Demonizing the Opposition

Eugene Robinson has a piece on "The Right Wing Hate Element" with which I am largely in agreement.

The arrests of members of a Michigan-based "Christian" militia group should convince doubters that there is good reason to worry about right-wing, anti-government extremism -- and potential violence -- in the Age of Obama.

It is disingenuous for mainstream purveyors of incendiary far-right rhetoric to dismiss groups such as the Hutaree by saying that there are "crazies on both sides." This simply is not true.

There was a time when the far left was a spawning ground for political violence…But for the most part, far-left violence in this country has gone the way of the leisure suit and the AMC Gremlin… By contrast, there has been explosive growth among far-right, militia-type groups that identify themselves as white supremacists, "constitutionalists," tax protesters and religious soldiers determined to kill people to uphold "Christian" values.

I am not sure about the "explosive growth" bit at the end. I know of no evidence that such groups are growing in numbers. But Robinson is surely right that, in contrast to earlier decades, domestic political terrorism is more likely to originate on the right than on the left. Timothy McVeigh was no leftist. Of course, you have to include Islamic militants on "the right," which makes the right look rather multicultural.

Unfortunately for his honesty, Robinson uses this fact to launch an ad hominem against pretty much everyone who objects to Obama Administration policy.

The vitriolic, anti-government hate speech that is spewed on talk radio every day -- and, quite regularly, at tea party rallies -- is calibrated not to inform but to incite. Demagogues scream at people that their government is illegitimate, that their country has been "taken away," that their elected officials are "traitors" and that their freedom is at risk.

It would have been very unfair in the 1970's to blame the Left in general or the Democrats in particular for the crimes of the Symbionese Liberation Army. Likewise there is no reason to blame the Tea Party movement, or Republicans in general, for the malevolent Hutaree goofballs.

Tea Partiers are a rowdy bunch, and they aren't the least bit shy about criticizing their own government. The Left considers that a virtue when the President is a Republican. Now that we have the most Leftist President yet, dissident speech suddenly becomes hate speech.

The Tea Party movement is in fact the active front of majority opinion in these United States. According to a USAToday/Gallup poll, a landslide majority (64-65%) of Americans believe that the recently passed health care bill will expand the role of government too much, and cost too much. Fifty-eight percent believe (quite rightly IMHO) that the bill does not control costs. Does every American who stands up in public to say so, or attends a rally with like-minded people, have to take responsibility for the Hutarees or Timothy McVeigh?

To say so is to demonize the opposition. Liberals complained vociferously about that when they thought George W. was doing it. Now they are doing it, systematically.

ps. Contrary to what Robinson says, it is not "simply untrue" that there are crazies on both sides. It is exactly true.   The WaPo reports that Norman Leboon has been arrested for threatening Republican Eric Cantor.  As the WaPo notes, this is "the first such arrest since an outbreak of harassment and vandalism began against members of Congress more than a week ago."  

Comments

[sean]

Crazy on both sides one is farrrr more crazier on the other side, you know the crazier side, gun tooting, patriotic, fake-bible even if its not your book, isreal first even if its not your country,

[A.I.]

From the Christian Science Monitor: "Nationwide, the patriot movement has grown dramatically since the election of President Obama. Between 2008 and 2009, the number of such groups increased from 149 to 512, SPLC numbers suggest."

Indeed, such groups are "growing in numbers". Some of this growth is no doubt inspired by economic stress as Michigan is apparently a hot bed of such activity. But the Right's and the Republic Party's proclivity toward rallying around the illegitimate notions that Obama is a socialist, satanic, foreign-born, wants to take away our freedom and or destroy America is hardly helpful if they desire--as some claim--to establish a more civil dialogue.

And by the way, it should be noted that your contention that Obama is "the most Leftist President yet" is little more than that; a contention that can not be supported by empirical evidence. And if establishing social programs is the basis for you contention, FDR and LBJ, are spinning in their graves.

[A.I.]

Almost forgot, Norman (the loon) Leboon appears to be an unaffiliated wacko.

