Saturday, August 8, 2009

Frank Schaeffer tells it like it is...

Finally. Someone went on national television and said what so many of us have been thinking and blogging.



Money quotes:

"I am not at all optimistic about how this is going to end in terms of violence, although I do think Obama is going to win the day in terms of most Americans. The problem is we're not talking about most Americans. We're talking about a small angry group of white people who to paraphrase Bart Simpson, the election broke their brains. They're angry and they're ready to do just about anything to stop the process at this point because they'd rather see us all lose than  admit defeat. "

"Their coded message to their own lunatic fringe is very simple. And that is: go for broke. When you start comparing a democratically elected  President who is not only our first Black President but a moderate progressive, to Adolph Hitler, you have arrived at a point where you are literally leaving a loaded gun on the table, saying the first person who wants to come along and use this, go ahead, be our guest. Now, all these people when something bad happens will raise their holy hands in horror and says of course we didn't mean that, we were just talking about being American and its American to protest. B.S.  They know exactly what's out there."

"Now, we've crossed a line in which hate and vitriol have gone to a point where it is anti-Democratic and anti-American. These people do not want America to succeed. They would rather see our system go down than have a Black President, someone with different political views, someone appointing people like Sotomayor, hispanic people, women and others. And we've arrived at a point where enough is enough. So these people are hate-mongers and they are distributing a kind of information on two levels. One is the lies about the health care system requiring euthanasia and all this nonsense. But on another level, as I say, leaving a loaded gun on the table. They're calling our President Hitler. They're spreading this rhetoric, spreading these lies. It isn't just a question of being bad journalists anymore, these are bad Americans and they're putting all of us at risk."

It is all the more telling for who Frank Schaeffer is. The son of the evangelist Francis Schaeffer who, along with former Surgeon general C. Everett Koop, essentially created the pro-life movement, Schaeffer   has become a prominent out-spoken commentator against the very people he and his father used to form the pro-life movement.

H/T to Crooks and Liars for posting this excerpt. And kudos as well to Rachel Maddow, the last sane journalist in America, who let Mr. Schaeffer speak uninterrupted. Would that there were more of you Miss Rachel.

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3 comments:

Dr. Jay SW said...

I suspect that the current right wing extremism and violence could be as successful as the left wing extremism and violence of the late 60's, early 70's...in other words, it could keep the Republicans out of office for a long time (particularly given its racist tinge which is becoming more and more pronounced...they just don't seem to get that the demographics aren't really working for that anymore...).

Chris said...

Saw this on Rachel and loved it! Keith Olberman did a fabulous and very powerful comment on his show last night....8/10...hope you saw it! Even though it probably goes over the heads of many, these guys need to keep up the rhetoric, and continue to "out" the right wing of the GOP and their ridiculous stances. I think mainstream Repubs are starting to get tired of being associated with it.

Anonymous said...

Bless you for putting this out there and for writing this blog. I felt like I was drowning in right-wing rhetoric here in Texas and you've tossed me a life preserver. Thank you!