From Hope and Change to Hate and Fear

By Chris W. Cox

President Barack Obama has certainly changed the tone in Washington. What used to be a town well-known for partisan bickering has been transformed into a 24/7 hate fest. Obama may bemoan the rancor in Congress every time the cameras are rolling, but make no mistake, this acidic atmosphere is by his own design.

The most recent manifestation of his divisive handiwork can be found pouring out of the mouth of his attacker in chief, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who recently tried to pin blame for last year’s tragedy in Tucson on the Tea Party.

“The discourse in America, the discourse in Congress in particular…has really changed, I’ll tell you,” she said. “I hesitate to place blame, but I have noticed it take a very precipitous turn towards edginess and lack of civility with the growth of the Tea Party movement.”

Of course, anti-gun radicals like Wasserman Schultz never met a deadly tragedy they couldn’t exploit for political gain.

But pay attention to what she’s actually saying here. According to her, a large group of patriotic Americans, who are active in their communities, who show up at town hall meetings, and who yearn for a return to the type of constitutional government that made America the freest and greatest nation on earth, are to blame for the actions of a deranged psychopath.

Wasserman Schultz may preach civil discourse, but she’s practicing the politics of hate and fear. She sees the Tea Party as her enemy, and there is nothing too vile or dangerous for her to say in order to persuade other Americans to join in her hatred.

If President Obama was truly concerned with the tone in Washington, he would rush to condemn this. Just as he would have rushed to condemn Teamster boss James Hoffa last year, when he tried to incite violence against the Tea Party by urging his followers to “take these sons of bitches out.”

But instead of working to bring America together, every action, and inaction, Obama has taken since his inauguration has been designed to pit one group of Americans against another. Rich versus poor. Insured versus uninsured. Gun owners versus non-gun owners. Anywhere the environment is ripe for a fire, Obama and his allies like Wasserman Schultz are standing nearby with matches and gasoline.

Sadly, there seems to be no law too sacred for him to trample in his mission to make enemies of ordinary Americans.

If that sounds harsh, look no further than the Administration’s deadly “Fast and Furious” scandal. Obama’s anti-gun bureaucrats deliberately endangered American lives by illegally arming Mexican drug cartels – all in a shameless attempt to blame law-abiding gun owners, and our Second Amendment freedom, for violent crime in Mexico.

As a result of their disgraceful campaign, countless Mexicans, and at least one American Border Patrol agent, are dead.

Barack Obama came to Washington promising hope and change, but he’s worked to spread hate and fear. I can think of no greater bipartisan effort that all Americans should undertake this fall, than voting Obama and his administration out of office. For the sake of our country, and our freedom, we must do better.

This article first appeared in Townhall.com. http://townhall.com/columnists/chriswcox/2012/01/17/from_hope_and_change_to_hate_and_fear

Chris W. Cox is the Executive Director of The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action and serves as the organization’s chief lobbyist.