I have been reflecting recently on all of the manufactured outrage, fanned on by the right wing press and shout radio: gun toting jackasses at town hall meetings, scripted shouting at same, the ‘controversy’ over the President of the United States addressing school children and impressing on them the value of getting an education and working hard (subversive, I know).
Friday was the eighth anniversary of 9/11 and I remember where I was and what I was doing when that horror unfolded (a cliche I know, but true, nonetheless). The intersection of these two thoughts jarred me to a frightening realization — what if Obama had been President when the 9/11 attacks happened?
I don’t think I can fully comprehend or imagine the overdrive that the media hate machine would shift into – however, I am confident that these would be the foundations of the ‘coverage’:
Accusations that ‘obviously’ the closet Muslim/Socialist/Communist/etc was in cahoots with the terrorists and allowed this to happen. I mean, his middle hame is Hussein after all!
The searing depths that racist extremist would go to blame all minorities and hold this up as proof of their ‘inferiority’ (‘cuz it never would have happened with a white man in office’).
The howls from the roof tops that this is proof that Democrats can’t protect the country and that they are to blame for the attack. Contrast this with the free pass that the chickenhawk Republicans received.
The cries that would accompany any follow up action he would take: if he acted aggressively, it would be labeled as a ‘wag the dog’ effort to deflect attention; if he chose a diplomatic response, ha!, further proof that he is just protecting his ‘friends’ the terrorists. And it would just spiral down from there.
I am sickened just thinking of how divisive an issue this would be hyped into; I am fairly confident that there would be open violence and destruction as the right wing hate machine would fan and even encourage that people take to the street and do their thuggish bidding for them.
So, yes, I am fairly confident that the softball whitewash that Bush got from the media would be turned on it’s head and amplified beyond control had a Democrat been in office. Even more so, if it was the first mixed-race president. Sad that this is the state of the ‘media’ in the US.
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