Healing that polarization problem

Sometime in 2007 or so, some people decided the US was too polarized. I’m not terribly sure that’s a bad thing. But, it became a political issue that the Democrats used to some success I suppose. Obama was going to fix that polarization problem. It was change you could believe in.

His people didn’t listen. Pretty much as soon as the swearing in was over, the love was as well. It started rather subtly enough:

Bush flunkies trying to argue that Obama is more polarizing than Bush was.

That was in Time Magazine.

Once the health debate got fired up, the love was completely gone. If you questioned anything about the health care “reform”, you were referred to as:

a man that squats on top of a womens face and lowers his genitals into her mouth during sex, known as “teabagging”.

If you objected publicly to Obama, in his presence, you are a white hood wearing racist.

If you didn’t praise Obama daily on your newscasts, you aren’t a real news organization.

If you protested publicly, you’re a Nazi.

If you’re a Republican, you’re a rightwing extremist.

If you’re religious, you’re a rightwing extremist.

If you’re fiscally conservative, you’re a rightwing extremist.

If you believe in the US Constitution, you’re a rightwing extremist.

If you don’t fully buy into Obama’s cap and trade policy, you’re a flat-earther, you’re in denial, you believe man never landed on the Moon, and you believe Area 51 is real.

And, as of today, if you don’t support health care reform, even if you don’t know what it does, you are against freeing the slaves, allowing women to vote, and against civil rights.

Feel the love?

So far, not one single person has recanted any of those statements. This reminds me of McCarthyism. If they’ve got an issue with you, they don’t want an open and honest discussion ( transparency ), they just go for the jugular. The biggest running joke so far is how many bodies are under the Obama bus. So, you don’t necessarily have to be any of the above to draw their wrath.

I truly think it’s the constant assault of insults and demeaning conversation that is costing Obama any political leverage he had with his election, along with the pass he got being the first African-American president. Broken political promises are the norm, he hasn’t bought any favors there. But, he could very easily rein in the nastiness. He hasn’t, he’s participated, and his underlings are out of control. It’s tasteless, it’s trashy, and it makes everyone look bad. If Obama doesn’t rein it in, it will just add fuel to the polarization he claimed was a Bush problem. I think people are already getting real tired of passing the buck on Bush. Especially when it’s obvious its Obama’s baby. Go back and look at how many times Bush demeaned someone, attacked the press, or blamed anything on his predecessor. Bush wasn’t polarizing, people were. In Obama’s case, that can’t be said.