Anatomy Of A Nutjob Nation

(CBS)

My uncle spent his early 20's slugging his way through France with Patton's Third Army. My dad, who was just about the same age, served in the Pacific. When they returned to civilian life, one was ideologically liberal-left, the other ideologically conservative-right. (It's not important who was who.) What is important is how they concluded their (often) spirited arguments about the political issues of the day - with smiles and jokes and a good meal shared with the family.

Years after my father died, I asked my uncle how their verbal sparring always seemed to end on an upbeat note. "Your dad may have been mostly wrong most of the time," he said with a twinkle, "But he and I could disagree because in the end, we're all Americans. There's a baseline of trust. It was always all right."

A baseline of trust. I was thinking about what he said after reviewing a week's worth of headlines chockablock with stories quoting people screaming about truthers, birthers, socialists, communists, fascists, Nazis, secessionists, and racists. (And you thought the Mac vs PC debate got a little nutty sometimes?)

Consider the latest breathless controversy about the president's plans to deliver a speech to public schools students next Tuesday. I hadn't read the details so I pulled up the announcement sent out by Education Secretary Arne Duncan to school principals. It says:

"During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation's children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning."

Part of the day's event will be to encourage teachers to create lesson plans around the speech and help their students learn more about Obama as well as previous presidents.

"(The president) will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens," Duncan said in a press release.

As far as news stories are concerned, that's about as bland as they come. But after learning about the announcement, Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer issued a statement condemning the use of taxpayer dollars "to indoctrinate America's children" to Obama's socialist agenda.

"As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power."

I suppose this marks political progress, of a sort. Last month, protesters carried signs of the president dressed as Hitler. Now he's being billed as the second coming of Trotsky. At this point, one is tempted to pull out the apt retort offered by Representative Barney Frank, when someone showing up at a town hall meeting last month and likened the bill to Nazism. On what planet do you spend most of your time? It's hard to figure out the source of this wellspring of outrage, especially since this does not mark the first time a U.S. president has organized a chat with the kids. In fact, Washington Monthly's Steve Benen points out that in 1988 Ronald Reagan used a C-SPAN broadcast to riff on contemporary political issues. And here's a clip of George H.W. Bush in 1991 talking up education policy during a televised classroom speech. (Some on the left mildly complained at the time. Turns out they were wrong as the presidential addresses were entirely forgettable.)

I'm sure President Obama, as gifted a public speaker as there is on the contemporary American scene, does not plan to waste his moment before the mike boring a bunch of grade schoolers with a harangue about the joys of TARP or the failure of single-payer medicine. But Greer's reaction - and he's not alone urging resistance to the looming menace of red insurrection - testifies to a bigger worry: that the baseline of trust which my father and uncle once shared is fragmenting right before our eyes. It's hard to avoid that dreary conclusion when Obama's plan feeds talk of a boycott with angry parents promising to keep their kids at home for the day. And all because their kids have a play date to watch the commander-in-chief on the school telly.

Some maintain this is due to the ravings of irresponsible blow-hards on radio and cable television. True up to a point, but that just skims the surface. A more persuasive argument is served up by Patricia Williams, a professor of law at Columbia University. Williams finds a link between the breakdown in the national discourse and a world that "truly has been turned inside out, by the election, by the economy, by the precarious conditions that threaten us all."

So it is that August was flooded with YouTube videos featuring average citizens hysterically sobbing at town hall meetings while bemoaning the loss of "their America." Over the top? You bet. But Williams writes that their reactions also reflect a fear of losing a defined place in the American hierarchy of power relations. This is an expression of angst that their world is being "turned upside down."

So it is that we get death panels and Obama turning into the new Fuehrer (albeit one born in Kenya.)

"...Much of the epic woe is not about healthcare or public options. It's about roiling resentments that need to be dressed up as something else, the coded mummery of Halloween monsters hybridized into new chimeras of hate. It's about fear that precious resources are being transferred to "alien" others. Fear that the gains of others are ill-gotten, leaving the lonely patriot survivalist as victim, "thrown away," trash. In these fiery monologues, even our president is figured as conspiratorially alien-birthed, from a galaxy far, far away, who's just pretending to be one of "us."

If Williams is right - and I fear that she is - then light a candle for the future and pray for the best. I don't know whether political polarization has passed the point of no return but it's getting fugly out there. Have a happy Labor Day.

