In 1969, President Richard Nixon popularized the phrase “silent majority,” referring to those Americans who weren’t out in the streets protesting the Vietnam War or engaging in the sexual revolution or the drug culture, and who generally weren’t publicly vocal about their views. At the time, he was contrasting these people with the more vocal and radical citizens who took to the streets, wrote opinion pieces or appeared on TV and the radio, implying that they were in the minority.
Recently, reports and videos have been circulating about the increasing rage on display at rallies for John McCain and Salin Palin as the election nears. Liberals complain that Senator McCain and Governor Palin are stirring up resentments and division with their increasingly critical rhetoric about Senator Barack Obama’s past alliances with unsavory characters, or they point to the angry people at these rallies and say they are indicative of the kind of people who support Republicans and/or conservatives. The latter opinion is typical condescending liberal claptrap and it explains in part the anger that’s on display. (more…)
