Sometimes its hard to realize the obvious
In conversations and while on the air, I have tried to differentiate between honest, decent, fair-minded Republicans/Conservatives and the hateful, arrogant, bigoted, racist, homophobic liars who have become such a part of that party. I occasionally do fill-in work as a host at a local radio station and in discussing these nasty people I have always been careful to differentiate between them and the people who I considered to be decent, honest Republicans and Conservatives. In discussions I have always talked about such people with a qualifier: Some Republicans, Some conservatives, Some people on the right etc... I don't like the idea of stereotyping and try to avoid it. But lately I am beginning to think I am wrong.
More and more I realize this is a party composed almost entirely of hateful, nasty people with a hateful, nasty agenda. It may be open. It may be hidden, even from themselves, but make no mistake, it is definitely there. This is especially difficult for me to accept because many of my friends and relatives are Republicans.
The other day I e-mailed my brother-in-law, a member of the NRA, and asked him what he thought of those people showing guns near where the president was speaking. I received a response which I can only describe as mind-boggling. Those people, according to him, were Obama plants put their to lull people into thinking their constitutional rights to carry a gun were not threatened when, in fact, they were! It was all part of a scheme to sell socialized medicine! I got on-line and found a news article linking the man with the gun to extreme right-wing groups. I sent it to him. In return received a joke, the punchline of which is that Barack Obama was a complete liar. What could motivate a person to make such charges and answer an attempt at refutation with a joke? As I look back now I see there were many signs pointing to a deep-seated racism on his behalf. Signs which I chose to dismiss. In the past there been several similar e-mails complete with cartoons expressing the most vicious distorted lies imaginable. Assuming he was commenting in good faith, I would try to answer such e-mails but, in looking back, I never got a single indication that he was ever interested in doing anything other than continuing to spread hate and lies.
I am sure I am not the only person with such family stories to tell.
But I look around and ask myself, not just how it is that Sarah Palin insists that there are death panels inside the health-care bill, or that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh claim that the president is a racist and hates this country and wants to destroy it or even how it can be that Lou Dobbs can seriously claim the president was not really born in the United States, but I ask how can such hateful, insane lies be seriously believed by so many people? And how can these people, and many more like them, occupy such high positions in the Republican/Conservative universe?
Can anyone believe these are honest seekers of truth? Can anyone really believe Republicans are negotiating with President Obama in good faith for a bipartisan health care bill and that they are not seeking merely to stall, to delay, and eventually destroy the bill with the ultimate intent of destroying the Obama administration?
There is an old saying, "Convince me against my will, and I will believe it still." Another similar lyric goes, "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." Anyone who has ever had, or tried to have, a serious discussion with these people knows how totally resistant to facts they really are.
So what is it they want to believe? What is it they want to hear?
They tell us themselves. They want to believe to Barack Obama is a black man who hates whites. That he is a Marxist, a socialist, a fascist, a traitor. That Democrats hate America, want to see it fail and they have no morals. They have made clear to don't care about facts and that lying, twisting and distorting are all fair tools to use because they see themselves at war and "all is fair in love and war." why they have chosen these beliefs, why they want to believe this, I can only guess. But the fact is they have chosen this path and refused to be deterred.
A while ago I would have been more charitable, understanding or respectful toward those on the other side. "Differences of opinion." "Party hijacked." " Simply misinformed." " Lied to." Enough with excuses! At this point in time it must be clear to every citizen who has been watching the events of the last few years unfold, that the Republican Party is the party of shameless lies, hateful divisions, mindless bigotry and glorified ignorance. Because of this I no longer believe there are significant numbers of "decent, honest Republicans and Conservatives" whose party has been hijacked. I no longer make a distinction between the party and its members. The reason is really quite simple: Republican/Conservatives are exactly what the Republican/Conservatives party is. They are what they are. It's as simple as that.
Love to hear your comments..