[Tigerh8r]

"...Much of the epic woe is not about healthcare or public options. It's about roiling resentments that need to be dressed up as something else"

Why is it so difficult to believe that I don't want the same people who are running failed programs like social security and medicare to also be in charge of my healthcare? If the left wants to see a fear monger then they can just look in the mirror. Don't mince words, you're saying that if I don't want government healthcare then I'm a racist. What a pitiful argument. If you can't bring logical arguments to the debate, then personally attack your opponent. I'm not a Republican, I'm a middle of the road mainstreamer, and you people are pushing us farther and farther towards the right.

[Tigerh8r]

(Some on the left mildly complained at the time. Turns out they were wrong as the presidential addresses were entirely forgettable.)

As I recall, they called for congressional hearings. I thought turnabout was fair play.

I have respect for people with different opinions, but no respect for a hypocrite.

[RobertSugg]

ALBrain, it's your choice, depending on your remaining level of clarity and curiosity, whether you want to expand your worldview to the size of a solar system through reading, education, art, and all that kinda stuff, or just sit on the porch and drink beer and look left, right, and behind. We respect your property rights. No one will intrude, man.

[oldsoftee]

Americans used to collectively rally to a common cause. In doing so, they often inspired the whole world. Those days are long gone. Now, politicians such as Sarah Palin terrorize seniors by spouting "Death Panel" lies and ridiculing reasonable debate. Hopefully, the pendulum will reverse, and commonsense and civility will return to the public arena.

[beeker252]

The article should be covering both sides of the rhetoric rather than showing the right wing commentaries and the reaction from the post illustrate that a civil debate on any issues is pretty DOA because you have people with a different view are treated as un American or other names by media personality such as Beck, Savage, Hannity and O'Reilly (sorry I do not know any of the "left")as I do not listen to any of them. I did listen to Limbaugh in past and found that all he does is attack people and reads "news" that are slanted to his point or to attack others which the listeners gets riled up and the best part was attacking Clinton in every way.
Part of the problem stems from the parents who expouse certain view teach their kids that their way is right and every one else is wrong is similar to what the right commentators say on the air and throw temper tantrum if anyone disagree with them. While it's true that getting rid of Fairness Doctrine is the core of the problem, the media has shifted dramtically that it is pointless to bring it back. The best way to sift through it is, being educated and listen to both sides of the debate then form an opinion and remember we're all Americans and we are all in this together.

[RobertSugg]

I'm sure aburr doesn't work for the Chamber of Commerce. Maybe he works for the Echo Chamber. He sees left, right, and behind. He does not think heuristically or three-dimensionally. Future is a fearsome direction. Solutions are the old knuckle sandwich in the schoolyard. He gets an F.

[aburr]

Proudscot-It is probably best you don't intend to come here as I can certianly understand how some might be tempted to shoot at you. Might I recommend Libya for that vacation?

First off, the vast majority of people here have health insurance, get very good care, and it works just fine for them. If you read the insane left you would think people are dying in the streets. This is not the case, it is hype for political purposes. You can go to any country and find anecdotal evidence of people being failed by the health care system whatever it may be. I have been without medical insurance before, and its always possible to go to a hospital if something happens. Its not like people don't get treated.

There are a couple of problems here. First, we are nationally flat broke. Actually we're not even broke, my grandchildren still will be born in debt to China. We also have an indigent segment of the population many times larger than your entire country, plus somewhere between 12-20 million illegal invaders from Mexico. We can't afford to add another massive entitlement, and our government is utterly corrupt and has gone massively overbudget on every program its ever run.

Yes, the left wing here in the US is socialist in political philosophy, I find it hard to believe that such is not also the case in Scotland. When the goverment takes a large portion of your income and redistributes it in the name of equality theres nothing else to call it.

[msimamaji]

The problem with the so-called Medicare debate is the information that people omit. Here are some facts that no one mentions.

The Bi-Partisan clique of 6 senators should really be considered Buy-Partisan.

For example, the top three contributors to Charles Grassley's political campaigns are the health professional industry, first; insurance industry, second; Pharmaceuticals, third; lobbyists, fourth; and hospitals, 5th. In terms of individual contributors, Amgen is first; Blue Cross is second; and Select Medical Group is third.

According to a report by the Urban Institute, 22,000 Americans die every year because of inadequate medical care. That's 7 times more than the number of lives lost in 9/11. If you check infant mortality rates, (I use the 2009 CIA Fact book, you will find that our infant mortality rate is twice as high as the infant mortality rate of Sweden and France. Why?

