Margo Howard | 09/16/2009 5:30 pm

Margo Howard: The Origins of Obama Rage?

Our Dear Margo shares what she fears to be the truth behind the growing dissent for President Barack Obama and his policies.

By Margo Howard

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Editor’s Note: A longtime journalist, Margo Howard went into the family business (her mother was the fabled Ann Landers) in the 1990s as Dear Prudence. Her broad experience and understanding of human nature provide answers for the troubled — and entertainment for everyone else. Margo’s advice column, Dear Margo, appears twice a week — on Thursdays and Fridays — on wowOwow.com.

I wrote this a few days ago, but with my editor decided it might be too incendiary. After former President Carter’s interview, however, I decided to join the still-thin chorus expressing this viewpoint. I think Obama and his supporters have been too willing to turn the other cheek – an admirable impulse in normal times. But when the debate becomes as coarse as it has, rebuttal is needed.

I find what is abroad in the land, as Henry James would have said, simply repellent — forget frightening. An elected official hollers out "You lie!" during a presidential address, yahoos are wearing firearms wherever they go, even at events where the president is, not to mention bars … certainly a great place to have a drunk with a pistol. The desperate lunatic fringe, with some help from the Fox guys, have people (well, OK, the gullible, dim ones) believing that old age is reason enough for execution, Obama was born in Kenya, dissenters will be locked up á la the Nazis and the true mission of this administration is to turn us into a Socialist — if not a Communist — country. Even a true-blue conservative author and speechwriter for George W. Bush, David Frum, is concerned about "the wild accusations and paranoid delusions from the fever swamps." The Los Angeles Times called the increasing number of head case Republicans "the party of the paranoid."

Maureen Dowd wrote what I had been thinking: All this insanity is simply the bigots acting out. I am afraid it may really be true that the loudest naysayers cannot stand it that we have a black president. In what psychiatrists would call "displacement," the anger of some at having an African-American leader has been dolled up with scare tactic complaints and projections. They just can’t live with it, so they’re trying to upend it. Divide and conquer. Read it and weep.

1252 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

To Jim and THE COUNT,

thanks for your thoughtful comments, saves me some writing because I heartily agree with both of you. I would just add that, like you said Jim, it’ll probably get worse before it gets better, unfortunately in this day of instant access to the news etc., we too often fail to see the big picture, the minor peaks and valleys in the long upward climb of our social evolution. Our country’s history dates only several hundred years, we are only 150 years removed from state sanctioned slavery! I do think we’ll get there, I just hope I’m around to see it.

By Van Lee on 09/16/2009 8:34 pm

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That must be one of the most important things that describe you, as you forgot yo mention it because you just take it for granted that everyone knows. That is wonderful. We share some same beliefs, qualities, character traits, etc. Thanks so much for reaching out to me. Despite my name, when the issue is serious, I don’t "snark". Now if you bring up Lindsey Lohan, or Congress…well…that is open season. :-)

By Count Snarkula on 09/17/2009 12:17 am

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I’m glad we connected here too. I read most of your other comments on this article and discovered that we’re both Southerners too. Although I gratefully escaped more than 25 years ago, I’ve given up trying to get the South out of my blood and no longer even want to.

I really liked most of your other comments, although since I was only reading yours I rarely knew what you were responding to. At last count there were well over 700 comments total, far too many to read, and most not worth reading anyway. I’m even more grateful than before that yours was and still is first. Even my first one, which started out on the first page, has been shoved down to page 10 already, I think.

In situations like this I nearly always think I’ve found a new friend, but I’ve learned over the years that I’m much too cantankerous and misanthropic for that, and I’m very much less tolerant than you are. I do not suffer fools gladly and have no interest in hearing the ravings of the small-minded lunatics calling themselves Christians who have overrun this country like a plague of locusts.

Nevertheless, I like you enough so far that if you have any desire to try continuing some kind of contact offline, let me know and we’ll figure out some way to exchange e-mail addresses safely. Or maybe we’ll just run into each other here again soon. Take care. I won’t call you Count any more, and I honestly don’t even know what the word snark means except as a Lewis Carroll creature.

By Jim Martin on 09/18/2009 3:59 pm

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Jim, this is exactly what FDR meant by "All we have to fear is fear itself."

By Lila Kuh on 09/16/2009 7:43 pm

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Jim, with all due respect, you are an exhaustive optimist. Yes, things will get worse, and that will be devastating. Believe it. Time —it is not on our side. And, fear is healthy.

By C jay on 09/18/2009 2:32 pm

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The only "fear" that is rampant now is the fear of America as it is, with standing these attacks by the radical left. They are the fearmongers, those that want to "fundamentally change" this Nation. They are the ones who have an agenda based on fears.

You and Margo and Count Snarkula are flat wrong. It is about socialism, the American people do not want it, did not vote for it and do not want it hidden in our bills and shoved down our throats.

The only "fear" that most of the people that I know have, is that the Obama administration will be allowed to lie and mislead. The American people need to stand up before the deed has been done, our country changed forever.

By Lauren Sinclair on 09/19/2009 3:43 pm

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I don’t have a solution, either, but I DO take offense to being referred to as a "racist." Just because someone disagrees with Obama’s policies and agenda, it doesn’t mean that the person is racist. To suggest that I wouldn’t feel the same way if the president was white is extremely insulting. And one of the things I’ll admit I’m "afraid" of is this country’s financial disaster that my children and my children’s children will be inheriting. What’s THAT got to do with race?

