Sedition

Via AmericaBlog, this story (a couple of days old -- I'm catching up). If you thought the right wing couldn't sink any lower, you're wrong (wait -- I've got a story coming up that shows just how low they can go). Here's a link to the story at MediaMatters, on a colum by one John L. Perry, who apparently doesn't put much trust in the American system of free elections:

Imagine a bloodless coup to restore and defend the Constitution through an interim administration that would do the serious business of governing and defending the nation. Skilled, military-trained, nation-builders would replace accountability-challenged, radical-left commissars. Having bonded with his twin teleprompters, the president would be detailed for ceremonial speech-making.

Military intervention is what Obama’s exponentially accelerating agenda for “fundamental change” toward a Marxist state is inviting upon America. A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama’s radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible.

Unthinkable? Then think up an alternative, non-violent solution to the Obama problem. Just don’t shrug and say, “We can always worry about that later."

Excuse me -- "defend the Constitution"? By staging a military coup? Who is he trying to kid? Let me point out that we exercised our non-violent, Constitutional alternative to a military coup last November, after eight years of assault on the Constitution and creeping fascism: it's called an "election," and your side lost because your ideas, your programs, and your methods are repellent to the majority of the American people.

Andrew Sullivan took the approach of making this one a Hewitt Award nominee. Sort of a flabby response, I think. The man's voicing sedition, after all. It's a little bit more serious than just some run-of-the-mill wingnut spouting off.

The story also got a mention by KatRose at Pam's House Blend featuring an OpEd by Thomas Friedman that's kind of chilling:

I hate to write about this, but I have actually been to this play before and it is really disturbing.

I was in Israel interviewing Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin just before he was assassinated in 1995. We had a beer in his office. He needed one. I remember the ugly mood in Israel then — a mood in which extreme right-wing settlers and politicians were doing all they could to delegitimize Rabin, who was committed to trading land for peace as part of the Oslo accords. They questioned his authority. They accused him of treason. They created pictures depicting him as a Nazi SS officer, and they shouted death threats at rallies. His political opponents winked at it all.

And in so doing they created a poisonous political environment that was interpreted by one right-wing Jewish settler as a license to kill Rabin — he must have heard, “God will be on your side” — and so he did.

Others have already remarked on this analogy, but I want to add my voice because the parallels to Israel then and America today turn my stomach: I have no problem with any of the substantive criticism of President Obama from the right or left. But something very dangerous is happening. Criticism from the far right has begun tipping over into delegitimation and creating the same kind of climate here that existed in Israel on the eve of the Rabin assassination.

I also want to add something that I'm surprised wasn't picked up on elsewhere (although it may have been and I just missed it -- it's been a sort of fragmented couple of days): anyone want to guess what the code phrase "Obama problem" really means to a reality-challenged, racist right-winger?

Digby, as usual, nails it:

Yes. Nine months in, it's obvious that the only choice Real Americans have is to stage a coup. The lessons they've learned from recent presidencies is that impeachment is no sure thing and that unless you can get close enough to steal elections, you might get stuck with someone you didn't vote for. So they're dreaming of more tried and true methods. That whole democracy thing is very inconvenient.

(And just the thought of "skilled, military trained, nation builders" bending the government to their will clearly sends one big thrill up these fellows' legs. Oooh baby.)

As of yesterday, Newsmax (another wholly-owned subsidiary of the RNC, it seems) finally figured out that maybe that wasn't such a good piece to publish, and is backing off like crazy, while repeating the "describing isn't advocating" excuse that Perry himself used. Bullshit. Double bullshit.

I can only hope Mr. Perry gets a nice friendly visit from the Secret Service very soon.