Dr. J.'s Commentary: Sean Hannity's America

As those of you who listen to Sean Hannity regularly (and I do) know well, Hannity is against many things. "Being against," "always attacking, never defending" is the stock-in-trade of the thousands of Hannity-O'Reilly-Limbaugh clones that litter the countryside of right-wing and Christian Right talk radio and television. (I call the whole pack that gives voice to Karl Rove's Privatized Ministry of Propaganda "O'RHannibaugh" for short.)

Hannity is against Democrats, "liberals" (however they may be defined), the ACLU and like-minded organizations, "the Hollywood Left," the "left-wing mainstream media" (Limbaugh calls them, whatever they are, the "drive-by media"), and so on and so forth. Typical of these folks' characterizations of those who they attack 24/7 is Bill O'Reilly. On his radio program I once heard him label the ACLU the second most dangerous organization operating in America, after al Qaeda [!!!]. Why? Because of their defense of freedom of belief as to when life begins (otherwise know as the abortion rights issue). Tops on the enemies list are any of those who attack BushCheney and Georgite policy, whatever their political affiliation.

However, Hannity hardly ever talks about what he is for. He never defends George Bush. Hardly ever mentions his name, in fact, except to attack his critics ("why do you hate Bush so," is a constant plaint). In attacking critics of current U.S. policy in Iraq, he does talk all the time about "achieving victory" there, although I have never heard him define just what he means by that (thereby joining the Bush Administration, Limbaugh and the clones, Bush, and Tony Snow in that regard). But recently on his new Sunday night Fox "Sean Hannity on America," he did give us a glimpse of what he is for. And it is a frightening picture. Hannity revealed a new feature to be called "Enemies of the State." He was, so Keith Olbermann told us, forced by his producers to change the name, but that is immaterial. How revealing is it of Sean Hannity's thinking about America that he would conceive of such a feature, such an appellation, such a way to label and then deal with those people with whom he disagrees about policy and politics.

Just think of it. First of all, when talking about our Constitutional Democracy, he has this concept of "the State." No separation of powers, no co-equal branches, just "the State." And given that he is a full supporter of the Cheney concept of the "Unitary Executive," we know exactly what that means (and I have discussed it at length in this space and others; see my The Political Junkies columns of May 27, 2004 "On Fascism -- And The Georgites;" January 27, 2005 "Comparing George W. Bush and Adolf Hitler;" and February 10, 2005, "The Georgite Version of 'Freedom and Democracy'"). Briefly, it means that, using the excuse of "national security" as declared by himself, the President (as long as it is Bush, or ever better, a resurrected and cured-of-Alzheimer's Reagan) can do whatever he damn well pleases in terms of national policy and individual rights and liberties, no matter what the Constitution says or doesn't say. Many observers would call that "Dictatorship."

Second of all, Hannity's American "State" has "enemies," as defined by their political beliefs and positions on policy. And if it has enemies, it can then deal with them the way enemies are usually dealt with, through means other than elections, debate, and legislative action.

Third of all, by declaring himself for establishing such a category, Hannity aligns himself with such historical entities as Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. Interesting ideological allies for someone who once published a book with the title "Let Freedom Ring." (Full disclosure and a dead giveaway of where this man is really coming from: the subtitle is the oxymoron "Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism.") But this is what Hannity is really about. Those who disagree with you are enemies, and they are enemies who are to be dealt with in the harshest way, because they are "Enemies of the State."

To deal effectively with O'RHannibaugh and the PMoP we, in addition to continually exposing their constant lies and distortions, in addition to going after them for ranting, raving, crying, and whining, as well as calling them to account for their major role in the destruction of civil discourse and traditional American values and freedoms, must also, over and over again, reveal what they are for. Yes indeed, we too must learn how to "always attack, never defend."

Steven Jonas, MD, MPH is a Professor of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University (NY), a weekly contributing author for The Political Junkies, and contributing editor for The Moving Planet Blog.

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