Why the GOP embraced Islamophobia -Joe Conason

[Swede]

Only a few years ago, an angry political demonstration at ground zero on September 11 would have been deemed an unthinkable offense not only to the bereaved families of victims and responders but to the nation. Yet this anniversary featured a raucous and highly partisan rally, as well over a thousand protesters gathered to show their opposition to the Park51 Islamic center – and to listen to tirades from Republican politicians and commentators against the Obama administration.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joe_conason/2010/09/12/islamo/index.html

[whoneedstickets]

1. Racists have been a core GOP consituency since...

Nixon's southern strategy used 'tough on crime' rhetoric to appeal to the 'great silent majority' AKA disaffected protestant whites uncomfortable with the 60's progressive movements including civil rights and the anti-war crowd.

Its not hard to see the codeword racism in the anti-welfare, anti-immigrant and now anti-islamic rhetoric.

[Douglas Carpenter]

2. very interesting article - kick and recommend

All that has changed since the inauguraton of a president whose middle name is Hussein and whose father was Muslim, because he provides a central focus for a politicized campaign against Islam. Since January 2009, Norquist has again become a target of critics on the right. Bush himself has remained silent, perhaps preferring not to revive the dormant controversy over his own relationships with the Saudi kingdom and with Muslim groups here. Figures such as Bolton and Gingrich, who never spoke out about Islam during the Bush administration, have discovered that Muslims pose an existential threat to Western civilization.

Paranoia and prejudice have long been instruments of right-wing politics in America, from the Red Scare and McCarthyism to the Nixonite Southern strategy. The current outbreak of Islamophobia represents the latest product of the same old manufacturing process. It is irresponsible and dangerous as well as cynical precisely because we face deadly adversaries whose movements profit from every rift between the West and Muslims.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joe_conason/2010/09/12/islamo/index.html

[txlibdem]

3. The GOP is all about generating FEAR

It doesn't matter what the boogie-man of the week is. As we saw in the run-up to the Iraq war they will tell any lie no matter how big or glaring to inflame people's fears, so they get to enact their psychotic agenda. This time it's Islam, a peaceful religion (as Dubya himself said time and again). Before it was "Islamo-fascists" and Iran's nutbag leader(s), HCR will kill your grandma, the Taliban, etc., etc., etc. When one of these stops terrifying the sheep they just bring out another, lie or not.

In this case they are making things worse for Americans here at home and everywhere around the world. There are 1.2 Billion Muslims in the world and only a very, very small number of are a danger. Yet the GOP is fanning the flames of Islamaphobia as much as they can. Does anyone really think it's a good idea to make an enemy of 1.2 Billion people?