Make no mistake about it. There is a war brewing. The tea partiers hold up signs about revolution, though it's hard to know what they are revolting against. But they get attention and the populist anger is palpable, if not always focused. Last month, Republican candidate for Senate, Richard Behney, stated that he was ready to get out his guns if the Democrats weren't thrown out of office peacefully, and that includes the President. Behney is challenging conservadem Evan Bayh of Indiana.
The Democrats don't seem to be taking this kind of threat seriously. It's not just a political threat to someone's election or re-election that's at stake. Obama's instincts for humility in the political process are laudable; it's nice that he respects opposing viewpoints. But he must also counter the lies and the politics of No for what they are: an assault on the underpinnings of democracy.
The Tea Party movement is not an official political party, but their members are calling for revolution. The first step in their objective is the conservative takeover of Congress and then the removal of Obama from office. There have already been signs among the protesters calling for impeachment. A quick Google of "impeach obama" offers 884,000 hits. One poll shows 35 percent of Republicans in favor of impeaching the President.
Support for such a movement is dependent on the lies that have been part of the media's daily he said/she said gotchas. Ignoring them is not an option. When Lewis Carroll's Alice goes to the tea party, attended also by the Mad Hatter, she ultimately declares that it is indeed the stupidest party she has ever been to. Obama may find it stupid, as many others do, but it doesn't take that much for a lie to gain traction in this environment. Serious contenders for Congress are asking for Obama's proof of citizenship in spite of numerous public fact checking and refutation too little, too late.
The tea partiers accuse Obama of Nazism (among other contradictory things). While the accusations are laughable, it should be noted that Hitler took power by refusing to work with a coalition government, which had been elected, and by spreading lies about the elected leaders. Hitler claimed that the elected government was incapable of combating the evil communism (i.e., they were soft on defense). Eventually, the government became dysfunctional, opening an opportunity for Hitler, who was already jockeying to take over. And the banks and businessmen of the day were behind him; they thought Hitler would be good for Germany (and for them, of course). It is worth noting that this occurred at a time of massive unemployment and economic hardship, the Depression, when people were looking for what they perceived to be "strong" leadership.
From the beginning of this Administration, the Republicans have been given a free pass to say anything, however false, and getting away with it. Obama characterized some of it as "silly" assuming that most Americans tea partiers aside would understand just how ludicrous their rants are. In this he gives the public much too much credit and he seems not to really understand his enemy. Make no mistake about it. The Republicans think of themselves as enemies of Obama, and by extension, their fellow Democrats. Those gloves came off a long time ago.
Whatever broad agenda Obama offers in hope of winning the public's support and however he characterizes the state of the union, decorum can't be built without countering the lies and getting angry with those who spew them. They must be exposed for the Mad Hatters that they are.
Oh the irony of the State of the Union speech being moved to appease the fans of Lost!
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