A new Reuters/IPSOS poll unwittingly revealed the depths of the collective Republican mental illness by revealing that Republicans view President Obama as the most imminent threat to America.
The poll showed 34 percent of Republicans ranked Obama as an imminent threat, ahead of Putin (25 percent), who has been accused of aggression in the Ukraine, and Assad (23 percent). Western governments have alleged that Assad used chlorine gas and barrel bombs on his own citizens.
….
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Twenty-seven percent of Republicans saw the Democratic Party as an imminent threat to the United States, and 22 percent of Democrats deemed Republicans to be an imminent threat.
The poll is a direct reflection of the political polarization that currently exists in the United States. The poll is also an outstanding measure of the damage that conservative media has done to the political consensus that used to exist. Conservative media is a fear based industry. It is no surprise that Republicans believe that President Obama is the most immediate threat to the country. The Obama threat message has been delivered hourly on conservative websites, talk radio, and Fox News.
Spreading fear of the black president has become its own industry. A lot of people earn a great deal of money by scaring Republicans. The reality is that Republicans are terrified of a president who has signed the law that lowered the cost of their health care, saved the economy from a depression, and cut their taxes. If a Republican president accomplished these tasks, conservatives would be calling for him to added to Mount Rushmore, but the Republican fear of Obama is never about what the President has done.
Republicans spread terror over what Obama might do. Obama may come for your guns. Obama is creating death panels. Obama is telling you what you can and can’t do. Obama is out to steal the very liberty that makes you an American. These are the kinds of messages that conservative traffics in every single day. Because Republicans believe this stuff, they elect members of their own party who reflect their fear and hatred of the President.
Fear of the President has become a collective mental disorder, and it is the reason very little gets done in Washington.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
