From Philly's OTHER fishwrap-worthy paper:
Recession, race blamed for increased threats against president
Every American knows that politics can be an ugly business, rife with mudslinging, underhandedness and, in the worst of times, outright sabotage.
Like it or not, the collective American voting public is as much inclined toward emotional reactionism as it is rational reflection.
The former is a trait that both political parties, at times, do their best to exploit; and the conservative right is doing a heck of a job at it right now, dredging up fears of non-existent “death panels” and rationing in an attempt to derail, or at least dilute, Democratic health-care reform initiatives.
Most of us have come to accept the worst politics has to offer as a price worth paying for a democratic system in which every voice, no matter how repugnant, has the right to be heard. But lately the level of hostility directed at President Barack Obama and progressive lawmakers from some corners of society has crossed the line from disturbing to downright scary.
From “birther”-led citizen grand juries charging the president with fraud, to gun-toting protesters outside presidential events, organized opposition to the new administration and its policies has taken on a decidedly radical bent, giving rise to the unthinkable: What if some lunatic, or a group of them, decides to transition from vicious rhetoric to violent action?As the president works through his first year in office, those charged with protecting him from such a potentiality are finding they have their work cut out for them; and lately some commentators have taken to questioning whether they are fully up to the task.
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