Remember when Barack Obama said this?
"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.
And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
Obviously, the Very Serious People at Politico said he was being hyperbolic, and the Very Crazy People at Fox News said he was being insane. But, the Very Reasonable People at Daily Kos -- and other progressive communities -- always knew he was absolutely correct. Describing a political dynamic as convoluted and illogical as that which exists in many parts of the United States today absolutely requires such a sociological interpretation.
Well, if you need more confirmation, look at this terrifying video -- an advertisement, really -- from the NRA's convention this weekend in Indianapolis. Look at how Wayne LaPierre gets everyone all fired up, think about the images and symbolism present in this video, and look at the people applauding after its shown. This is scary stuff.
This video is Clive Bundy. This video is right-wing domestic terrorism. This video is frightening.
Talk about getting insecure people -- with semi-automatic weapons at their sides -- all riled up!? Wow.