Exploiting the Anger

Someone asked me if I had few cocktails before I posted. The answer is no.

I have looked back at some of my more ranting posts.

I suppose some of them have been a bit over the the top. But, I am so outraged by the birthers, teabaggers and town hall shouters that I might have gone over board with my response. It's not hard to do when you have Sister Sarah speaking foolishly about death panels.

I am sure that some of the people suddenly showing up at town hall meetings with Arlen Specter and other members of congress are sincere, just not the birthers or most of the teabaggers and 99% of the town hall shouters.

There are folks who have been consistently critical of government spending and are truly libertarian in their beliefs who are attending the town meetings as they always do but they are being drowned out by the people who discovered outrage when a Democrat who is black was elected President. The news reports I have seen of these town hall meetings have been really quite disturbing. The level of anger and hatred seems to be really extreme. I am sure some of this anger has been bubbling under the surface for years. But, where was all the anger when Bush was starting a war based on lies? Where was the anger when both Bushes ran up 75% of our national debt and the younger Bush ran up more debt than all other Presidents combined? Why were there no teabagger rallies in 2001 - 2008? Bush, the younger entered office with a balanced budget. Where were the teabaggers?

Some commentators have said that the media is exploiting the crazies and it may be, but these people are trying to exploit the media right back. There was the man who claimed he was beaten up by pro Obama people at a town hall session but was caught on film leaving the event just like everyone else, nothing happened to him. He reminded me of the young white woman, a McCain supporter from Ohio who claimed to have her face cut by black Obama supporters last fall, we all know the truth of that story. One speaker at a town hall yesterday said Stephen Hawking would be killed (by death panels) if he lived under the British health care system. Stephen Hawking is British - he lives in England and he has been treated by their system of health care. Today Dr. Hawking said he would not be alive today without the British National System of health care. A woman yesterday tried to shame Arlen Specter by saying a 74 year old man with cancer would not be treated under the death panel system and asked how as an 80 year old man with cancer he felt about it. He response calling out her lies was so angry that everyone in the room (at least the clear thinking ones) knew he was speaking the truth and she was clearly crazy.

I could go on and on but if I do my headache will just return. The great issues of the day deserve a spirited and thoughtful national conversation. It's a shame it has been hijacked by people not convinced the President is a citizen and by people who bring loaded guns to town hall meetings. Times are tough and people are convinced that their government does not work any more and they are angry, I get it. But, I can't help but think that the powerful status quo interests in this country are stirring up the pot with the help of headline grabbers like Beck, Dobbs, the junky radio top talker and the GOP leadership so no real change happens. We the people have to remember we voted for change last November and we have to push back just as hard to ensure it happens.