Report From the Fever Swamp

Lately, I have been spending some on-line time in the extremist “conservative” blogosphere and discussion forums. I put the word “conservative” in quotes because their expressed attitudes are far from conservative. More on that later.

I know I was dredging through the depths of the right wing Fever Swamp but I did it _for two reasons: first of all, I was genuinely curious about what, why and how they think. Secondly, lighting up these characters  was not only easy, but also fun! Fun for a while anyway, but it did get tiresome quickly.

The first thing to report is that they HATE liberals. Not actual liberals, mind you. They hate the cartoon liberals of their fevered imagination. The liberal that they have invented for themselves is what I call the Great Mythical Evil Liberal—the Destroyer of All That We Hold Dear (to save some keystrokes, I will use the abbreviation of GMELDATWHD).

The GMELDATWHD is responsible for everything wrong in the Universe. In addition to turning the actual word “liberal” into an epithet, they have even found ways to make the slur worse (or more comical, depending on one’s perspective)—Libtard-get it? The combination of “liberal’ and “retard”, or another fun variation, DemocRATs. In these circles, this passes for clever.

This is one of my favorite sites—a perfect example of the Fever Swamp (full disclosure—its run by a friend of mine.

Here is an example of the deep thoughts on this site:

Expose the Limousine Liberals?

Do you think that the Limousine Liberals are going to try to integrate San Francisco or Marin County? Why? They already vote reliably Democrat. No they intend to mix it up in Republican neighborhoods.”

This is typical. Other than not having a clear idea of what he is talking about (who knew there are Republican neighborhoods in San Francisco?), or his connection to San Francisco politics, there is no reasoning, no critical analysis, or even evidence. The evidence that is posted on this site is just cross-posting to others that agree with him already. Just a fact-free incoherent blast at the GMELDATWHD.  Or this:

 It’s okay for progressives to keep secrets

That, by the way, is the only commentary. This is a strong implication that the GMELDATWHDs are hypocrites when it comes to privacy. But the primary link is to a New York Times article arguing for transparency and the secondary link takes one to the author of the original argument by a professor who is not necessarily a GMELDATWHD, nor does it in any way even come close to supporting the notion that the GMELDATWHDs are hypocrites. The reasoning path that goes from this article to GMELDATWHDs are hypocrites must be tortured indeed.

On a discussion forum, the preceding commentary was about how awful it is that oppressive Islamic regimes were persecuting Christians. The discussion was fairly rational, even with the blatant Islamophobia, until a genius added this:

I blame the liberals.

Of course, that got the Fever Swamp crowd hooting and snorting. But there was never any consideration to what should have been the obvious questions:

• How are liberals responsible, especially since Wahhabism emerged several hundred years before our country was even founded?
• Why would liberals support in any way, the most repressive and right wing regimes on Earth?

Obviously, critical thinking is in very short supply in the Fever Swamp.

The second thing to report is that they HATE Obama. This is a little different from HATING the dreaded GMELDATWHDs. This is personal, visceral, and unthinking (of course). Also, this hatred feeds on itself, in that it appears that residents of the Fever Swamp rarely interact with anyone outside of the Swamp, preferring to interact with only themselves. This creates a closed loop information cycle, and the more they talk with each other, the deeper this obsessive hatred becomes. The more they smell only their own fumes, the more poisoned they become.

This closed loop is impermeable to independent fact checking or evidence. Whenever I attempted to offer sourced evidence that was counter to their prejudice, I was dismissed out of hand as a GMELDATWHD.

What they commonly believe about Obama is well known. According to the collective judgment of the Fever Swamp, Obama is a Marxist, Communist, Socialist, Nazi, Muslim, Arab, Not Born in the United States, Trying to Destroy America and the Anti-Christ. One can Google “Larry Klayman” for some over-ripe examples. And what kind of man sues his own mother? Answer: A Tea Party guy!

None of this nonsense is based on anything that could be conceivably considered a fact. But in the Fever Swamp, facts are a low priority compared with the irrational exuberance for the articulated hatred of this President.

I noted with some curiosity that nothing will make this crowd wet their pants faster than Benghazi—the non scandal that just will not die. They are ready to impeach Obama for this tragedy, while paying no mind to the 13 attacks on our embassies and consulates under George Bush. Our diplomatic facilities are often attacked under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Yet this one is grounds for impeachment.

What’s different about this President from all of his predecessors? Anyone want to take a guess?

Anyone?

The third thing to report is that there is ZERO tolerance for differing points of view. And they really, really do not like to be challenged. Whenever I offered an alternative point of view or a direct challenge to the poisoned buffoonery, I was subjected to all manner of juvenile and hyper-sexualized insults and called all names imaginable. The only thing they know about me is that I had a different point of view, yet I was attacked for my lack of intelligence, education, family ancestry, drinking habits, screen name, drug use and of course, being nothing but pond scum, just like all the other the GMELDATWHDs. I was even threatened once.

Threats and insults are easy when one can hide behind a screen name. A perfect platform for cowards.

This unthinking intolerance is a strange and ironic parallel to the Islamic regimes that they hate so much, and are, after all, the fault of the GMELDATWHDs.

The fourth thing I can report is that there is a deep and wide anti-democratic and authoritarian streak in the Fever Swamp. This was highlighted during the discussions over last fall’s government shutdown opera.

Here we have a law, duly enacted by an elected legislature, signed by the President, and upheld, in all material respects, by the Supreme Court. Most of us learned in junior high Civics that this is exactly how a bill becomes law. But not in the Fever Swamp.

In the Fever Swamp, such a law can be invalidated by a parliamentary stunt, and if they don’t get their way, then they are willing to shut down the government, harming everyone. They take this path in spite of the fact that the President was reelected against an opponent who ran against him on the promise to “repeal Obamacare on day one.”

In the Fever Swamp, those pro-Obama votes are to be disregarded. Apparently, the right to vote is entirely dependent on agreeing with the Tea Party and the other denizens of the Swamp. Don’t agree with us? Then no vote for you!

This is consistent with aforementioned intolerance of people who do not agree with them, invented narratives to discredit groups of people they despise and obsessive hatred of same. These attitudes and bullying are alien to any concept of an open, decent and free society. This is, however, entirely consistent with almost every authoritarian and autocratic despot the world has ever seen.

There is something about democratic process that just pisses them off. These are not conservatives. They are radicals willing to disregard and undermine our long held traditions and values to simply get their way,  and insult and bully those who disagree. In the Fever Swamp, I am the conservative.

So now I will take my leave of the Fever Swamp. I will check in from time to time, if for no other reason to see what is currently making the howler monkeys jump. The Fever Swamp is, after all, an endless source of material