As the fury and anger of critics of President Obama and Vice President Biden on so many issues—the debt ceiling, gun control legislation, Cabinet nominees, gay rights, immigration reform, climate change, and foreign policy controversies (including a nuclear Iran, the Syrian Civil War, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North Korea)— continues to escalate to dangerous emotional levels, the safety of both men is, more than ever, a subject of great concern not often directly talked about publicly.
The argument could be that both the President and Vice President have exceptional Secret Service security, and that we need not worry.
But as one realizes as we begin the 50th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination this coming November 22, no security detail can guarantee the safety of any President, Vice President, or anyone else.
There is always the “lone wolf” out there, ready to sacrifice himself to gain glory, to make a political point, to act out hatred of someone, knowing they will be part of the American history story forever, as much as John Wilkes Booth, Charles Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz and Lee Harvey Oswald—the assassins of Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy, respectively!
And the rhetoric that has become “normal” these days is far greater than it was even when John F. Kennedy was traveling to Dallas, Texas, almost 50 years ago.
And we have talk show hosts on radio and Fox News Channel who thrive on building hate and animosity and conspiracy theories, and will stop at nothing in their hateful and divisive rhetoric!
And we have the power of pressure groups, and not just the National Rifle Association, but many others, who ratchet up the stress and tension by making it seem like the world will end, due to the federal government passing legislation or extending executive authority, as if we are Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the Soviet Union, or Communist China, when our history and our heritage have nothing to do with the history of those nations!
As we come up to the second inauguration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, we all need to do a lot of praying that the polarization which exists will not lead to a greater tragedy which solves nothing, and just would show the depths of the threats we face from right wing wingnuts who want to set back the progress of America, and are delusional about the world they live in!
Who’s delusional here? Rather than leadership, Obama continues to pursue political advantage and shuns compromise while becoming what most observers call the “most divisive” president ever. And you think this is the GOP’s fault? Get a grip, man.
I’m glad there are people like you in academia, showing students how crazy the far left is.
Who are “most observers”? Most Observers of Fox News?
Just asking.
Seriously Solane? Interesting comment and I think insulting. You should actually be embarrassed.
Of all thinks Republicans have called President Obama: socialist, un-American, radical, elitist, Hitler, your description is one of the silliest. Divisive? Obama? Seriously, you really would benefit by researching some facts before you troll.
If you examine President Obama’s history……as any critical thinking adult would do, you would find his entire history since childhood, has been about carefully navigating through opposing ideas, resolving contradictions, and diffusing tensions, who has infuriated his supporters with compromise after compromise and attempts at conciliation.
Yet you right wing conservatives swallow all the propaganda and accuse him of being something totally alien to his personality. You see President Obama plotting to set Americans at war with one another so he can profit from the destruction, perhaps cackling with a sinister laugh as thunder rattles the windows of the west wing of the WH and America’s demise is set in motion.
As an academic myself and a health care provider AND an adult who critical analyzes information, I believe Professor Feinman would agree with me, that there has seldom been a clearer political case of what psychologists call, “projection,”. In case you need a definition…projection is the propensity to ascribe to someone else one’s own thoughts, feelings, ideology, and sins.
It’s is true our country is polarized, and what is called nastiness often turns out to be genuine substantive differences between political parties that represent distinct groups of Americans.
I’m likely much older than you are and have lived long enough to see many administrations and voted in man many elections. I can affirm that Republicans have been substantially vigorous in their opinions of this president, both completely unified and unrestrained in their criticism, fear mongering, lying, name calling, purposely divisive language and ugly rhetoric in order to advance their agenda.
I am certain Dr. Feinman can and will provide specific examples both current and related historical facts to support this. I suggest you check the facts he provides and then come back and enlighten us on any incorrect information or facts he provides.
As a health care provider I can speak to specific facts involving the Affordable Care Act….or as you conservatives call it, “Obama Care”. Remember how Republicans told American that the ACA was “rammed through” Congress without Republican support? You might recall that in fact the ACA went through over a year of hearings, negotiations, conferences, health care summits, endless efforts to educate, encourage and beg and plead for Republican support of ideas THEY once supported before those same Republicans successfully kept every last one of their members in line to vote against it for one reason and one reason only. The reason…to obstruct any and all legislation put forth by this president despite how much it would help Americans.
But to listen to the right wing media and all republican leaders, as on so many issues, all of the above was totally removed from the story they told leaving only the lie that President Obama was divisive and would not allow poor little republicans to participate in the decision making.
And how about the Republicans’ unprecedented use of the filibuster to stifle President Obama’s legislation, appointments, or how the T-Party took the country to the brink of financial catastrophe last year and are willing to do it again, or how elected members of the Republican Party constantly question Obama’s patriotism and constantly question whether is an actual American. Oh and don’t forget about conservative media figures who constantly race-bait and encourage you right wingers to nurture a white-hot hatred for the President of the United States, who was elected by a majority of Americans. This is not divisive behavior Solane?
I could spend an hour or two detailing the individuals who are the actual provocateurs of divisiveness in our country but I am certain your eyes have glazed over and your mind is wandering so I will stop trying to educate you.
But one last thing….I and many others who read this blog are quite thankful Dr. Feinman, an exceptional academic, an expert in political history and political science, is in deed teaching the truth about our American political issues both in the university setting and on this blog. If you can find an information he provides which is not thoroughly researched and factual, then PLEASE expose it so we can all be as enlightened as you. : )
All I can say, Maggie, is that I appreciate your kind words, as I now am experiencing similar attacks as President Obama on a much smaller scale, including an academic on another entry comment who would give me a D and claim I am divisive, promoting hate, not using logic, and being intolerant as much as the Republicans I am being critical of. What can I say? This is a country of freedom of speech and press, and everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but I am, quite frankly, dumbfounded as the whole purpose of any blog is to give one’s views and back them up with facts, which is always my goal. But even a politician cannot gain everyone’s support, so attacks without justification are par for the course, I suppose. Thanks again!
Every assassin you listed here ( not to mention a few who attempted to assassinate a president ) were all left leaning, democrats or Marxist/ communist. Fact is a word that progressives can’t deal with. John Wilkes booth was a democrat who hated Lincoln ( a republican ) for freeing the slaves. The kkk is a democrat organization. Yet the communist party USA aka the democrat party accuses the right of exactly what the left is doing and gets away with it. The fact of the matter is that the a Marxist will always follow the devil, Marx dedicated his work to lucifer. They are more likely to kill us than the other way around. Thats why they will stop at nothing to get our guns, then theycanstart the extermination of true Americans.
” if ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom,- go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!”
Samuel Adams
Oswald actually defected to Russia for a while. Communist all the way.
Jay, you lose all credibility when you call Democrats Communists or Marxists. You sound like Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s or Ted Cruz now, and almost everyone will roll their eyes at the ignorance and lack of knowledge that makes one say a Democrat is a Communist or a Marxist. And the Klan was a right wing organization, not a left wing, and still is, and your failure to understand that demonstrates you have no idea of what you are talking about.