Recently, there have been a number of town hall forums to discuss and debate questions and concerns surrounding President Obama's recent push for health care reform. In the midst of legitimate dialogue, there has been an ugly, paranoid and feverish undertone the likes of which I've only seen in the movies.
We've had a woman sobbing about how she wants her country back. There have been the usual catcalls and accusations of our President being a socialist, even a communist. There have been claims by protesters of being "proud right wing terrorists" that were echoed and applauded by the hosts. There have even been people toting semi-automatic weapons out in the open, falling back on their Second Amendment rights. Then we have a congresswoman referencing the "Great White Hope," an allusion to the famous quest for a Caucasian boxer to dethrone Jack Johnson in the early 1900's. Top it all off with a Republican House Member shouting at the Commander-in-Chief last week, calling him a liar. Not to mention the genius who was sitting in the crowd wit ha sign around his neck reading, "What Bill?"
Enough.
Look, while I voted for Obama, I've been concerned about his handling of health care reform. I thought it could've been stronger prior to last night's make-or-break joint session, but to be honest the ongoing tone at these pre-arranged, preconceived town hall meetings has been leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
And the Republican party has been making me fucking sick.
The use of fear mongering and scare tactics to try and hold onto whatever antiquated beliefs they have is bad enough in and of itself. But to use such outlandish methods as what's been mentioned above is just about unforgivable. More significantly, it smacks of racism in the first degree.
I knew from the onset of Obama's election that sooner or later, the issue would arise, but I had hoped it wouldn't be this soon in the game. That said, I can't say I'm surprised. What the GOP is doing right now is catering to that latent ugliness that does unfortunately exist in some Americans. There's nothing to do to curb that belief in them; it's something they won't easily let go of.
But that said, what they (the Republican party) are doing right now is letting the masses know that it's OK to bring your bigotry to the forefront. It's the equivalent of saying, "Hey, we won't judge you for your narrow-minded beliefs. We accept your state of mind and welcome you into the fray." If the GOP weren't hosting stacked town halls, you wouldn't have people proudly calling themselves terrorists or brandishing weapons. I don't care what you say, it's not OK.
Y'know, I'll be honest... I'm not one for partisanship, I really do try to look at things as objectively as possible. But with that being said, I hope Joe Wilson's outburst buries the party for another four years. If they're that willing to sink to underhanded means and pettiness to make their point, they don't deserve to be in power. Not in this country or anywhere.
It's time for them to give up the Borg mentality of one collective and start getting moderate. Encouraging the bigots and degenerates of America to put their hate on display is criminal. To top it all off, the overwhelming majority of their arguments have been debunked on multiple occasions. From fake birth certificates to allusions of death panels, the eagerness to spike the public punch with false information is alarming to say the least. I hate to admit it, but they weren't this abusive when they were in power for eight years.
The "O" in "GOP" stands for "Old." That may be true in terms of their beliefs, but there's nothing "grand" about where this party is going. It's disturbing, disgusting and detrimental to the well-being of our country. I have to wonder if they really have considered their long-term health, or if they are that daft to the concept of progression. Whatever the case is, I personally am praying for the lot of them to be muzzled. That goes for the pundits, too.
If people are that insistent on spewing such outlandish hatred, they deserve more than censure. They deserve to have all their rights revoked.
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