At any other time in recent American history, this extraordinary public servant's life, accomplishments, and legacy would put a muzzle on the vitriol of even his fiercest opponents and detractors. The United States, for all its raucous and noisy political melee, has historically been a place where the death of so distinguished a servant was marked by respect and reflection by all, or nearly all, and disagreements put aside.
The wingnuts and teabaggers have pretty well convinced me we don't live in that America anymore. And the first time I hear some ignorant knuckledragger make a Chappaquiddick crack or otherwise besmirch that man, while his family and the nation grieves, I don't know how I'm going to react. I think it will not be kind.
Think about everything that has NOT been off-limits these last several months. Right-wing militias back on the rise. Delusional teabaggers yelling and screaming and marching, having no fucking idea what they are talking about and not caring. "Obama = Hitler" and "Socialist Libruls want to Kill your Grandma." Naked racism and race-baiting by Beck, Limbaugh, others. Congressmembers hanged in effigy. Gun-toting ideologues showing up at public appearances by the President. Etc., etc., ad nauseum.
I don't need to go on. If you're here, and you're reading this in the first place, you already know what I'm talking about. The tenor has changed in this country. The boundaries have crumbled, maybe past repair. Facts and civility and sound reasoning are unknown and irrelevant to a quarter or so of our population. Ignorance and hatred have become virtues to be celebrated, to the point that when these things find expression in public, right-wing politicians don't even feel any obligation to rebuke them anymore.
Right now, as I type, and as you read, there are significant numbers of ignorant dipshits celebrating and high-fiving that this irreplaceable man has died, themselves oblivious to the fact that their miserable lives are made better in numerous ways every single day due to the life's work of Ted Kennedy. I still believe that most people who consider themselves conservative, or who disliked Kennedy in life, will have the good sense, and good manners, to avoid disrespectful remarks or behavior. But the leftover fringe who will not comprises a lot of people nonetheless.
So here's my morbid and totally inappropriate prediction. Soon, their celebration will bubble up. It will spill over into the blogs, and we will hear it in barrooms. It will show up in conservative chain emails. Beck or Malkin or Limbaugh or some other rightwing fucktard pundit will either make a crack about it, or let one slide when a guest does it. Then some wingnut teabagger will show up with a sign, or a shirt, or a snide remark, at a public function and within earshot of a rightwing politician. That politician will have the opportunity to rebuke said offensiveness, and will fail to do so. Keith and Rachel and Ed will bitch that politician out on the air. Everyone else will ignore it.
And the death of Ted Kennedy, and the loss of the Senate's greatest advocate for average working people, will end up commanding less than half of the news cycles than Michael Jackson's death did.
Because we don't live in that old America anymore. Shit has changed, you know.
Anyone with the stomach to do so, please feel free to prove me wrong by wading into the cesspool of RedState or LGF or what have you for the next couple of days. See if I'm wrong. I'd be delighted to learn that I am.
For myself, I'm gonna stay the hell out of barrooms for a few weeks. I don't trust myself to react calmly if some asshat shows up to confirm my prediction.