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.

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Dear COunt, Thank you for your compliement. It’s not just a southern thing. We all tend to love the sound of our own voices. It’s human nature. It explains actors and politicians. But, I accept no excuse for the hate mongers on some T.V. shows. They know better, for a dollar and 15 minutes of fame, they will say and do outrageous things, and not care what effect they have on people. Think, read and discuss, and you’ll get any reasonable answer you need. Have a good one.

By Helen Moran on 09/17/2009 12:06 pm

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What would happen if all the news sources agreed not to print, quote or transmit the hateful, hurtful names and stories that come from the Limbough crowd. Would that put a damper on the lunatic views we see quoted here and elsewhere? Let’s try it for two weeks and see what happens.

Elinor

By Elinor Stone on 09/16/2009 8:18 pm

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Elinor, a point i was trying to make too. why give voice to the deranged? The ‘liberal media’ is as responsible for the craziness by actually interviewing the nuts. You can disagree with the president and his party but to threaten or insinuate threat is unacceptable. Start offering solutions instead of acting like fanatics and screaming down someone you don’t agree with. Start becoming the patriots you pretend to be by accepting the election results and working within the system to change what you don’t like. Carrying guns to rallies and shouting during town hall meeting or in the halls of congress is buffoonery.

this is excellent - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/reese-schonfeld/cnn-has-lost-its-way_b_287654.html

By macwoof woof on 09/16/2009 8:29 pm

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Elinor, in case you thought my post was directed at you, it wasn’t. I was agreeing with you but got carried off the topic even i was trying to make. apologies.

By macwoof woof on 09/16/2009 8:32 pm

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Macwoof, please get off topic more often. That was great.

By Count Snarkula on 09/16/2009 11:40 pm

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Lets not forget that Oboma got elected because many white people voted for him. Unfortunately there will always be racisim against blacks, jews, & muslums. What is important that we can be critical without being called a racist. Were both a little right on both sides of this debate. I believe out of respect for our president of this country regardless of party we leave race out of it because I’m sure he would not want that card played. Ignorance is out there and most of the time only 1/2 of Americans vote. Jimmy Carter states an opinion and that is all it is. No one can be sure who the real racist are because so many politicians on both sides are use to playing the game and protecting their butts

By Barbara B on 09/16/2009 8:25 pm

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Susan PrendergastIt’s NOT hatred per se; it’s fear. All behavior otherwise inexplicable is fear based. In this case, we’re talking racial bigots who are afraid the brown people will get the upper hand and treat said bigots to a dose of their own medicine. (The Upper Hand has the spoonful of Medicine in it, so to speak.) I was a little worried there that I wasn’t going to get these metaphors to mesh, but bringing in the pinko commie socialized medical (s)care bit helped quite a bit, don’t you think?

By Susan Prendergast on 09/16/2009 8:27 pm

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Susan, I think. ;)

By macwoof woof on 09/19/2009 10:28 pm

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You got it all wrong. It’s all about reparations. The racists are the ones projecting.

By Lauren Sinclair on 09/19/2009 11:50 pm

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Shame on you. The Democrats have played the race card to try to push through an agenda that the American people — and the Democrats — don’t want. Look in the mirror

By Christine 625 on 09/16/2009 8:29 pm

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Lila Kua well said.

By Barbara B on 09/16/2009 8:30 pm

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Ya know… I wish we could abolish political parties. I wish people would stop staring at peoples skin colors and start looking at their souls instead. I wish we could live in a country where all men and women are created equal without bias or exception. I wish people would just be ok with differing views instead of instantly going on the defensive. Your way can be your way and yet not be their way. It’s really ok. The world will not end if we all think differently. My skin color shouldn’t dictate what I can or cannot say and do. Neither should my sex, religion or who I love.

I’ve never gotten the whole republican democrat thing. We live in a democratic replublic. I know republicans that’re more liberal than most democrats and democrats that’re more conservative than most republicans.

I’ve never really gotten the whole obsession with skin color either. My own family has tried to say I’m being racist when I say "the black guy" to refer to someone on tv. No one would have a problem if I said "the tan guy" or "the guy with blonde hair" but for some reason if I say "the black guy" I’m being racist just because I’m using a physical charasteristic to identify someone? I think it’s time everyone on all sides gets over it. Skin color shouldn’t matter anymore than hair or eye color. Just sayin.

I voted for Obama. Yup. I did. It’s not like another non republican/democratic party was going to miraculously win. For some reason the majority of people only vote for 2 parties in this country so I figured I had to choose… Which one scared me less? The black dude that beat out Hilary or the old guy and the chick from Alaska. It had nothing to do with being racist, sexist or even political. I just listened to what they had to say and made my decision. Personally I believe in freedom and equality for all. Simple as that. Soon as there’s a President that really believes the same, I’ll get all excited and crazy. Until then… I just figure he’s got a couple more years to please some and piss others off. Then we get to vote for another less than awesome President or keep this one for another 4 years. Tis life.

By Lane Player on 09/16/2009 8:42 pm

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If there are so many racists out there, how did obama get elected?

By elle vee on 09/16/2009 8:52 pm

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Because there isnt enough of them to make a difference in an election….. but there is enough to do damage to the republican party and anyone that gets in the way of their violence.

By Roger from Ohio on 09/16/2009 11:34 pm

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Violence? From WHO? An african American is attending a town hall meeting and gets beaten up by union member for being against the policies of Obama ….. same thing happened with the guy that lost his finger - he was against Obama - the only violence has come from the left ….

By canuck canuck on 09/17/2009 1:29 pm