Fears for Barack Obama's safety as healthcare debate fuels extremism

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/16/obama-rightwing-extremist-fears

As storm over Barack Obama's healthcare reforms rages, surge in rightwing extremism is fanned by opponents

Paul Harris in New York The Observer, Sunday 16 August 2009

The message was clear. The sign carried by a 51-year-old man last week outside a raucous town hall meeting on healthcare in Hagerstown, Maryland, read "Death to Obama". Just to emphasise his point, a second message was also scrawled on the cardboard placard. "Death to Obama, Michelle and 2 stupid kids," it stated.

Welcome to the disturbing new face of the radical right in America. Across the country, extremism is surging, inflamed by conservative talkshow hosts, encouraged by Republican leaders and propagating a series of wild conspiracy theories. Many fear it might end in tragedy.

Obama has been labelled as a threat to democracy and an anti-white racist by senior presenters on the TV channel Fox News. Republicans, seizing on the fierce debate over Obama's plans to reform healthcare, have called him a socialist who plans "death panels" for the elderly. Rumours have circulated that Obama was not born in America and that he plans to ban firearms. Despite having no basis in fact, they have become widely believed. A recent poll in Virginia showed only 53% of voters believed Obama was born in the US. In neighbouring North Carolina, 54% of voters shared that opinion.

Such extremism is becoming a major security issue, prompting fears of an attack on Obama's life or some other incident of domestic terrorism. "This is a very dangerous situation that can spin off 'lone wolf' individuals who decide now is the time to act against people they see as an enemy," said Chip Berlet, author of a book on rightwing extremists.

[Turbineguy]

1. The healthcare debate is not fueling extremism.

Fox News and their ilk are.

[AlinPA]

2. Fox "News" and the right-wing are trying to stop Obama and will do everything they can

to stop him from getting to a chance for a second term. The will rile up those who see the gun as a way to solve their problems and will keep pushing until they stop him.