Here's what I think explains Joe Wilson's remark--it's about THEM, not Obama

[CTLawGuy]

Would Joe Wilson have heckled a white Democratic president? That seems to be the question of the day. In short, I think the answer is probably yes, but I don't know for sure.

The last time the Democrats had the chance to change the country for the better was in 1993, when Bill Clinton was presient and Ds controlled Congress. At that time, the Gingrich/Norquist far right Republican revolution was in its infancy. The party was still run by Bob Dole, Bob Michel and other moderates whom Gingrich and his crew criticized for being too wishy washy and compromising.

Media figures such as Bill Kristol and others managed to convince Congressional Republicans that ANY sort of health reform would be a political boon to the Democrats and their political ideas, and therefore the only prudent strategy was to ensure that President Clinton failed to pass ANY reform bill. http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/bill-kristols-1993-memo-calling-for-gop-to-block-health-care-reform/. The Republicans took their advice and opposed all health reform.

After Clinton's failure to pass health care, the Republicans laughed all the way to the electoral bank in 1994, especially the Gingrich radicals. These radicals grabbed control not only of Congress but of the entire party with the help of their army of fundies. They ran on very conservative ideas such as the Contract for America.

As the radicals gained power, they got two powerful allies: In 1996, Fox News was born to provide "fair and balanced" coverage as opposed to the "liberal bias of most media." Fox broadcasts the radical talking points to the Republican base and willing moderates and non-political people. In 1999, the Club for Growth was formed. This advocacy group seeks to root out "RINOs" within the Republican party by funding primary challengers. They backed a challenge to Arlen Specter in 2004 through far-right congressman Pat Toomey; they funded Cranston, RI Mayor Steven Laffey against Lincoln Chafee in 2006.

Due to these and other forces, the number of Republicans in Congress willing to be reasonable with Democrats dwindled. Either they lost reelection or were muffled through fear of a primary challenge. Because of Fox and others, the Republican base got more and more radicalized and unified.

Finally, in 2000 George Bush muscles his way into the Presidency and starts acting like a dictator, cynically exploiting the landscape whenever possible, such as the tragedy of 9/11. Almost every boundary of decency and decorum fell, as political victory became paramount. This radical attitude finally came back to bite the Rs in 2006 and 2008. Smarting, and trying to find a way to come back, with a D president and a D congress trying to pass health reform, the Republicans remember 1994.

The tea parties, the town halls, the heckling of the president by Joe Wilson, all part of the Gingrich/Bush era attitude that no boundary is sacred. The Republians, I think, have 1994 in the back of their minds. All they have to do is kill health care and they will rocket back into power-do ANYTHING to kill it.

Joe Wilson is a product of this changing demographic and attitude of the Republican party. He is part of the single-minded focus on destroying the president and springing back into power, just like in 1994.

[kentuck]

1. It's been a great diversion.

Rather than discuss the merits and necessity of healthcare, they talk about Joe Wilson. Then they talk about those that agree with Joe Wilson. Then they talk about how much money Joe Wilson and his opponent have raised. Then they talk about whether it was rude of Joe Wilson to yell out the way he did.

Meanwhile, the President's speech loses....

[Thrill]

2. No. This stuff has nothing to do with policy. This is hate

Racism my fellow liberal. The good thing is maybe they will continue to be so hateful and nasty to Obama that he may actually be the liberal we want him to be

[Crunchy Frog]

3. Which Repuke troll unreccomended this?

[Raineyb]

4. I rec'd to make up for it. n/t

These people have lost their minds and when you hear things like "I want my country back" as though their country had been taken away from them I can only infer that race has a hell of a lot to do with why they're acting the fool. Unfortunately, very few people want to acknowledge this and would prefer to relegate any talk of race as "talk of those who blame racism for everything" despite the fact that no one is actually saying that.

Quite frankly, it's pissing me off and makes me wonder why the hell am I here if I can't discuss my issues without being dismissed.

[Hansel]

5. I think this is a good analysis.

I do think that you're overall premise is correct and well thought out.

I think that they have been able, however, to gain just a bit more acceptance of their outrageous vitriol because Obama is black. It's even easier to whip up the clueless when you can use the dog whistle to inject race into the equation. And I think that the rest of the media has been slow to act and more clueless about the dangers of the behavior of the Republican party because they continue to view Obama primarily as a "Black" president and not as "the" president.

I think that Wilson would not have felt as emboldened to act like a two-year-old on the congress floor had the media been holding the Tea Baggers and their leaders in check over their absolutely outrageous behavior. Instead the media features them daily on special report pieces and news of the day without ever challenging them on the blatant as well as more covert racism being used to ginned up these crowds. They treat them as if their uncivilized behavior and clearly false claims are legitimate and should be considered as reasonable discourse.

The racist dog whistle blows loud and the media ignores it. Hell, even some on DU whine when people try to point it out. After all, how could anyone believe that a country, part of which practiced segregation into the 1970s and blatant discrimination until congress finally acted in the 1960s possibly believe that some of these white haired old folks are motivated by racism?

I think that if Obama was not Black, that it would not have been as easy to gin these people up into complete hysteric meltdowns. I think that if Obama was not Black the media would not be as accepting of some of the crap these people spout (mostly because they don't know how to address it and are confused by it.) Thus, I don't think Joe Wilson would have been emboldened to break decorum on the congressional floor while the president was speaking had Obama not been Black. He would have most definitely feared the backlash.

Also, because of the outright insanity on the right, the sane have been driven from the party or they are embarrassed or afraid to speak out as a member of the party. Most of the ones left sit pat in fear of losing their seats instead of doing what's best for the country. The sad thing is that while they have become a party to this destruction of the democratic fabric of this country with their inaction in order to save their seats, they may very well be insuring that they will lose them. I think the sane part of the country is fed up.

[BREMPRO]

6. Recent tactics are right out of the Atwater/Rove playbooks. Lying and creating chaos is a means

to political power- that's all that matters to them. They don't want good government, they want NO public government and more private power and money. simple as that.