Slap, a couple of points: (1) this dispute is nothing special nor a depature from American tradition; (2) the Obama Administration probably could not care less about a single rancher's grazing rights after decades of violating federal law and ignoring court orders.Originally Posted by slapout
I've noted in previous posts the strong undercurrent of reactionary populism in American rural politics as well as the changing demographics of the country and the metropolitan "Otherness" of Obama personally and the federal government generally. This event highlights the collision of all of these moving pieces. Even George Washington suppressed challenges to federal authority.
I also highlighted your comment that really captures the mindset of the same people out there protesting the federal government's actions. Even though it's clearly documented that Bundy is the one with the radical ideology ("I don't even recognize the federal government", he says) and is the one attempting to subvert federal law, you still manage to find a way to build an explanation consistent with your ideological disposition. Obama is a pragmatist, for one, and his efforts are focused on the healthcare program and Russia; so I very much doubt he's at all concerned, aside from the publicity of the event now, with the seizure of cattle by BLM. The highest ranking political official to comment on the issue was Reid, one of the senators from Nevada; and he's not a part of the administration.
America is changing. And it's government and it's political priorities are changing to reflect that. That's not acceptable to people like Cliven Bundy and other anti-government radicals. In another post you cited the actions of communists and other left-wing radicals, but in American history, the greatest violence and subversion has consistently originated from rural right-wing political groups: the militia movement, the KKK, sovereign citizens, and so forth. The Tea Party is a legitimized wing of that movement and the Southwest is a tinderbox for a number of reasons. The real scandal is that the Republican Party allowed this faction to come to dictate its politics to the detriment of the GOP and the country.This rancher issue, and many of the other frivolous arguments of the Tea Party, is about one guy ignoring the law because of its inconveinence to him.
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