I’m not saying that Jared Loughner was a Republican. I’m not saying that Sarah Palin, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh or any of the dozens of other Republican politicians and pundits that spread hatred and violence were in his mind at the time of his horrific crimes. Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t. If anyone knows, they aren’t talking for fear of creating problems in his criminal prosecution. Based on most of the professionals I have heard that are speculating on Loughner’s condition think he is schizophrenic or psycho effective (schizophrenia with bipolar disorder). People like this are especially susceptible to suggestion. While Loughner was probably not politically motivated, he was a sick fish swimming in a poisoned ocean. Most fish can withstand the poison, but not the sickest ones. While it is unquestionably Republican politicians and pundits that poisoned the ocean with their unrelenting promotion of hatred and violence, even they may not be the ones most responsible. In recent days I have been thinking about the legacy of Republican hatred from the past, and it hit me that hate and violence are usually not a grass roots thing. They are astro-turfed from the top down. Poisoning the ocean does not happen without the process being fertilized by lots and lots of money. That’s what happened in the 1960s. That’s what is happening today. I had not started to do the research needed to connect the dots when I found a video at Crooks and Liars with Ed Schultz and Mike Papantonio that do so. Here is that video:
Considering this, I feel much more strongly the need for true transparency in campaign finance. We may not be able to cure Republican hate, but we must at least expose who is paying for it.
18 Responses to “The Legacy of Republican Hatred”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Oh, come on … simply by using Teapublican “logic” it’s easy to “prove” Loughner is a Teapublican: He was wear a RED – NOT blue – g-string in those Walgreen photos. If that doesn’t prove he’s a Teapublican, I don’t know what does. 😉 😆
LMAO! Doh! Why didn’t I think of that? 😉
The thing that is truly unsettling is that billionaires ARE FUNDING this hatred, and they have an agenda that does NOT include their most ardent supporters, i.e. the Sarah Palin tea baggers and/or poor trailer folk who have been brainwashed into supporting and VOTING AGAINST THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS! How can that POSSIBLY work??? The old lynch mob mentality and hatred spreading like ink in water, like Mr. Papantonio said. It worked great for Hitler! 😈
I agree Nicolai and I have long said thet the Republican brown shirts, aka the Tea Party, will be among the Republicans first victims just as the original brown shirts, the SA, were among the Nazi’s first victims.
The “Ring of Fire” video was a good reminder that extreme right-wing rhetoric has been around for a long time in our country and is not a new development. Such rhetoric can have troubling consequences, as it did during Kennedy’s time.
The one difference is that it is now the standard for a major npolitical party.
Can Ed Schultz possibly be any more subjective?…. I didn’t think so.
The JFK poster printed by H.L. Hunt was nothing compared to the political vitriol of American politicians a hundred or even two hundred years ago.
Why? Because this is America and that’s how we do things. Over the top is our tradition on both sides. Get used to it or move to Costa Rica Ed.
VNJD, I give you Schultz’ subjectivity. I am subjective as well, and make no claim to be otherwise. However, to the best of my knowledge, Schultz has never, and I know beyond doubt that I have never, distorted fact in the service of subjectivity.
So, you’re suggesting that tired old “America, love it or leave it” meme? That might work with Teabaggers, but an argument that suggests returning to the norms of 1811 when black slaves were 3/5 a person and women were chattel will not attract progressives,
Subjectivity in and of itself means distorting fact. Any definition of “Hate” is going to be subjective. Schultz comments on “Hate” either says – it is what it is or… he’s just so hypersensitive and emotionally under-developed that he’s interpreting strong, inflammatory and BTW protected speech as “hate”.
Have you ever seen a session of British Parliament? Take that scenario all the way back to ancient Greece and it’s easy to see where the American tradition of free speech comes from.
When I was a kid, I once heard someone repeatedly using the word “nigger”. The word itself sounded ugly and made me uncomfortable. I uttered a few words of disapproval and walked away. But even then, I knew that in this country, he and his white-trash family had every right to speak any way they chose. And my right was – I didn’t have to listen. So any attempt to stifle so-called “hate speech” or over-the-top rhetoric is clearly a violation of the 1st Amendment, which is exactly where Schultz’ spin is going.
Ironically, this entire exchange – including Schultz’ distortions – is what America is all about. God I love this country!
But nowhere have I called on anyone to censor violent speech, except when that speech directly calls for specific violent criminal activity. I have called for opposition to those who use it.
We know the billionaires are now and have in the past since at least 1904 when TR broke up the trusts of the time been trying to retake the running of the economy back from the government. Until now the closest they came were the syndicates that formed huge piles of cash to manipulate the stock market and cashed out just as it was hitting that fever pace (don’t worry fella’s We’re in the money and it’s never going away put a lien on everything, the market is where you have to be) that cash out was what collapsed the market in ’29. Today it was plastic up don’t worry everything is only going up from here , you’re 401 invested in a market that has no ceiling, you can’t trust Social Security. Put everything you can spare into the market. Triple mortgage your house it’s a gold mine. Then the same thing by the same banking houses sell it collapse the economy and shazam now their in the real estate business to re-sell houses that have already been sold once but this time the bank can afford the loss because they have already been made whole through TARP.
This is no different. Businessmen pay good money for Beck and Limbaugh both over 30 million even Palin a relative newcomer made in the area of 15 million last year. Why? They have no interest or care for who hates who or what form of government we have as long as they can do what they do, which is make as much money as possible with as little regulation as possible. BP for example is by law supposed to pay $3400 dollars per barrel spilled OVER any other costs related. That is somewhere in the area of 225 million, which I doubt will ever be collected.
