The Obama Haters: Behind the Right-Wing Campaign of Lies, Innuendo & Racism

POSTSCRIPT: The Next Step—It’s Up to Us to Restore Dignity and Decency

175 PostsCRIPt The Next Step—It’s Up to Us to Restore Dignity and Decency Have you no sense of decency? —Joseph Welch do we no longer have a sense of decency as a society? That basic, simple question is central to everything in this book. We are deluged with access to more information than ever, yet millions of people remain woefully misinformed about the vital issues because they believe wrong information . This ignorance has a profound impact on their lives and on all of our lives. Zealots and demagogues manage to fool some of the people all of the time and trick them into believing they must protect us from “the enemy.” Don’t these same unimaginative lies get a bit shopworn over time? In reality, they are the treacherous ones from whom the rest of us need refuge. It is not Obama they are smearing; he is just a vessel for their irrational rage. These liars are the verbal equivalent of Holocaust Museum shooter James von Brunn, aiming their wrath at a symbol without regard for who gets hurt. They are smearing you and me; they are smearing our Constitution, our nation, and our traditions. When they wrongly call Obama a fascist or a dictator, they are smearing George Mason, who authored the Bill of Rights, and James Madison , who enshrined them as president. They are tearing down the Founding Fathers who formed our “more perfect” but imperfect union, all with widely differing views but mindful of the big picture and respectful of each other. It is our sacred duty to uphold their legacy and not let demagogues hijack it. 176 — — — — — — tHe oBama HateRs None of Obama’s policies come from the far end of a limb. The majority of Americans or significant pluralities are with him on nearly every issue, while the Obama haters and their leaders inhabit Never Never Land, spouting positions held by tiny slivers of the population. It is they who are far outside the mainstream, woefully misinformed, or both, while they try to paint Obama as an extremist. Republican leaders like John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and Mitch McConnell should be the wise men and disarm the loose cannons. Instead, they fire irresponsible zingers, cheapening the dialogue and muddying the waters when our country needs greater clarity. Instead of making thoughtful, principled critiques of the president’s agenda as the loyal opposition, they instead make common cause with the extremists. Have they no sense of decency? I have cast a light on innumerable lies and liars smearing Obama. They are the latest incarnation of the McCarthy tactics, the “vast right-wing conspiracy ,” and the Swift Boaters that previously targeted anyone who stood in the way of the right wing’s arrogant lust for power. I’ve tried to find all of the lies that have gotten traction. I’d like to say that my work is done, but I know that once this book has gone to print, the mega-liars will find new ways to attack. Citizens have a duty to stop the smears when they hear someone repeating a whopper. Pass along this book to friends and family who believe the lies or are perched on the fence. Insist that they do their own research. Nobody should take my word or yours. Complain to news organizations that report the lies unthinkingly, like stenographers, repeating words verbatim without giving it any thought. Furthermore, next time you hear a smear about anybody in public life, think it through. Does it make sense? What is the motive of the person who made the allegation? Why is it being circulated? Would you run a business using incorrect information about your market or customers? Certainly not. Then how can we have a strong, vibrant, and truly representative democracy when leaders too often are chosen on the basis of lies and smears rather than the facts and issues? Before you believe something you read, check it out. Do research. Organizations exist for the sole purpose of sorting information. Appendix C is full of tips about where to determine the veracity of information quickly and accurately. We have access to great search engines like Google and Bing. Use them often. POsTscriPT: The nexT sTeP — — — — — — 177 What will the liars think up next? This book is only a snapshot in time, a look at the smears against Obama during the campaign and his first twenty months in office...