Congressmen themselves enjoy a form of "socialized" medicine. I have yet to hear of any Congressmen willing to forfeit his or her government-financed medical plan and buy insurance from the open market. The only journalist to report this is Daniel Gross of Newsweek.

While people may be happy with their health insurance, do to they know that every time they or their employer pay a health insurance premium, that part of this money goes into political campaign contributions, as well as paying for all the ads on TV?

According to an article posted yesterday by MSNBC, health insurance companies are going to raise their rates 10%. This means that more employers will either reduce their coverage plans or eliminate insurance altogether. They may either hire only part-time employees, outsource work, import "guest workers" or hire undocumented laborers. 14,000 people are losing their insurance very day, so more people will rely on the emergency ward for medical care - creating a hospital meltdown. And how will

The 10% insurance hike means that Medicare Advantage will also get more expensive. Medicare Advantage will either drain money away from the taxpayer or it will drain money away from regular Medicare. The money that goes into Medicare Advantage gets recycled into the pockets of lobbyists and politicians. So by 2017 or before, Medicare will be out of business - partially because of secret political campaign contributions.

Finally we are supposed to be a Christian nation. Jesus spent most of his time healing the sick. He never asked the sick people he healed about their HMO's. In terms of the national debt, Jesus told the rich man to sell all he had and give to the poor. Isn't Jesus the world's first "socialist"? Yet I don't hear much about the Christian prospective. Ironically, when it comes to the health care "debate" - which would not exist if we were a Christian country, the so-called Christian TV and radio networks never answer the question "What would Jesus REALLY do?
I have yet to see much coverage of these stories in the media. I try to do bring these stories up through various blogs and websites, but I am only one person. If people knew all the facts, how might they feel about Obama's health care proposals?

[msimamaji]

This whole brouhaha shows how stupid people are. Let's approach it from a classroom teacher's angle. I retired in 2007 after spending nearly a quarter of a century in an inner city school in Los Angeles. So here's what you don't know.
First, not all schools start at the same time. Usually schools in Los Angeles open in mid-September. A number of schools in Los Angeles are multi-track, which means that they open and close tracks at many different times.
Secondly, not all schools have the same on-line capability. When I retired, I was the proud custodian of 16 computers, but then I was the journalism advisor, so I had more computers than other class rooms. My internet capabilities were limited because I had only 5 internet drops and a rather quirky internet hub. I was better wired than many other teachers in my school. In inner city schools, on-line presentations have a strange habit of going wrong - time and time again.
Thirdly, you don't know what opening day involves. Long before the opening day, I filed a 77 to 83 page syllabus for each course I taught. I had to prepare teaching materials, decorate my room, and fill out seating charts long before the students arrived. In addition to a rap and a costume change, my first day involved going over expectations and rules, complying with all the official registration and sign-in procedures (i.e. memorizing 5 to 7 pages worth of instructions.), figuring out how to seat 43 students when I had 36 desks, and actually beginning relevant and meaningful classroom instruction with a homework assignment.* And everything I did had to flow seamlessly like an opening night production of a Broadway musical. I could not afford to miss one beat, or I'd go down in flames.
Doesn't this sound like fun?
Of course, since I taught in an inner city school, I would have welcomed opening day remarks from Obama, if I could fit them in with everything else I had to do. But given my school that's a SUPER BIG IF.
So the hate-filled brouhaha over Obama's opening day speech only reveals the ignorance of much of the general public and the stupidity of the GOP.

* NOTE: I said "relevant and meaningful." Your first day lesson plan must launch your syllabus and course content. Do not - I repeat - DO NOT begin your first day of school with an essay on "How I spent my summer vacation."

[aburr]

Everything you wrote has absolulutely NOTHING to do with reaction to Obama's speech. You spend multiple paragraphs explaining what you deal with, then somehow claims that proves that people who didn't like the idea of a federal lesson plan for a presidential speech are hate filled? Because you would have liked the time on the first day?

Huh???

Your conclusion is a total non sequitur based on what you wrote. You get an F. The fact that you taught for 25 years with such convoluted thinking is just a little scary!

[proudscot]

there is reasoned argument and intelligent thought from some of your bloggers. Then there is the lunatic, gun lobby, blow up the middle east, don't spend money on health care but on WMD instead, get rid of commie ******* brigade. I can't believe this is America.
Hitler, eat your heart out!

I'm Scottish. Just decided where I'm not, EVER, going for my holidays. In case I get shot!