Progressive World Review

At first I was more concerned by the criticism from Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama’s “bitter” remarks because as I pointed out before, you expect inane drivel from the right but Clinton is expected to know better.  But after reading George Will’s column I realized you should never underestimate the right’s ability to bring hypocrisy to new heights.  According to Will, Americans are bitter, and it’s because of condescending remarks by liberals such as Obama, the embodiment of modern day liberalism,

Obama may be the fulfillment of modern liberalism. Explaining why many working-class voters are “bitter,” he said they “cling” to guns, religion and “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” because of “frustrations.” His implication was that their primitivism, superstition and bigotry are balm for resentments they feel because of America’s grinding injustice.

By so speaking, Obama does fulfill liberalism’s transformation since Franklin Roosevelt. What had been under FDR a celebration of America and the values of its working people has become a doctrine of condescension toward those people and the supposedly coarse and vulgar country that pleases them. (emphasis added)

After decades of the right exploiting these very issues, “god, guns and gays,” he can actually write something like this with, one would guess, a straight face.  Anybody remember the “wolves” campaign ad from Bush during the 2004 election?  What could possibly be more condescending than that kind of blatent fear-mongering?

And who are the ones exploiting the illegal immigration issue, taking advantage of the fear Americans have of losing their jobs to foreigners, would that be the liberals or the conservatives?  Of course it’s been the same ones that have been giving the jobs to foreigners by moving their factories to other countries as well as hiring the undocumented workers they’re so desperate to keep out. 

It is simply amazing to watch the right accuse Obama of being condescending for simply pointing out in effect, what an exemplary job they’ve done exploiting the public’s most base and visceral fears.  The fact is, working Americans are bitter.  Bitter at watching their hard work count for less and less, bitter at watching their “American dream” slip away.

–Paul Wilden

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