You know I think some of this tea party shit is really about scared people.

[glowing]

Those scared people have found an angry Glenn Beck and a Right Wing that rears its ugly head when the Dems are in power. I was listening to these local yahoos in the office... Their apt building is getting fumigated for termites; so many are staying with us. They were talking about stats and debts and fear. They are a bit older and should be looking at retirement, but are scared. They are taking care of their parents and their children; they are scared. (I know, many are racist assholes). In general, it was about feeling tricked and now watching every move anyone in govt makes. Spending on things they cannot feel doesn't make sense. I just listened today. I think just throwing them aside with the racist; righties is a mistake. It seems to be 50+ that are stuck on the fear. They don't want to lose what they had.. they want it back. They cannot see the path forward, and they don't understand that the govt economy doesn't exactly work like their own.

We need to pressure those in charge to make tangible decisions that real people can feel. Something that gives them more than just hope. Once people can see and feel something better, then Obama's numbers will rebound. I think a strong h.c. plan would do it. If they pass a watered down crap bill, they will lose on everything going foward.. and honestly, we know we need a jobs bill.. a targeted jobs bill.. and that means more spending. The first stimulus was just a stop gap; people need a way to make money to live.. that is the current model.. it does take money to eat, sleep under a roof, etc.

[GCP]

1. People are scared

It's like we're a bunch of rats slowly starving in the bottom of a barrel and the weaker ones are being picked on and eaten by the stronger ones. We should all be fighting whoever put us in the barrel in the first place, not each other.
And Beck et al are there to distract and obfuscate the real reasons we're all in the shit.
Trickle down economics
Massive tax cuts for the rich and corporations
Out-sourcing of jobs
Race to the bottom for wages and benefits
Unfunded war.

[glowing]

6. Def. agree. Faux and other media is not making it easy to place the appropriate

anger at the media, the govt, and those who knew better. They are doing the divide game. AND its frightening.

[Triana]

2. fear, ignorance, and hatred. They'll demonize anything different from the status quo..

....EVEN if if what's different is or might be better than the status quo. The vitriol of Glenn Beck and Limbaugh just gives them a shadow of hatred and anger to hide their fear behind - whatever the reasons for it.

And I agree - we need a STRONG health care bill and an even STRONGER jobs bill. UNTIL and UNLESS people are back to work THERE WILL BE NO RECOVERY.

[KittyWampus]

5. True, but corporations, pols and talking heads with more money & power are fueling these

sentiments.

Yeah, they use all kinds of labels but there's a REASON the corporate shills focus so often on making Socialism a dirty word.

[Triana]

24. corporations = media (well, 7 of them own it all...) n/t

[KittyWampus]

3. Can't recommend your thread highly enough. That's the one reason I say it isn't JUST racism

fueling this stuff.

People have been manipulated and mislead and kept in the dark on purpose.

Families are in the cross hairs of corporate greed but corporate shills use divisive nonsense to keep us from organizing.

[glowing]

11. I think I have been a bit misguided in labeling the hate movement.

The reality is that some are really angry and frightened.. It is a form of populism; but its directed in the wrong way.. or with the wrong people guiding them. Sometimes its hard to actually listen because the signs amongst theirselves are just disgusting. Then again, perhaps our signs were disgusting to them as well. The one gentleman was mad at everything govt. "spending our money" on bad news. They wanted out of both wars. They wanted all bases shut down on foreign soil. They wanted less spending all around. I'm not sure what they would agree to spend money on? I don't think anyone has asked them; if you are going to live in the USA, what would you agree to spend money on? Health care, police, fire fighters, teachers, roof over everyone's head, food to go around to everyone? What would the cost be? AND honestly, who should share the greater burden. However, descent people are being conjoled into fear and hate. These people in the office didn't want Pres. Obama dead or harmed.. they wanted him to do a good job. Hold him accountable. Perhaps, even they are embarassed by some of the signs showing up at their rallies.

What would have happened had all the people from the left who normally rally shown up at the 9/12 rally with signs that read (and out numbered the teaparty people) health care for all. Jobs for all. Throw the bankers in jail. End wars; troops home. The only time a national t.v. camera shows up is when Faux is throwing the party.. why in the world are we laughing and not using it to our advantage? Locally, its a great way to get on t.v. with proper signs and to educate those in the crowd who are reich wingers .. we may save some of these people from themselves.

[kestrel91316]

4. Fear doesn't come close to excusing their behavior and statements.

I've known a lot of fear in my life, particularly economic, and it has never caused ME to behave like a racist pig.

I see no reason why we should coddle these people. They are not interested in listening to reason, and simply ignore the truth when it is presented to them. So FUCK'EM.

[KittyWampus]

8. They are fellow human beings and just saying "Fuck'em" doesn't work. IMO, your sentiment

is rooted in a certain form of arrogance.

