Posted by a friend on Facebook:
"Sadly, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton predicted the future of our country. They agreed that when the voters recognize that when the public treasury has become the public trough, they will send to Washington not persons who promote self-reliance and foster an atmosphere of prosperity, but rather those who will give away the most cash thereby creating dependency. Half of the country knows this and so it has gleefully sent Obama back to office so he can send them more federal cash taken from the other half. Well-said, Judge Napolitano."
I read this statement on Facebook today and it has been bothering me all day. Similar sentiments were stated last night on Fox News by Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. My problem with this analysis is that this statement is clearly dismissive of everyone who voted for President Obama as a simpleton who would boil all of the complex issues facing our country down to just "what's in it for me?" That's clearly overly simplistic and downright disrespectful. In addition it's a another repetition of the far right racial dog whistle to white people who vote Republican mostly because of their perception that they are being taxed primarily so that lazy black people can live the good life on the public dole. Remember the Obama decision to remove the work requirement from welfare, which of course didn't actually happen. This theme of widespread government dependence is no doubt going to be replayed for some time to come. Here is a clip of Republican king-maker Lee Atwater admitting to the Republican race-baiting strategy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X_8E3ENrKrQ
I wonder if my friend stopped to consider when she posted this that she was basically insulting over 60 million people who voted for President Obama, more than half of all voters, by the way. Maybe just maybe some of us voters were thinking about other things than just "federal cash" coming our way. Maybe some of us found the erstwhile Mitt Romney to be woefully lacking in relevant experience, temperament, judgment, and integrity. Maybe some of us didn't think that a career as a vulture capitalist necessarily implied that Romney could "create jobs," especially since he and his party don't believe that the government really creates jobs. Maybe some of us remembered the Bush years, when multiple tax cuts and "Trickle Down Economics," not only failed to produce jobs and prosperity but threw us into the worst financial predicament since the Great Depression. Maybe some of us believe in equal pay for women and keeping the government out of our bedrooms. Maybe some of us believe in science, evolution, and man-made climate change as a huge danger to the world. Maybe some of us remember--and deeply resent--that the Republican Party repeatedly put defeating President Obama ahead of the national welfare. Perhaps some of us voting for President Obama wanted to avoid putting warmongering Republican Neo-Cons back in charge of national security. Some of us might want to see an America focused on creating peace in the world instead of using every opportunity to impose our national will on other countries by way of military force. Gee, there seem to be so many good reasons not to vote for a Republican and even more not to vote for Mitt Romney. But right wingers, Tea Partiers, Republicans, Fox News and right wing radio blowhards no doubt will keep claiming that the majority of American voters who voted Obama are nothing more than the 47% and fellow travelers trying to ride the federal goody train. Do you think that your open disdain and contempt for the motives of the rest of us will help you get your message accepted? You might want to rethink that and come back with arguments that give the rest of us some minimal credit for having good judgment and some concern for the good of the country as a whole.
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