Bob Kerrey: Political hatred a growing problem

[NEDem]

OMAHA — Sitting in his midtown Omaha home a day after Tuesday's election, Bob Kerrey said a shout from outside made him reflect on what he believes is political hatred that has grown increasingly intense.

"Somebody in my neighborhood walking their dog ... was screaming at me, 'Why don't you go back to New York, you carpetbagger!'" Kerrey said Thursday. "There's a lot of anger in this state. The anti-Obama, anti-Obamacare, anti-Harry Reid anger washed over onto me. And some of it is decidedly unpleasant."

In a telephone interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Kerrey said he understands people disagreeing with his views, but the anger he's seen is unsettling.

"Hatred is a dangerous thing," he said.

snip

http://journalstar.com/elections/senate/kerrey-political-hatred-a-growing-problem/article_2471144f-8098-5189-b47b-03bd82068b42.html

[shcrane71]

1. I personally know of seven Omahans who moved out-of-state due to the

hostile environment towards progressives and Democrats.

[Thomas B]

7. I wonder what Nebraskans think of Warren Buffett?

[NEDem]

8. Most people really like him

It's strange but even the RW d-bags seem to be proud that he's from here.

[Thomas B]

13. I ask this since his politics go clearly go against those of the state.

Wonder if those on the right just like having an extra-ordinary wealthy person in their state. A sign of success.

[NEDem]

14. That's what I've always thought too.

[TwilightGardener]

10. It's getting more like Kansas, I believe.

Nebraska used to have a reasonable streak, more like Iowa. But there's more RW religious nuttery going on--I've noticed it happening with people I still know there.

[NEDem]

12. To some extent

The big cities (Omaha and Lincoln) have Democratic mayors and city council's. You get outside the two major cities and it's nothing but RW douche bags.

[Omaha Steve]

24. Not entirely

The railroad towns like North Platte run BIG D. There are pockets where union jobs in certain cities and towns help. But it isn't nearly enough.

[codjh9]

2. It didn't just start now, but the last what, 20 years? - we've had a huge rise in this, and

if anything, I think it just keeps getting worse, despite remembering some of the anti-Clinton hatred I saw/heard.

[davidn3600]

6. It's been going on forever

I think maybe we just hear more about it.

When the United States was formed, political parties and alliances began to form almost immediately. And the election of 1800 really highlighted major political differences between the Federalists who wanted a strong federal government and the Jefferson Democrats who wanted a weaker federal government.

Then in then 1860s, the political differences differences were severe enough to start shooting at each other.

Notice we still have the same debate today. Not much has changed. America still can't agree on the role and strength of the federal government. That political debate is over 2 1/4 centuries old. This question is really the foundation of all our political differences. We would largely be a united nation if we could find a way to compromise on this question.

[codjh9]

9. You're making me remember reading about - and seeing a drawing of - two Senators! Or Reps!

(I forget which) having a fight IN Congress, in the 1850s ... hell, I just went & looked it up. There may have been more than one, but this is probably the one I read about before.

http://history1800s.about.com/od/abolitionmovement/a/sumnerbeaten.htm

[kentuck]

3. Where does this anger originate?

In my opinion, it begins with FOX News and right-wing radio. They search for anecdotal stories to show something is wrong with our country. Then they blame it on liberals and "communists". But, they don't stop there. They then make one side as more immoral and evil than the other. That is where the anger begins, in my opinion.

[NEDem]

5. I agree

I think talk radio is the culprit. The removal of the fairness doctrine created this monster where every crackpot hatemonger could have their own show and nobody there to counter balance the hate.

[shcrane71]

17. Now Sen. Deb Fisher said, "I've never met a Dem. I could have a conversation with."

It's absolutely RW radio that caused this inhospitable political climate.

[Care Acutely]

18. And not just the national shows either. In Kearney

the morning show is about 4 hours of nothing but pre-game warmup for the Rush show. It's hideous.

[bluethruandthru]

19. It wasn't the removal of the Fairness Doctrine that led to our current state of right wing

controlled media. It was the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that deregulated the communications industry and allowed one person/corporation to own multiple radio stations, tv stations and newspapers in the same market.
Prior to that, the market ownership limits kept large radio groups from forming. Once those restrictions were lifted, groups were formed and bought up many of the single owner (mom and pop) radio stations. These big groups own several stations in most of the markets across the country. They fired the local talent and most of the rest of the staffs and started syndicating programs on all their stations across the country (Rush, Sean, Dr. Laura, etc.).
IMO the way to start chipping away at the stranglehold of RW radio is to re-regulate the communications industry. That will bring back local market ownership and local market responsibility.
As it stands now, the handful of large companies that own the vast majority of this country's radio stations either don't know or don't care that they don't "own" the radio frequencies that they are allowed to broadcast on and that they are licensed to "serve in the public interest".

[NEDem]

20. Well said

The removal of the ownership limits fed the beast, but I still think the end of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 was the starting point for the overall downfall.

[bluethruandthru]

23. Yes, I suppose it was the beginning but until the ownership limits

were relaxed, radio just wasn't profitable enough to garner the attention of the major players.

[codjh9]

11. Yes - it's similar to what the Nazis did. You demonize the other side.

[kentuck]

4. kick because...

...I think this is an important subject to discuss at this time.

[Octafish]

15. Started with Poppy Bush when he ran with Pruneface...

Labeled Carter a wimp. Labeled Mondale a tax-and-spend liberal. Labeled Dukakis a mental invalid.

Goebbels-CIA psyop: Define the enemy as subhuman, makes it easier to generate hate.

[frogmarch]

16. Nebraska hasn't gone for a Democratic presidential

candidate in 48 years, so the Romney Nebraska victory wasn't a shocker, but I was hoping against the odds that Kerrey would win.

I wonder what it would feel like to live in a blue state.

[pinboy3niner]

21. And in Kerrey's case, even being a Medal of Honor recipient doesn't give the haters pause

The hatred is coming from the same people who wave the Constitution and shout about patriotism and decry godless, un-American Democrats. Some even suggested killing Kerrey:

"There was a supporter of mine in Scotts Bluff County that had a swastika put on his car. And this was a guy who fought the Nazis in the Second World War. There was a guy earlier in the campaign who wanted to shoot me," Kerrey said.

In that case, a 68-year-old Omaha man faces a federal charge of using interstate communication to threaten another person. Prosecutors said the man sent an email in August to a political action committee suggesting putting "bullets in Democrat heads," including Kerrey's.

Kerrey said he does not consider the man a threat, and even told the man's attorney as much, "But it came from an ugly, ugly place," he said.

[wisteria]

22. I was sorry to see him lose. He was a reasonable voice in politics.

And, he should not have had to be subjected to this kind of unwarranted hatred. Republicans need to stop listening to Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck and all their copy-cats. They are the ones who spew so much hatred towards those who disagree with them.