Pandagon

I'm certainly not the expert on Outer Wingnutteria (hat tip to David for the phrase) like David Neiwert is, but I know enough to start really beginning to worry that the hardest of the hard right are going to go on a self-immolation and violence-causing spree like they did in the 90s, except this time it may be worse, because the President whose authority they're symbolically rejecting is a black man with a funny name. If Outer Wingnutteria---who escalated abortion clinic violence, who bombed Oklahoma City, who racked up shootouts with the Feds (such as Waco, Ruby Ridge, and the Republic of Texas)---rejected Bill Clinton, then what on earth are they going to do with Barack Obama in office? Clinton had a number of things about him that probably cooled some hysteria, perhaps limiting the number of wingnut fence-sitters who were attracted to the militia movements but decided it wasn't worth it to actually start shit, and preferred just to sit at home grumbling. Or, at worst, they'd join a local militia and play soldier on the weekends, but never take it too seriously. Clinton was a bubba, a white guy who had Astroturf in the back of his truck, a burger chomper with a "I just want to be loved" attitude. He had a normal name. Obama is more of a smartass, an urbanite, a health food nut, and of course, he's a black man with a funny name. I fear that these elements are going to make it easier for Outer Wingnutteria to recruit some people who sat it out last round.