[kestrel91316]

26. Does full-time work as an apologist for the RW pay you well?

[KittyWampus]

31. Obviously hit a nerve.

[glowing]

13. These two weren't being racist at all. Not once did they say something

badly against the President in a vulgar way.

[DevonRex]

18. Hear hear!! No excuses for their behavior. No "poor widdle things are frightened."

It's bullshit. They hate with every fiber of their being. They hate a LOT of people, including every liberal in the US and abroad.

[glowing]

20. They didn't say they hated anyone. They didn't comment on skin.

They were discussing numbers... the war costing so much, and the rest of the country going to hell. That wasn't racist. We've said that for the last 9yrs now.

[DevonRex]

21. And I didn't talk about that in MY post. They hate a LOT of people, including white

liberals, athiests, jews, muslims, anybody who wants to make sure everybody has health care.

On top of that, most of them DO happen to BE racists.

[kestrel91316]

27. Wow, so a couple of teabaggers AREN'T racist. I'm so impressed.

[NOLALady]

37. Were they also saying that for the last 9 years?

Did they also protest the war?

[AllentownJake]

7. They are going to lose what they have, they should be fucking scared

They gave it away 30 years ago when they bought into free trade and tax cuts.

Of course explaining to people that their retirement depended on the generation below them having decent paying jobs and paying into the system with taxes, investment, and savings was impossible to explain to them by our party at the time. Oh yeah and investing heavily in education because your kids are the ones who are going to end up paying for your retirement.

They got nice little sheets of paper showing their 401(k)s were awesome for years. No one put two and two together and realized in order for me to get this money I'm going to have to sell it when I retire to someone else.

[amandabeech]

35. On tax policy, there has been a choice between us and the reps. On trade, almost no difference.

NAFTA was pressed by the Republicans, but who finally got it passed? Clinton and the Dems.

MFN for China, WTO, GATT and all the rest were pressed by the Republicans, but who finally got that passed? Clinton and the Dems.

I've been talking about jobs since the '70s because I'm from Michigan, but frankly, the national Dems have not been the least bit interested jobs since Carter or maybe LBJ or Truman.

The voters really haven't had any choice on trade issues in the general, and really, between corporate $$$$ and the media such a huge influence even at the primary level, not a fair fight there either.

[sandnsea]

9. They Hate Democrats.

Who are Democrats? Women, gays, and minorities.

They don't like being out of power. That's all they're afraid of.

They got a tax cut. When Bush pretended to give them a tax cut they got all starry eyed. When they really got one, they laughed at it. That says it all about these people and their insanity.

[glowing]

14. One was a woman, one was a man. I'd say the woman was more of a pug and the

man was an independant. If the woman makes sense to the indi, who wins? Why do you think they are trying to block so many things Obama wishes to do? Between the roving idiots who believe Beck, corporations who buy into both sides of politics, and the media who depend on ad revenue to remain viable, we have an uphill battle. We need real tangible things that touch each of us. We need h.c. for all. We need for banks to stop throwing people out of their homes. We need a jobs bill. People would support a jobs bill. If you could get a job that pays money, the level of fear would decrease.

[sandnsea]

28. White Christian Males and the women who love them

That is ALL this is about. Their self-righteous bullshit that they own this country and everybody else is sponging off of them. That's It. That's ALL. Don't fucking complicate it.

On Edit: Any time a Democrat passes any of the things you're mentioning - they call is socialism or welfare for the lazy. Wake the fuck up. They HATE Democrats.

[DevonRex]

10. I will NOT make or accept the excuse of fear for their hatred. Ever.

They hate because they hate. Period. They spread that hate intentionally and with malice.

My entire side of the family is made up of RW haters. Fear, my ass. They ENJOY beating other people down to build themselves up.

[glowing]

16. I don't think all of them are rw haters. I think some are caught up in anger and fear.

They were told govt is the problem for so long. They don't trust Obama and Bush let them way down. I didn't say all of them aren't racists assholes. I am saying that some of them have been caught into the populist outrage because of their fear.. and it is an older set who have seen a huge loss in their 401k's that are feeling it the most. Me, I don't even have one. Retirement? WTF is that? I barely live pay to pay, god forbid I lose that.

[tXr]

12. You have described my parents to a 'T'.

They are in their mid-60s and are scared and angry about everything they see going on. They are habitual consumers of mainstream media, and the television dial rarely strays from traditional network channels. They recently retired and see the system that they trusted and invested with their lives going down in flames. They have reacted in anger, fear, and bewilderment.

[glowing]

17. The bewilderment part does fit. They don't understand what is happening or why?

They didn't pay attention when they should have. AND msm is not going to do anything but confuse them more.

[Frustratedlady]

15. They are also afraid the brown skinned people are going to be the majority.

They can call it whatever they want, but their main fear is that the whites will not be in the majority.

