The "Guns and Bitter" Crowd

"And it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." -- Barack Obama

The words of President Obama when he was candidate Obama almost ruined his presidential hopes. He made the statement on the campaign trail and the uproar nearly derailed his campaign. Republicans and Hilary Clinton formed an unusual partnership and jointly rubbed Obama's nose in the words, telling the American voters that Obama was "out of touch," "elitist," and "too liberal" to lead the country. They tried to tie Obama to the San Francisco Pelosi chardonnay drinking, brie eating crowd and the political damage was done. Candidate Obama had to stop his campaign and respond to the attacks from his left and right.

He obviously did an adequate job of damage control, since we now know "the rest of the story." But isn't it interesting to read that statement today and then watch the Republican Tea Party reaction to the Obama presidency at health care and tax day protests? How prescient was President Obama when he made that statement? Look at the Republican Tea Party protests this past year and you find the following: a bunch of anti-immigrant, anti-tax, anti-government, anti-you don't look like me protesters, some carrying handguns and rifles, many carrying signs stating "God is not a Muslim, but Obama is," and proclaiming they want their country back.

Bitter.

Clinging to their guns and religion.

Racist.

Xenophobic.

Frustrated that an African-American is their President.

And now we approach April 19, the 15th anniversary of the worst terror attack ever carried out against our country -- the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh and a few other domestic terrorists. I believe this act against our country was worse than the 9/11 attacks because it was carried out by American citizens against their own country. The 9/11 attacks killed more people and had greater impact on how we live our lives, but there is something about American citizens, former members of our military, building a crude bomb and setting it off in front of a federal building and killing fellow Americans -- including children in a daycare center (which McVeigh called "collateral damage") -- that is very disturbing to me. Al-Qaeda I understand, McVeigh I don't.

Was Timothy McVeigh bitter? Was he clinging to his guns? Was he anti-government? Does he sound like some of the Republican Tea Party protesters? From McVeigh's own words you can decide for yourself.

"The government is afraid of the guns people have because they have to have control of the people at all times. Once you take away the guns, you can do anything to the people. You give them an inch and they take a mile. I believe we are slowly turning into a socialist government. The government is continually growing bigger and more powerful and the people need to prepare to defend themselves against government control."

"Taxes are a joke. Regardless of what a political candidate "promises," they will increase. More taxes are always the answer to government mismanagement. They mess up. We suffer. Taxes are reaching cataclysmic levels, with no slowdown in sight... Is a Civil War Imminent? Do we have to shed blood to reform the current system? I hope it doesn't come to that. But it might."

I am hopeful that no one "celebrates" the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing with a violent act against our country. But, frankly, I'm not confident that there aren't some bitter people, clinging to their guns and religion, with the same hatred and anti-government mindset of Timothy McVeigh, ready to do something terrible against others that don't look like them or think like them.

It's been done before, so don't kid yourself, it can happen again. The "Guns and Bitter" crowd is something to fear.