over health care:
“[Quoting Obama] ’I am in this race because I don’t want to see us spend the next year re-fighting the Washington battles of the 1990s. I don’t want to pit Blue America against Red America; I want to lead a United States of America.’ So declared Barack Obama in November 2007, making the case that Democrats should nominate him, rather than one of his rivals, because he could free the nation from the bitter partisanship of the past.
“Some of us were skeptical. A couple of months after Mr. Obama gave that speech, I warned that his vision of a ‘different kind of politics’ was a vain hope, that any Democrat who made it to the White House would face ‘an unending procession of wild charges and fake scandals, dutifully given credence by major media organizations that somehow can’t bring themselves to declare the accusations unequivocally false.’
“So, how’s it going?
“Sure enough, President Obama is now facing the same kind of opposition that President Bill Clinton had to deal with: an enraged right that denies the legitimacy of his presidency, that eagerly seizes on every wild rumor manufactured by the right-wing media complex.
“This opposition cannot be appeased. Some pundits claim that Mr. Obama has polarized the country by following too liberal an agenda. But the truth is that the attacks on the president have no relationship to anything he is actually doing or proposing.
“And not long ago, some of the most enthusiastic peddlers of the euthanasia smear, including Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, and Mrs. Palin herself, were all for ‘advance directives’ for medical care in the event that you are incapacitated or comatose. That’s exactly what was being proposed — and has now, in the face of all the hysteria, been dropped from the bill.
“Yet the smear continues to spread. And as the example of Mr. Gingrich shows, it’s not a fringe phenomenon: Senior G.O.P. figures, including so-called moderates, have endorsed the lie.” [Emphasis added.]
Obama rode into office riding a wave of revulsion for Bush and Cheney and on the hopes of millions that rancor, disastrous, monstrous policies, and blatantly illegal and immoral behavior would be reversed.
Obama said that we are “better than that.”
When he said that there is “no black America, there is no white America, there is only the United States of America,” millions wanted to believe him.
But as the brouhaha over his health care plan, his race, and his Hawaii birth certificate* demonstrate unmistakably, Obama was wrong: there is a part of white America that refuses to recognize the rest of us (and the world, for that matter). The system that Obama is leading and protecting is one that can’t even accept his color and his watered down plans for health care.
As Krugman correctly points out, there is no appeasing and there is no compromise with these forces. The extremists of the right at Fox, ResistNet, FreedomWorks, and the GOP itself have stoked into a fiery fury the people who are turning the town halls into models of thuggery. (Within the GOP, even the “moderates” are extremists.)
Krugman ends his Op-Ed by calling for Obama to take the offensive against these forces:
“So far, at least, the Obama administration’s response to the outpouring of hate on the right has had a deer-in-the-headlights quality. It’s as if officials still can’t wrap their minds around the fact that things like this can happen to people who aren’t named Clinton, as if they keep expecting the nonsense to just go away.
“What, then, should Mr. Obama do? It would certainly help if he gave clearer and more concise explanations of his health care plan. To be fair, he’s gotten much better at that over the past couple of weeks.
“What’s still missing, however, is a sense of passion and outrage — passion for the goal of ensuring that every American gets the health care he or she needs, outrage at the lies and fear-mongering that are being used to block that goal.”
I’m all for passion and outrage, Paul. We need this more than ever. But what you’re calling for isn’t consistent with what you accurately said about the radical right in the rest of your article.
To begin with, Obama’s plan is a sell-out to the HMOs. It’s hard to get passionate about a plan like that.
Secondly, the problem here is that Obama long ago made his peace with the extremist right – witness his stand, for example, on prosecuting the torture policies that Bush and Cheney are responsible for: “This is a time for reflection, not retribution. I’m looking forwards, not backwards.”
Look backwards into your rear view mirror, Barack. That’s an eighteen-wheeler barreling down your rear bumper to roll over you and crush you and the rest of us.
Obama’s “We are the United States of America” litany means seeking common ground with fascists. Fascists don’t care how nice you are. They don’t care what the truth and facts are. They will make up whatever suits their purposes and have no compunctions about that whatsoever. They will repeat lie after lie until their lies are taken as truth. These people will kill you – look at what they did to Dr. Tiller – if they don’t like you or see you as an obstacle. And after they kill you they will congratulate the one who pulled the trigger and say a prayer for him or her. While you are telling these fascists how interested you are in compromise and bipartisanship they will be sinking their fangs into your neck and sucking your blood.
Most of the people who voted for Obama did so because they thought he would end the wars and occupations and bring the troops home. They thought that he’d end the torture and prosecute those responsible. They thought he’d stop all the signing statements and the warrantless surveillance.
So, how’s it going?
How do you deal with vampires? Do you keep telling others in the village that the vampire on the hill is really a nice guy and that we can all just get along? Or do you organize a march of villagers with pitchforks and blazing torches to march on the vampire’s house?
The people who despise injustice and lies need to steel themselves and march forth. We need to cast away illusions about what is up and turn this into a two-sided fight rather than one in which the forces of the dark have all of the initiative. The Democrats want us to quietly follow their lead and rely on their leadership. They are leading us into a swamp. Let them go into the swamp. We know better.
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*Hawaii’s not really a part of the union some say, so it doesn’t count. As someone who was born and raised there, I proudly say, "mo’ betta fo’ Hawai’i!"
Hey, Loo ~ if the protestors are a bunch of white racists, then what’s this black man doin’ addressin’ the crowd?
http://vimeo.com/4189005
and why are they all clappin’ at what he’s sayin’?
