Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 12:18 am
Jon Stewart tore apart the right’s Obama tyranny hysteria, and suggested that they were mistaking tyranny for losing a presidential election.
Part 1 of the video:
Stewart brought up two things about the right’s definition of Obama’s requested gun control measures as tyranny, “Ok, two things very quickly. One I believe those measures enjoy I believe a majority of support in the latest polls, and two, when tyrants want something done they generally don’t ask their legislative bodies if that would be okay. They tend to proceed, what’s the word I’m looking for, tyrannically.”
The Daily Show host took on the right’s claim that executive orders are tyranny. After reading some of the main Obama executive orders, Stewart said, “Really? Tyranny? Because when I listen to that, that ain’t s**tler.” He also showed the hypocrisy of Fox News tyranny mongers Dana Perino and Sean Hannity respectively announcing and supporting Bush executive orders.
Part 2 of the video:
While acknowledging that Obama’s gun control announcement event was some manipulative political stagecraft, Stewart played a montage of clips of the right comparing the president to a dictator. He argued that with their talk of tyranny the right is creating a self fulfilling prophecy where they are only justified if that Maryann becomes a reality. Stewart debunked the right wing theories that the Holocaust and slavery could have been prevented if only Jews and slaves had access to guns.
He closed the segment by saying, “I just want to say you’re not going to get any push back in this country on your point about not wanting tyranny or not liking tyranny. The question is a disagreement over just how close we are to teetering on the edge of it, and whether or not you’re confusing tyranny with the unpleasant burning sensation of losing a democratic election which we just had. And by the way, if Obama were a tyrant, these are the numbers he puts up? Tyrants don’t have to fight that f**king hard for Ohio, and generally forget about utterly tanking your first debate. Tyrants don’t show up for those. The real debate for tyrants is how big you want to go with the sunglasses and epilats. I guess my feeling could best be summed up by the old homonym, ‘First they came for the guns, and I said nothing because they really didn’t.'”
Stewart was correct. The people on the right who are suggesting that Obama is imposing tyranny upon them have no idea what real tyranny really is. These people are mistaking policies that they disagree with for tyranny. Tyranny means that you don’t get to disagree. You don’t have a voice. You don’t matter.
Nothing in the Obama executive actions takes away anyone’s guns. The fact is that the only way something like an assault weapons ban could ever become law is if the Republicans that many of these same currently hysterical people elected to the House voted for it. Since the right has been successful in electing enough candidates who share their beliefs, people on all sides of the political debate agree that there is as close to a 0% chance of an assault weapons ban happening.
The individuals and corporations behind exaggerating this into a constitutional crisis just so happen to be the same folks who are making a boatload of money from the increase in gun sales and NRA memberships.
No one should be surprised that the same people who were easily manipulated into working against their own economic well being in 2009 and 2010 by right wing billionaires are now being played by many of these same people along with weapons manufacturers and the NRA on gun control. The rank and file on the right are the gullible of the gullible, and their fear and gullibility are the only things keeping the shrinking Republican base together right now.
The true tyranny is the manipulation and pseudo mental illness being imposed on the right by their media, elected officials, and leaders for political gain and profit.
There is a difference between policy disagreements and tyrannical rule. Until the right learns this difference, a majority of the country will continue to not take them seriously.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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