Paranoid Fox News and talk radio fed fear of the nation’s first black president has reached a fever pitch, as some Texas Republicans are completely out of control.
Here are some quotes from recent Boston Globe article about the paranoia that has gripped some Texas Republicans:
One of those who began to grow increasingly worried was Terry Wareham, a local Tea Party leader.
“Probably a couple of years ago, I wouldn’t even be concerned,”Terry Wareham, a local Tea Party leader, said. “But with the federal government the way it is right now, I’m really concerned about the military coming here and doing this kind of training.”
….
“What comes home in the conservative consciousness is: The government is hostile to me,” said, Albert Ellison, the chairman of the Bastrop County Republican Party. “And if he’s already unleashed the IRS on us, is it a big leap to think he’d unleash the military?”
….
Why is it not reasonable for me to see this as absolute training for a domestic rendition program?” one man asked.
…
“Our freedom is under attack,” said Jim Dillon, a 60-year-old contractor. “This is one little incremental step in a long-term plan to not only exercise more control but to gain more control.”
“I don’t know that I would say this is the big one where they sneak in under the guise of a training exercise and clamp down on civil liberties in Texas. It’s too early for that,” Dillon said. “But it’s conditioning. It’s getting people accustomed to having heavily armed, camouflaged soldiers on the city streets, ranches, farms, public roads.”
….
“We have the potential like Nazi Germany did, to go really bad,” he said. “And if we don’t nip this stuff in the bud — once it gets its head under the tent, it’s there.”
The quotes above reflect a collective crazed state of paranoia that has no basis in fact. What is happening in Texas is the logical byproduct of years of conservative media hate and fearmongering against President Obama. Republicans have spent so long inside their media bubble where they have been told daily to fear this president that they are extremely susceptible to conspiracy theories.
The talk of military takeovers and Nazi Germany sounds just like vintage Fox News era Glenn Beck and conservative talk radio. This sect of Republicans wants to believe that they are special. In their hearts, they know that President Obama is after them. They have been told by Fox News that they are the enlightened ones who know the real truth.
As the rest of the nation looks on in disbelief at the level of crazy among some Republicans in Texas, it needs to be understood that the insanity over Jade Helm is not unique to Texas. The Republican Party has been gripped by paranoia. Republicans are paranoid, and they elect candidates who legitimize and indulge their taste for conspiracies.
This dynamic is why House Republicans investigated the IRS. It is also why the nation is suffering its eighth investigation into Benghazi. Republicans benefit by playing to the paranoia.
What Jade Helm teaches us all is that Republican fear of the nation’s first black president is getting stronger even though his time in office is winding down.
Even after President Obama is going, Republican paranoia is likely to linger on.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
- Jack Smith Moves To Dismiss 1/6 Charges Against Trump - Mon, Nov 25th, 2024
- Tammy Duckworth Explains How Pete Hegseth Would Weaken The US Military - Sun, Nov 24th, 2024
- Bernie Sanders To Stay In Top Senate Post To Protect Social Security And Medicare - Fri, Nov 22nd, 2024
