Below is another blast from the past, pure political comedy gold, from back in those ancient days lo these many weeks ago, wherein the social machinery was being pre-placed to attack anyone who stands in the way of Gilded Age 2.0:
Just imagine how great it might have worked: starting with the total, rabid wingnut freakout we would have witnessed if it came to light that Obama could have gotten Bergdawl out, but chose not to, and then he died in a Taliban controlled shithole after five or six years in hell. They had preplaced some anti-Obama bombs ready to be detonated remotely and on command. The point of that “petition” and a bunch of comments and speeches by the usual suspects — who have since executed a neck-snapping 180 degree turn — wasn’t about getting Bergdahl back. It was about getting the WH back so that a tiny minority can impose their bullshit narrow interpretation of various books of ancient magic on the rest of us, to act as cover while they auction off our labor and more of our national treasure to the zillionaires they really work for.
Who doesn’t have sympathy for everyone of the millions of people the world over who are still subject to the arbitrary whims of a handful of Bronze-aged, overzealous, cruel-as-shit, fundamentalist hillbillies? Just the fact that these assholes are trigger happy, witch-burning, proudly-ignorant murderous throwbacks to the era of lords and vassals is all it takes to get my sympathy and I bet yours, too. Add in that these millions, born into bondage, suffering under the tired delusion held fervently by captors who believe they are chosen by an invisible sky-wizard to torture and enslave a helpless population composed mostly of women and children who can’t fight back, and I’m thrilled when someone comes out of it alive and with some chance at having a life. That easily includes people who may have gone crazy, who may have even been crazy already, and strolled off like a lost puppy dog into the merciless claws of said religious throwbacks.
Not sure if that last sentence applies only to crazy Muslim assholes. In all fairness, the crazy dominionist assholes on ‘our side’ aren’t as bad, but that’s in part because they’re held at bay. They can’t do half the awful shit in the name of God that they wish they could do. But we have plenty of home-grown fundies that could pass a Taliban-turing test under the right double-blind conditions.
I’ m suspecting this is all about race. Among the right, racism runs deep. And they cannot stand the idea of a black president.
@1: You’re SUSPECTING? As if it hasn’t been adequately proven for like six years now?
Further evidence that cognitive dissonance does not require being cognisant.
As the man said, they had a Wilie Horton add ready to go. Likely two versions. One for Obama letting the poor service man rot in captivity. Another for negotiating with terrorists and trading mass murderers for a worthless deserter.
The forgone conclusion is that the right was going to spin this in the direction they believe will have the most political effect and allow them to continue characterizing Obama as a traitor, friend of terrorist, with no respect for the military. That way they don’t have to spend money on new signs or teach their useful idiots any new lines.
Why does the right hate on Obama? He is liberal (actually conservative by Republican standards in the 80s), black (half-black), African American (Jamaican/Nigerian American), who upset the conservatives by pushing the socialist ACA (a Republican program), and saving the banks (also a Republican program). In other words they hate him not because of anything he has said or done but simply because he is not one of them.
” Among the right, racism runs deep. And they cannot stand the idea of a black president.”
Let’s see now . . . Obama’s half-black, so that makes the racist right half-assed?
Got it.
Classic clip there – thanks for that.
I think there are still a few on the right or at least the centre right who aren’t completely crazy, Jon Huntsman to name just one – and also a lot who are pretending to be crazier than they are fro cash and fame.
Surely they all can’t be that bad or mad?
But in broadly sweeping terms – yes.
Also on the racism issue – yeah, there is a lot of racism on the lunar right for sure. Definitely agree with that and #1 Neil Rickert & #2 Trebuchet here.
Race is nonsense – racism is horrible and real and deserves to be called out an d condemned everywhere and anywhere..
“By Any Means Necessary” seems to be code for “killed as horrifically as possible”, since apparently negotiation is not actually acceptable.
When the gun nuts are agitating for rescue by any means necessary, we really shouldn’t be surprised when a non-violent negotiation is viewed as failure. Of course, that’s not the real reason, that’s just their convenient angle of attack against this particular success story for the white house.
Simply despicable. How do these people live with themselves? Have they no shame, no sense of honor, no compassion? It’s not a rhetorical question. They obviously do not,
Here’s the thing…Obama doesn’t care about any attack ads. Doesn’t need to. He’s not running for any office — EVER!
Although he probably could get elected as Senator from Illinois if he wanted to. That’d be fun times.
peterh @5- they hate his black half for being black, and his white half for consorting with blacks. Thus they have cause to hate all of him.
I find it so hard, impossible really, to understand the mind of the average right wingnut minion.
My best considered broad interpretation is that there are two populations in play.
One is a numerous, but not too bright group who are trying, without reflection, to join a mob in order to take advantage of strength of numbers. The other is a limited group of intelligent but cynical individuals who can’t really believe what they profess but are willing to act as if they did in order to wield power and influence via the first group (mob).
Or maybe they really do believe what they spew. I don’t know if that would be a more charitable interpretation, but I find it substantially more chilling.