How do we reach the unreachable rightwing folks who have their minds made up, before they take action to sabotage the new Obama Administration and the Democratic majority such as doing some sort of coup like what happened to Kennedy or much worse? That is the question and my concern.
Please watch these rightwingers in this new short film: RIGHT AMERICA: FEELING WRONGED - SOME VOICES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAILNancy Pelosi's daughter Alexandra made this 44 min HBO documentary about the unhappy Right who view Obama as some sort of radical Hitler socialist and the "Anti-Christ" who is going to destroy this country. These folks say over and over again that the only TV news they can watch is Fox News and that Katie Couric was condescending and is part of the socalled "liberal media" who ganged up ruined McCain's candidacy by portraying Obama in a positive light.
I want you to watch this so that you have an idea that this country is in for something close to a civil war because these folks don't see anything wrong with their views which they have grown up with (such as condemning homosexuality, abortion and black presidents). These are the folks who are Bush's base and McCain supporters and they are a living nightmare for us. We can't just pretend they will go back into their dark caves and let the 53%, the rest of us who voted for Obama, run this country.
Question: how does one reach out to these folks and help them see other points of view to help defuse a political timebomb? One suggestion: we need to reach out and make friends with them, go to their churches, their soccer games, their block parties. Show them that we are good people too. Maybe we can create a "Make a new Rightwing Friend" campaign.
Much of this was filmed in states like Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, Virginia. If someone refuses to watch another TV news besides Fox news and they represent 58 million or 45% of the total number of American voters who voted in the November 2008 election, we're in for a pack of trouble since they may likely resort to much more radical measures like staging some kind of a false flag attack on US soil in which the Islamic militants are blamed or perhaps a Kennedy style coup.
This film is available on HBO, and you can watch it anytime using the HBO "play on demand" or you can catch a scheduled airing almost everyday on an HBO channel until March 15th. If you don't suscribe to HBO, you can watch a short clip of the film and an interview with Alexandra on a recent Rachel Maddow show (thanks Rachel for having Alexandra on her show) here:
The scary part is: how many of these folks make up the US military, especially the upper ranks? These are the folks in charge of muscle and equipment that could be utilized to overthrow the Obama administration. Yes, it could happen here, on US soil.
"In 2008, I followed the McCain campaign across the country to listen to Americans who did not want Barack Obama to be their President. While not representative of the entire Republican Party, these are just some of the party faithful who turned out at campaign rallies along the way."
- Alexandra Pelosi
For her fifth HBO project, Pelosi visited 28 states and spoke about the fight for the soul of the country with mostly conservative Americans, who feel underrepresented by the mainstream media. From the Pulpit Freedom Day in Bethlehem, Ga. to the NASCAR circuit, RIGHT AMERICA: FEELING WRONGED - SOME VOICES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL shows a country at war with itself over the religious and cultural identities that define America. Many interviewees were particularly incensed by what they saw as a lack of any meaningful media attention given to their message during the election campaign - including their views on such hotly contested issues as gun control, abortion rights, religion and gay rights - and by a perceived media bias against McCain and running mate Sarah Palin.
"The way the press handles the election, we feel like our side's never being really represented, never really given a fair shake," says one man. "It's almost like they think of us as a bunch of hicks, a bunch of idiots. And they don't even wanna hear our side or understand us."
"The liberal media is selling the American people short," observes one woman. "That's ridiculous and people should be outraged. And millions and millions of us are." "We're the backbone of this country," says another man. "We're hardworkin,' blue- collared workers that keep this country runnin.' He [Obama] talks like he knows us; he doesn't know us."
RIGHT AMERICA: FEELING WRONGED - SOME VOICES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL is a snapshot of some of the most enthusiastic conservative Americans, once labeled "the silent majority" of the voting American public. Many of them feel so alienated over cultural and political issues that they say they will never trust the new president, the Congress or the media.
RIGHT AMERICA: FEELING WRONGED - SOME VOICES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL is directed, produced and filmed by Alexandra Pelosi.
Thanks for reading and thinking about this question. Kudos to those that watch the film. An oscar for Best Political Action goes to those who do something to reach out and connect with these folks whose minds were made up decades ago. Let's make a friend with someone who has made up their minds and written us off along time ago. I think they will enjoy the attention at the very least.
KatieSF
P.S. also please consider subscribing to www.markcrispinmiller.com "notes from the underground" or Brad Friedman's blog, www.bradblog.com , in order to keep current on election integrity such as the counting of the votes (the horrors of electronic voting machines made by for profit companies with deep ties to the rightwing) and the last 8 years of disenfranchisement of minority and democratic voters.