I guess the upshot is that hysteria over rhetoric and dialogue is cheaper for them to use as a distraction than us seeing that their real motive is the same unchanged one for over a century control of the economy. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Obama had the 20 CEO’s in a room. I am sure they told him flat out ”
Remove regulations and we’ll hire if not then guess what? We are doing just fine with the amount of staff we have. It’s just business Mr. President.
Even the people at the very top are aware of how the bottom is doing but the thing is they are in the business of profit for shareholders not supporting an economy. Before you go after more transparency go after closing all of the loopholes and dodges. Gut the rules that pay them to ship jobs to China. Do not allow any American designed technology be exported and do not let any foreign nations companies buy any shares of certain companies on the market that would give them access to that technology.
All of the hate speech or fiery rhetoric is nothing but a smoke screen for what they really are doing. Transferring wealth from America to a friendlier China, Ireland and others. Same as business has been doing for centuries looking for where the most profit lay. Call me anything you want, say whatever you want, inflame all the insanity you want Messieurs Koch (et al) it just might turn on you and bite you in the ass now that every fool can arm themselves and it may just be that a large mass of supporters of the second amendment are going to wake up and come after you. The top tier not the politicians who sit a couple of rungs lower. I do not advocate that but people are beginning to understand that they can not get VALIDATION vicariously through Beck, Palin anymore. When that happens and people educate on the who, why, what when and where it could get very ugly when the serpant swallows its tail right to its head.
Mark, that’s why I don’t think Palin is going to go away. Too many criminal corporate groups have too much invested in her. Great comment!
Thanks for sharing this, TomCat! Right wing paranoia and hate just goes on and on, doesn’t it? These people are delusional, lying wackos!
YVW, Jack. I think it was some needed perspective on current events.
WHILE MINORITY ARE FIGHTING AND DYING
The idiot Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is preparing for a rebuttal to Pres. Obama’s State of the Union speech . She’ll speak on behalf of the racist Tea Party caucus. But it’s another speech she gave on Friday that has a lot of people talking, where she flubbed the facts on U.S. History. We’re Keeping Them Honest. Plus, see why the folks behind the hit TV show “Mad Men” are being added to our ‘RidicuList’. This idiot while Americans are fighting and dying is speaking against the country and President Obama! It is an outrage and a insult to minority American troop fighting and dying in two wars! Only to find out that when they return home to the United State a innocent UNARMED 7 year old black American citizen! Can be burn and shot to death by white American police officers. American troop will return to the United State to find that a 72 year old white senior citizen can be taser by a cop and knock to the ground and threaten to be taser again! All because she refuse to sign a ticket! Or a pregnant black woman driving her 7 year old child to school. Less then a block away she is stop for speeding she also refuse to sign the ticket! She was pulled out of her car taser three times while her son looked on screaming! They will return to find that three police officer kick in the door of a 92 year old senior citizen then shot her 6 time and shoot at her 39 killing her! Then planted drugs in her home and a gun in her hand. After finding out the WRONG home was raid! They will return to find out that in Philly cops can be caught on videotape beating and kicking and calling 4 INNOCENT American citizen racist slurs and are given a slap on the hand and a party paid by union fund! AGAIN… While American troops are fighting and dying for the liberation and human rights of Iraqi citizen. In America when and if they return they will find if they live in Arizona they will need papers to walk ,drive a car to live in their country. They will find that DWH( driving while Hispanic) is a way of life for Hispanic American citizen! They will also find that in Arizona ethnic study is not allowed in Arizona schools! If they are returning to Texas they will find that the school administration is changing American history to reflect a more conservative history! American troops will find a anti-American Tea Party full of hatred of the government FOR NO REASON other then the fact their is a black President! They will find that racist like Rand Paul want to re-write history and change the Civil Right Bill giving private company the right to keep black Americans OUT! They will find that a Governor Palin the idiot that quit her job is a spokesperson for a racist group attacking the President job and his administration. They will return to find that Fox News is attacking with hatred the United State of America and the President Of the United State daily! Just like the terrorist they are fighting oversea! Again all this is happening while American troops are fighting for the United State of America! SHAME ON US ALL FOR NOT BEING OUTRAGE!
SELECTIVE MEMORY
Today more then ever white Americans and the white control media has selective memory! Ron Reagan the youngest son of former President Ronald Reagan in his new book stated that President Reagan suffer from Alzheimer during the second term as President! If anyone has been reading my posts! I have been stating that forever. I remember Diane Sawyer interview with the late and former President Reagan. Several times during the interview she had to be stop because the former President lost his thought and COULD NOT answer Ms. Sawyer questions! The country witness this on Good Morning America”! Somehow America has selective memory! Remember OJ and the civil trail after the trail was over the media interview the jurors! A white female juror stated that she prayed to serve as juror to help the Brown and Goldman. A clear violation of a juror and should had evoked a mis-trail! But once again the white control judicial system has selective hearing! A 20-year-old black Lakeland man is facing two years in prison for writing a rap song called “Kill Me a Cop”. Antavio Johnson, who was on probation, has been sentenced to two years in prison after the song was discovered on a MySpace Web site. The Polk County Attorney’s Office charged Johnson with two counts of corruption by threat of a public servant.
Although the lyrics are offensive to many people, the head of the Tampa Office of the American Civil Liberties Union, Rebecca Steele, says she believes the song is protected speech under the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Also I must add that Mr. Johnson didn’t kill anyone and no cop died as a result of his song! Then there is Sarah Palin who put a map with crosshairs that target the very district 20 people living in the target area was shot. Six shot dead and 14 injure! Sarah Palin call the left wing media wrong for associating her action with the murder of the people in Arizona! Unlike Mr. Johnson Ms. Palin is not charge with NOTHING! But her map target the district where 20 people where shot 6 are dead!
Hi Tyrone, you should you know that when you reply to an 11 day old post, few if any will see it. I appreciate your sentiments.