And if this is just a white racists’ movement against Obama, then what is AIM co-founder Russell Means talking about?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwBpbSopM4I
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=644_1232733116
Yeah, you go ‘head and use the race card to try to marginalize and silence that which you don’t want to face – people of every race and color value their freedom and personal sovereignty over any government oppression.
The more I read your stuff & think about it, the more I think maybe you are a NWO infiltrator, here to spew lies about people you haven’t dared to even talk to personally, to perpetrate and instigate division amongst the people ’cause to recognize the human commonality would disturb your own personal prejudice against freedom.
The reality that everyone in Washington, and all control-freaks, don’t want to recognize is that the Spirit of Freedom is integral to all Life. For all come from the Great Spirit that creates and gives Life freely, and as children of the Great Spirit, we are all inheritors and imbued with that Spirit of Freedom. It will never be flushed out. Never. And just as all past attempts to control the world have failed, so will this new world order’s attempts to impose a one world government fail, as will this attempt to impose a government run health care system from a government that is failing and about to implode. Oh, they will pass something. And people will hate it. And civil strife will take over this land. And you will be most happy, I’m sure, as it will give you more to “write” about. Call it, creating discord and civil strife among people so as to create your own job security.
There is a much larger picture here, Loo, and much greater forces at work that you refuse to recognize, but instead, choose to reduce any intelligence given to you to spewing that which would cause and create division amongst people who mean you absolutely no harm. For none of these protestors are out to do anything to you or any one else. They just want your government to leave them alone. And I am appalled at how few people recognize every persons right to be left alone. It’s as though the world has become overrun with a bunch of busybodies who occupy their time coming up with ways to impose themselves on others. And you’re a part of it.
I wonder if you’ll be turning in to the White House the email addresses of everyone who posts comments against ObamaCare? And when they take us away, and the feeding frenzy turns to you, who will be there to stand up for your rights? Watch “Just Doing His Job” to find out what happens to pawns like you.
Correction: Looks like if things get really bad, Texas may become the last bastion of freedom in the world. It is the only state in the union who’s contract with the U.S. government when they entered the union addresses their independence. And Texas does have a growing movement for independence. It’s also one of the few states with its budget in the black, not red.
“Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may” Sam Houston
Check out Texas’ Gov. Perry:
http://vimeo.com/4198183
FYI: this country was founded as a rebellion against taxation without representation.
Any politician who thinks a government third party is going to come in and interfere with my private doctor/patient relationship, or impose any other so-called “law” that interferes in any way as to how I take care of my body DOES NOT represent me, and no longer serves their oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
If you think that makes me a fascist then you’re the one who’s head is screwed up.
Anyone who thought Obama was going to be the savior is an idiot. No junior in Congress comes out of nowhere to become POTUS unless they’re bought & paid for. He’s part of the military industrial complex, evidenced by the continued & expanded wars; the black face the new world order put in place to appease the ignorant masses while continuing where Bush left off.
Anyone who falls for the race card is a fool. Protests aren’t about race. There’s plenty of blacks & hispanics who see the truth about the new world order agenda and right through their front man Obama who promised to eliminate the power of lobbyists in Washington yet has appointed far too many to work with his team of banksters, which makes Obama the fascist.
Anyone who gets their info off television and main newspapers is a moron as they’re all controlled by a handful of people, all of whom take orders from Bilderberg.
As to healthcare, any government run program is bound to be a bust – ask any non-casino Native American how well government run health programs work. Why hasn’t any Dem proposed just removing all legal hindrances to insurance companies offering their services across state lines, thus opening up competition which would result in lower premiums? Why haven’t they looked into tort reform? I’ll tell you why: because most of them, and Reps, are corrupt, selfish needy spirits who get off on pushing the “control” button.
The reality is: they don’t give a shit about you. How do I know? Well, here’s a simple clue: if a Washington politician came to your door to talk to you, you’d probably let them in, right? Well, try knocking on their door and see how far you get. They don’t want to hear from you. They couldn’t care less about you. Which is part of what has driven people to show up at the townhalls screaming and yelling – ’cause Congress didn’t listen when millions of people said they didn’t want the bankster bailouts. Nor did they listen when they were told not to continue with the wars.
And why aren’t they listening? Because they don’t have to. The U.S. Constitution does not provide any mechanism for the people to impeach or remove their elected “representatives”. Only Congress can expel a member of Congress. Which mean the people’s only recourse is to vote them out and we all know how easily vote counts are rigged in this country, right? So what are the people to do? Get out in the streets in mass and say “NO MORE!”
That’s what’s going on, Mr. Loo. The protest aren’t run by fascists. The protests are everyday ordinary Americans who don’t want socialism, fascism or any other ism taking over this country. This is the last bastion of freedom in the world and if we don’t keep it that way, then where will everyone from all the other countries flee to? Where will Americans flee to? How easy it is to take for granted what you don’t appreciate. How hard it will be to get it back, for once lost, humanity will have to go through another bloody revolution to try to establish another freedom sanctuary. Are you really ready for that? You best wake up and realize what’s really going on here. I suggest every American watch the following and see where you fit in:
Just Doing His Job:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvcZiNt6ypI
If you haven’t yet, watch The Obama Deception:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7886780711843120756
Last: I noticed one of your articles is missing. Is it because a poster identified you?
Democrats are impressed with European countries and their so-called progressive living. So they are embarassed that the US does not have a government healthcare system like France! They are more interested in impressing Europe with public healthcare than helping the citizens of the US with real healthcare!