To the editor:
The letter to the editor dated April 21 authored by Art Angst entitled, “Smug humor not appreciated,” demonstrates that he is anything but a political independent, as he claims. His feeble attempt to somehow gussy up his credibility by disingenuously claiming that he is not a hardcore conservative is belied by his rhetoric.
Mr. Angst rails against the Record for publishing a cartoon that, according to him, suggests the Tea Party movement is seeking independence from governmental authority. He whines that the Record continually distorts traditional and conservative ideals with exaggerations and outright lies, yet he does nothing to explain the exaggerations and outright lies being uttered daily by Tea Party spokespersons, such as Representative Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota, and former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to name just two.
The terrible lies and distortions being uttered about President Obama by the Tea Party are disgusting and, in my view, totally un-American.
Yet, Mr. Angst has no difficulty perpetuating those lies. He falsely claims that President Obama’s “reaction to wide-spread protest over unbridled spending was ‘amusement’ and ‘they ought to thank me.’”
Mr. Angst then utters his telling, bottom-line conclusion demonstrating his hatred of our president: “such arrogance has never emanated from the White House in my lifetime, until now.”
My first reaction is to say, where were you during the Bush years? Talk about arrogance.
But then, that would be too glib a reply. So, let’s look at his claim.
It is true that during a recent town-hall meeting President Obama did utter the words “they ought to thank me,” or words to that effect, but not in response to a “protest over unbridled spending.” He was responding to the outright lies by Bachmann and other Tea Baggers that his administration has raised taxes on the middle class.
After President Obama set the record straight that his administration has been responsible for “more than 20 different tax cuts” during the past 15 months, and has not raised taxes one penny on the middle class (yet another promise kept), he then chuckled and said, “heck, instead of criticizing me, you would think they would thank me.” So true!
Mr. Angst, you claim that you want “honest” public discourse to encourage open and meaningful dialogue among opposing viewpoints, yet you are anything but honest in your unfounded, venomous attack against an honorable, humble, intelligent man of the utmost integrity who we are fortunate enough to have as our president. You could learn much from him, Mr. Angst.
Nels Kelstrom
Clinton