By Jodie Cox on 09/17/2009 7:58 am

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I don’t necessarily think that ALL people who disagree with Obama are racists; it’s your protected right to disagree with elected officials, and no one is begruding you that. What people like me and others are afraid of/tired of, and what Margo is referring to, is the EXTREME hatred and dissention that is going on. Instead of offering constructive criticism and solutions, many in the GOP have simply lowered themselves to the dreck: questioning if Obama is an American citizen, calling him President Hussein, or the Muslim President…so on and such. While I disagreed with much of what former President Bush did and stood for, I was always respectful of him.

As for this country’s financial situation….it isn’t even one of Obama’s making. It’s a dragon that far precedes him…the financial collapse happened on the Bush Administrations watch, as did many of the big bailouts. The catch-22 of the situation was that if Obama had simply sat back and did nothing at all, the same people would’ve been screaming bloody murder just like they are now. Look at the national debt this way….say you spend $70,000 to remodel part of your house. You might be $70k in the whole, but if you are able to sell your house for far greater than you paid for it, then accruing that debt had a benefit. Likewise, if the money that has been pumped in by the stimulus package works to actually bring the economy up, then it could end up paying itself off. So don’t buy into this "passing debt onto your children and grandchildren" hoopla….every generation sings the same song, and every generation so far has managed to not end up in debtor’s prison.

By Elizabeth Newman on 09/17/2009 8:18 am

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Jodie, Only you know if you are attacking President Obama’s policies because you don’t like him. Did you feel the same way about President Bush- most of the debt we are in now happened on his watch. He was in office for 8 years did I miss the rightwing rage ? I still don’t really understand the anger directed at the President. We should be angry with the financial institutions who let greed plunge us into the depths of this recession. We now need regulations that will prevent it from happening again. I could understand if we called on the President to enact stronger consumer laws.

But instead you rail against government intervention- well who do you think will stop the banks from gauging you ? I keep hearing this business about my children and my childrens children will be inheriting- what kind of world will they inherit if we don’t fix things that are broken?

I don’t agree with everything the president does- he is more in line with my beliefs. I am both angry and proud of President Obama. HE does try to bring civility.

By starry Nite on 09/17/2009 8:51 pm

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I think it is too simple to be mere racism. We all know there are racists in America, and that will continue. But the opposition to Obama, IMO, is deeper and comes from an extreme right wing who will use all the tools at their disposal: racism, religion (extremely conservative Christianity), false accusations (the birthers), etc., to achieve their goal of control of the US.

We need to stop wasting time responding to side issues and get on with the business at hand: health care, the economy, etc.

Obama (and others) will always have racist opposition (and so can some whites from blacks; it can cut both ways); talking about it won’t change the true racists. Let’s stop talking about the things that won’t change and work on what we can change. The best answer to the detractors is to return to good government.

By ann penn on 09/17/2009 8:14 am

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good points ann.

By macwoof woof on 09/19/2009 10:03 pm

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Gonna have to disagree with this one. Racism, while always a factor, is definitely not the predominant factor in the Republicans’ hatred and anger toward Obama.

Hatred, anger and fear obviously dominate Republicans’ view of anything Obama, but that is by far because they hate and fear Democrats. Have you already forgotten the vitriolic hateful speech and attack on Bill Clinton, John Kerry and every single Democrat of significance? I think the hatred that Republicans have for Clinton is still yet unsurpassed. Someday it might, but not yet. And that certainly is not because of race.

By John Lee on 09/17/2009 1:01 pm

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I agree to an extent. The reason people call it racism is because of the blatant disrespect for this president versus any other president. People over talking you in your speeches will do that for you. No I don’t agree with alot of the things the president says hell I didn’t agree with the last one at all but I respect the person who has been appointed that seat. I know for a fact I wouldn’t want that position. People want change but people dont want to change

By Allen Overall on 09/17/2009 1:04 pm

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Allen, I try and drive down the middle of the road and look at the scenery on both sides of the road (right and left), but I believe that we have continued to lose respect, in general, for the office of the presidentcy for many years. I disagree that Obama has been treated worse than any other President. I could make a long list of MANY presidents and the disrespect that they have received, but I will mention only one: Remember the glee that many felt when President Bush was insulted by the shoe thrower? There were many websites that actually praised the shoe thrower as a hero. Whether I agreed with Bush’s policies or not (and many times I didn’t) I was appalled at the lack of respect for OUR representative as POTUS! I absolutley agree with you that whomever is elected by the PEOPLE of the United States should be respected at all times.

By Scarlett Ohara Mitchell on 09/18/2009 12:14 pm

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Of course fear is what has driven the "race issue" - from the earliest civilizations, to the "age of enlightenment" (geneticists trying to prove that "blacks have smaller brains."), to Sept 2009. People ARE afraid of change and want to keep the "World I know" rather than find solutions to make a better world.

Solution: Keep on educating others and yourselves. Find and speak out, where ever possible about, what is truth vs. scare tactics. Look at both sides of an issue before you decide. This is especially true about the Health care issues. (look up factcheck.org) But it is also true about what’s being thrown out there about Obama’s personal life.

Kathleen E Lo Pinto VIgnolini, Proud to be LIBERAL (AKA A Patriotic & Tolerant American Citizen)

By Kathleen Vignolini on 09/18/2009 12:38 pm