by Victor Davis Hanson<\/p>\n
Private Papers<\/em><\/p>\n Angry Reader #3 writes:<\/p>\n I won\u2019t take the time to deconstruct your little essay line by line but trust me, almost everything you post is pure, unadulterated, kool-aid-inspired nonsense straight from the fever-swamp of the Reich-wing disinformation echo-chamber, all of it intended to create the Invisible Obama that only you and your ilk can see, a fascist, socialist, communist, Muslim, foreign-born, Manchurian Candidate out to impose Sharia Law and destroy America. And, oh yeah, he can\u2019t think for himself so must read thoughts programed by others on a teleprompter and his wife wants to make us eat carrots.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n VDH replies:<\/p>\n Calm down and take a deep breath. Why does the Left become unhinged anytime it cannot address an argument, and instead raises all sorts of straw men. Let’s go through these fantasies:<\/p>\n “Invisible Obama”: Actually Obama is pretty transparent: class warfare: “you didn’t build that!”; race: “punish our enemies”; the US: exceptional only to the degree that Greece or the UK believe they are too; energy: Solyndra, inflating our tires and tuning up cars; Steven Chu’s $9-a-gallon gas, etc.<\/p>\n “fascist”: I never wrote that and don’t believe it, although the Chicago strong-arm tactics and circumvention of the law by executive orders, from granting amnesty to trying to shut down a Boeing plant, are disturbing.<\/p>\n “Socialist”: Obama, not I, was a member of the socialist New Party in his Chicago political days. When one laments that the Supreme Court did not take up forced redistribution, or brags about trying to ‘spread the wealth’ or believes the private businessperson did not build his business, then what are we to call it?<\/p>\n “communist”: Never used such a term.<\/p>\n “Muslim”: As Hillary Clinton said, I take Obama at his word that he was a Trinity Church, Rev. Wright Christian.<\/p>\n “Foreign born”: Never said that. I believe he was born in the US, but I do believe that for some strange reason, Obama simply does not disclose his medical records, his college transcripts, and delayed for no reason authorizing his birth certificate release.<\/p>\n “Manchurian Candidate”: Never said that \u2014 why resort to fiction when reality offers enough depressing examples?<\/p>\n “Sharia Law”: Never said that. Obama does not wish to impose Sharia Law, but seems oblivious to its repercussions abroad, given that his Director of Intelligence called the Muslim Brotherhood largely “secular,” and he can’t quite utter the word “radical Islam” or “Islamic terrorism” in association with terrorism, thus we get “overseas contingencies operations”, “man-caused disasters”, “workplace violence”, etc.<\/p>\n “Destroy America”: Never said that. But when Obama promised to “fundamentally transform America,” many of us would interpret that as ending the America that brought us to such a preeminent world position and was such a generator of wealth and freedom. Equality of result and redistribution, whether in the USSR, South America, China, Africa, or the EU, has always been a sure prescription for serfdom.<\/p>\n “teleprompter”: Anyone who listens to Obama speak on his teleprompter and compares that scripted mellifluousness with either his debates (dating back to his one against Bobbie Rush) or his rare press conferences, can appreciate the abyss between his gift at reading and his inability to think and speak on his feet.<\/p>\n “carrots”: I have no problem with Michelle’s diet crusade, given the national epidemic of obesity and the staggering healthcare costs to treat it on the horizon. But from her earliest college days to her 2008 campaign slurs (‘never been proud’, ‘downright angry country’, ‘raise the bar’, etc.) there was a recurring theme: the benefits of compensatory affirmative action seemed to make her ever more angry in direct proportion to the greater salary and influence she garnered. As First Lady, she has wisely cooled the rhetoric, but now back on the campaign trail, she voices once more the absurd, such as a strong recovering economy, and the continual oppression facing minorities. Does Ms. Obama really feel her admission and record at Princeton, Harvard Law School, and initial work at a law firm and the University of Chicago were hurt by her racial status \u2014 rather than enhanced? All we expect is a little honesty.<\/p>\n This was another rant, not a commentary. When I look at the last spate of campaign ads, the Dunham actress comparing voting for Obama with sex, or the Michael Moore vulgar ad with the elderly promising riots and groin punching, or school kids singing of a Romney Armaggedon, there is the consistent Sixties theme of vulgarity, hysteria, and poor taste \u2014 just like these commentaries.<\/p>\n \u00a92012 Victor Davis Hanson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Victor Davis Hanson Private Papers Angry Reader #3 writes: I won\u2019t take the time to deconstruct your little essay line by line but trust me, almost everything you post is pure, unadulterated, kool-aid-inspired nonsense straight from the fever-swamp of the Reich-wing disinformation echo-chamber,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-5Q","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12220,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/angry-reader-02-28-20\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":0},"title":"Angry Reader 02-28-20","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"From An Angry Reader: Subject: Gray Matter Your articles are so offensively lacking in context, thoughtfulness, and reflection on history--basically simpleminded attack ads-- that I am going to erase the National Review\u2019s bookmark from my browser. And there is no case for Trump any more than there was a case\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9661,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/9661-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":1},"title":"From an Angry Reader: I\u2026","author":"Megan Ring","date":"December 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"From an Angry Reader: I love the Angry Reader section of your website, particularly your responses. I want to be an Angry Reader and see what you have to say about my valid, thoughtful points so here goes. How can anyone support Donald Trump (I call him DT because he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Angry Reader"","block_context":{"text":"Angry Reader","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/angry-reader\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10126,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/10126-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":2},"title":"From an Angry Reader: Dear\u2026","author":"victorhanson","date":"April 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"From an Angry Reader: Dear Continually Angry Reader Steve Faddy Hey Vic, I understand you are a historian, but please write a timely piece, maybe touching on the brilliant incoherence of the foreign policy of the Mad King Don. Obama is no longer the President. Write something relevant to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Angry Reader"","block_context":{"text":"Angry Reader","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/angry-reader\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10974,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/02-14-2018-angry-reader\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":3},"title":"02\/14\/2018 Angry Reader","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"From An Angry Reader From SM: Your article sucks. What if CNN didn\u2019t hate FDR? You can\u2019t debate a hypothetical situation. Trump is probably going to prison. Have fun. _________________________________________________________ Dear Angry Reader SM, 1) Define \u201csucks.\u201d 2) It is called counter-factual history and offers food, however unwished, for thought.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10180,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/from-an-angry-reader\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":4},"title":"From an Angry Reader","author":"victorhanson","date":"May 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"DR HANSON. \u00a0TRUMP TRAITOR IS A RUSSIAN SPY. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM IN JAIL WITH THE ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION. THE TRUMP JOKE PRESIDENCY IS GOING DOWN IN FLAMES. TRUMP FIRED COMEY TO CONCEAL HIS RUSSIAN CONNECTIONS. DEMOCRATS WILL BE IN POWER FOR 30 YEARS AFTER THE TRUMP DEBACLE. \u00a0-HEIN\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Angry Reader"","block_context":{"text":"Angry Reader","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/angry-reader\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":144,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/angry-reader-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":362,"position":5},"title":"Angry Reader #5","author":"victorhanson","date":"December 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson Private Papers Angry Reader #5 wrote: Don't mean to troll here, but for the nth time, what is it about Obama or his agenda that wasn't conservative mainstream thought even a few years ago?? He's lowered taxes, been tough on defense, adopted a healthcare plan proposed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Angry Reader"","block_context":{"text":"Angry Reader","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/angry-reader\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":370,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions\/370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}