A valuable bequest from the Clinton administration is the revealing to a wide political audience of the American rightwing as hateful whack jobs.Decent, hard-working people no doubt, but whack jobs nonetheless who pursued the Clintons relentlessly and shamelessly, casting every aspersion imaginable upon a cautious administration.
As a result of the Clintons' devastating rebuttal of the rightwing attacks [at the height of the impeachment, Bill Clinton's approval numbers rose to 69 percent], George W. Bush was forced to run as an anti-rightwing, centrist Republican, proclaiming non-divisive moderation in the 2000 election.
Progressive groups like Move On flowered as the attacks on Clinton became utterly untenable and the American people soured on the politics of the right.
Yet, there is every indication to believe that the rightwing is ready to launch another war on Obama led by many of the same characters.
Arguably, the war has already been declared in light of the vicious attacks that Obama has already repelled, and faces in the more doctrinaire Republican Party remaining in Congress.
But the vast majority of the American people have seen enough of negativity and hate as the results of the last two national elections clearly show.
During the 2008 presidential debates even an intellectual disagreement with McCain voiced and generalized by Obama as reflecting badly on McCain would result in focus groups effectively booing the statement because it came across as bordering on the mean-spirited side of the spectrum.
But the vast majority of the American people have seen enough of negativity and hate as the results of the last two national elections clearly show.
During the 2008 presidential debates even an intellectual disagreement with McCain voiced and generalized by Obama as reflecting badly on McCain would result in focus groups effectively booing the statement because it came across as bordering on the mean-spirited side of the spectrum.
'Tell what you're for; not what the other guy is,' is the effective sentiment.
The GOP Southern Strategy is on its death bed though no complete victory is ever achieved. As the Clarance Darrow-inspired character in Inherit the Wind reminds us, "...fanaticism and ignorance (are) forever busy, and (need) feeding."
The attacks will still come, the vote suppression will continue [right here in Wisconsin as J.B. Van Hollen fights to cover his political behind in his losing quest], but in today's political culture here's a bet that those rightwingers still launching their hate-tipped cultural missiles will be perceived by the American people as merely making fun of themselves.
And that goes double for Milwaukee police detective Michael Sandvick; you blow-hard whack!
- via mal contends
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