I am white, btw.

[glowing]

19. I think that is much more regional. If you grew up in an area that is more racist,

then the fear of the brown is probably mixed in with the rest of the fear and anger. However, if Pres. Obama had pushed thru the most populist stimulus bill that all the lefty economists and libs were telling him to do, they wouldn't have such a strong reaction of hate and fear now. People are still losing their jobs. Towns are being decimated. Something needs to give. A jobless recovery is an oxymoron. Why must the most of us wait the longest to feel some relief? Wallstreet still got their fat bonuses. AND if we can capture that populist sentiment, throw away the bigotry, and demand for the govt of the people and by the people actually work for the people, we'd have something good... something to be proud of.

[NOLALady]

38. Right.

"People are losing their jobs. Towns are being decimated."

This didn't happen over night. This didn't begin 8 months ago. When did they become fearful and angry about this country's decline?

[sandnsea]

30. brown skinned, gays, independent women who don't need men

Fears that a white patriarchy won't be in the majority - exactly.

[HipChick]

22. Are they scared of their 401K plan going up too, because that's what mine did the last 8 months..

[conscious evolution]

23. Yours may have

but miliions of Americans retirement funds have gone up in smoke due to out right thievery by the banksters and wall street scammers.Unfortunately,the media,which is owned and/or controlled by the same criminals that ripped them off,is not telling the truth about why their retirement funds are gone.If the media was to start telling the people the truth the citizenry would most likely tar and feather the banksters/scammers before running them out of town on a rail.

[dajoki]

25. They may be scared...

but its because of the fearmongering of the likes of Beck, Hannity, etc. I just think many of them are ignorant and they listen to the people who scream the loudest, plus I believe hatred is also a part of it, a big part.

[glowing]

32. I think they are misguided.. and MSM doesn't help.

Honestly, unless you listen to Keith, Rachel or Ed.. then you really get a lop-sided view of the news. FAUX is a disgrace. They are really fanning the hate.. and lying.

[blues90]

29. I think it's mass hysteria fed by a corporate media

And it's deliberate to keep people divided . None of us have any solid answers on anything so I do feel it is more about personal worry and fear out of lack of trust . Look , why would we trust the government after how they have lied so often . Certainly some of it is driven by race but I don't feel that is the main reason .

[Odin2005]

33. The Nazis preyed on peoples fears.

[BadGimp]

34. I postulated the same thing back in August

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6290082

"The real reason for their anger

The type and extent of the anger and rage we are seeing at the health care town halls are of a unique nature and NOT typical political reactions. No these decent Americans are being horribly manipulated by the GOP on behalf of the big money interests that we all know are really running things in this country.

The big reason for their anger however is deep-seated anxiety driven Fear. ......"

-----------------------

FEAR is what is driving so much of what we are seeing.

FEAR is what is being manipulated by the Right's Media Machine.

It's so classic and even predictable.

The damage will generational.

[amandabeech]

36. I agree with you 100% and I appreciate you having the guts to post your thoughts here.

People are scared shitless, and I think that a huge amount of the fear is economic, but I think that there has been a sense for several years that the country is simply not functioning and that it is coming apart.

People have worked hard and have very little now to show for it. Working people really haven't had a raise since the '70s, and wages are going down.

I've been expecting this for some time. I'm just surprised that it's taken so long.

[Lerkfish]

39. fear? maybe. Racism? absolutely. They're scared of the scary uppity blackman as prez.

They did nothing in the aftermath of Katrina, because Barbara Bush summed up their sentiments exactly.

In there minds, the only good black man is a dead one.

its only a matter of time, the way these fears and hatred is being intentionally whipped up.

[bunkerbuster1]

40. An inordinate number of Americans are impoverished. A similar number are closer than they should be.

That is what scares most Americans, and most of them have a very difficult time grasping why that is.

A most excellent post, glowing.

[quiet.american]

41. Can't help but wonder if they'd be just as scared if McCain/Palin were in office.

And I mean that in all seriousness.

[spanone]

42. more about 'scaring' people

[havocmom]

43. For many, it is seeing their delusions about America & their control of it taken down

The black man who was elected president by America is just the tip of the iceberg sinking the boats they use on the ocean of delusions.

Deluded people can get down right ornery when faced with reality.

They thought they were in control. They ignored the corporate take over of opportunity in America. They ignored the growing divide between rich and middle. They ignored the shrinking of the middle class. They pretended they were in control when they had little control over anything.

Then, America voted, overwhelmingly, to elect a person of color. A big, comforting delusion, that white was might, was shattered. Could their other delusions be just that?

Whole lotta acting up goin on. Delusions do not die easy.

[Rex]

44. It is mostly about older, angry white men and women that live in a halcyon world

of make believe. They are about 8 years behind the rest of us that actually pay attention to reality.