[KB]

A.I.: the Southern Poverty Law Center is a very partisan organization with a strong vested interest in encouraging fear and loathing of right wingers. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Over the years I have seen their numbers scrutinized, and they do not stand up.

What counts as a group and how many individuals do these group numbers represent? SPLC will count a group if it sees a group name on a website, even if there is no evidence that more than one person was behind the site. And even if the numbers were accurate, 512 is hardly "explosive growth." How many bridge clubs are there in Montgomery Alabama?

Your point about Obama's leftward lean if fair. I do not think he is a closet communist, as some Tea Party fanatics do. I do think he is marginally further to the left than any previous president. The social programs of FDR were modest by comparison (when they were created). ObamaCare starts out gargantuan. LBJ, well you may have me there.

Norman Leboon is no more nor less "unaffiliated" than the Hutaree group. That was my point.

[Guard]

None of this really matters.

[RJ]

You were, of course, incorrect when you wrote "Of course, you have to include Islamic militants on "the right,"." The Islamic militants have no conservative or liberal ideology - they believe you are either a believer (you should die for your belief in the Koran) or an infidel (you should die because you don't believe in the Koran). Ultimately, they have it right...we are all going to die.

[KB]

Guard: You sound like the turtle in A Never Ending Story.

[Guard]

KB: I might just be the Turtle in the Never Ending Story...lol

[KB]

RJ: It was correct of me to say that you would have to include Islamic terrorists under the category of "the right" if you want to argue that serious domestic terrorism is coming from the right these days.

Guard: I meant the turtle thing in a loving way. I loved that big turtle: "not that it matters, but..."

[William]

Part of this regurgitates a response I made to the earlier Krugman post, but while I think we can all agree that there are "whackos" on both the left & right "LEFTIST political violence is the real issue in this country and has been for years."

"At least 250 people were arrested outside the Republican Convention last night as police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse rioters attacking property and blocking roads in protest at the war in Iraq."... "once the main antiwar march had finished, splinter groups embarked on a violent rampage, smashing windows, slashing car tyres, throwing bottles and even attacking Republican delegates attending the nearby Xcel Centre."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4660503.ece

The Left only sees their own reflection when they attack their opponents as "racist", "violent", "astroturf", etc. The party I identify with race obsession, violence and phony "astroturf" grassroots organizations is, and has been, the Left and the Democratic Party it's taken control of for the last 43 years.

FWIW, I consider the Southern Poverty Law Center a left wing "hate group". Morris Dees appears to consider any group that is not statist and race/gender/"social justice"/secularist" goal oriented to be a "hate group". His suspect groups appear to include veterans, Christians, gun owners, Republicans, Libertarians, the Upper Midwest (excluding Minnesota), our nation's founders and people who like apple pie.

[Guard]

This Turtle says: Remain firm in your Faith and Let go and Let God.

[KB]

William: SPLC is not a hate group. It is just a very partisan group. I think it's okay to have a group looking under every stone for extremists, but the SPLC has a vested interest in finding them and its numbers are not to be trusted.

[William]

KB, if Morris Dees doesn't HATE me, I'm pretty sure he has (at least) an extreme dislike for me (and people like me) - lol

Male, rural, middle-aged, White, Christian, gun owning, veteran...

[Stace Nelson]

@William as well as our own Obama administration who consider veterans like us as potential terrorists due to our conservative views. My own liberal Democrat opponent claims to be "like a conservative Republican," amongst conservative voters, however decries me a radical as a real Reagan Conservative Republican. It must be difficult trying to be a chameleon, it would explain his anger at my asking him about several key votes he cast against bills to protect children from child molesters and his own professed confusion as to why he voted against them. I may need a current tetanus shot to deal with the irony.

[William]

Stace,

I think they're concerned about those of us that took an oath to preserve and protect the Constitution for reasons other than taking a political office. I suspect they're alarmed that we actually take that oath seriously, unlike some of our political and judicial office holders.