Over the past several months, since President Obama's election, every time email arrived from MoveOn, PFAW or the Obama organization itself, asking for contributions to keep up the fight, I passively read and then deleted them without response. After months and months of increasing tension, worry and angst over the outcome of the 2008 election, I, and I suspect many people, were exhausted. Our goals had been met, the President, while seemingly everywhere and applying a full-court press to policy, seemed to have momentum and widespread support as he confronted the political and economic morass he had inherited. Things seemed so under control that there was simply no need to keep contributing. After all, with batteries re-charged there would be plenty of time to give anew as the mid-term elections and 2012 presidential elections approached.
Somewhere along the way, things changed and changed drastically. The last few months have revealed the very worst of what we are as a nation and what we can be. Having lost control of the discussion, seeing themselves marginalized and their base dwindling, hate-filled demagogues like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin, the "birther" movement, have decided that this is the time to make their stand and, to that end, have unleashed their minions on what otherwise should have been an intelligent, thoughtful discussion of health care and how to ensure no one is left unprotected. One can only imagine the self-satisfaction these "Americans" draw from watching a wheelchair-bound woman being shouted down and threatened for simply stating aloud that she is afraid of losing her insurance. One can only envision the shrug of shoulders when one of their "birther" minions kills a guard at the Holocaust museum to garner attention for his and their hatred of Barack Obama and all that he represents.
So while we are besieged with reports that Obama's speech to school-children telling them to work hard, stay in school and listen to their elders -- certainly all radical ideas -- will not be carried in schools throughout the country because extremist demagogues have complained of its socialist content, I can only respond with hardy congratulations and a big thank you to Rush, Sean, Sarah, Betsy and the "birther" boys. Thank you for reawakening the grass roots organization which pushed you to the brink of extinction. The next push will hopefully be the last. Enjoy the ride.
