Who really hates America?

A friend from high school posted a meme on Facebook that both makes me sad and also puzzles me.   As much as I despised the politics of GW Bush, he was our president and in my book that means he gets a certain amount of respect.  And while I wished he weren't president, I never would EVER have considered wishing he were dead. So I just don't get this one.

In my friend's defense, I don't think he actually wishes Obama dead. I think he just hates the President so he thought it was funny.  One of the statements in his comment section said that Obama doesn't exhibit a "love of American values and ideology."

Huh?  What are "American values and ideology?"  I know what I see as American values and I would guess that I don't see eye to eye with that other point of view.  In an attempt to understand, I decided to do some research on why conservatives hate Obama so much.  Here's what I've learned.

1) People still think Barack Obama is a Muslim.  Even if he were, how is that anti-American?  One post from July 2012 claims that a  "poll from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows, fully 30 percent of Republicans, and 34 percent of conservative Republicans, now believe Obama is Muslim."   And that's not including those who still believe he wasn't even born in America.

2) Folks claim he's a socialist.  Reasons listed that I can find are that he supports increased taxes on the upper 1%, the Affordable Care Act, and the fact that under his administration the EPA has begun enforcing regulations on the coal industry and other energy mining.  Apparently the fact that it's expensive to do the right thing by the environment so therefore companies shouldn't have to.  And all that Global Warming stuff is a myth so don't even get them started....

3) You don't need facts to hate the President.  Here's a site that lists all kinds of reasons, including that he thanked Planned Parenthood, "people who murder babies for a living."  The fact is that less than 3% of Planned Parenthood's business involves abortions, and they're a legal choice.   And he's not "civil."  (Like Jan Brewer of Arizona who pointed her finger and  chastised the POTUS?)   How do you respond to THIS kind of vitriol?

4) The government is in too much debt.  While I very much agree with this fact, I don't know that I lay all the blame on President Obama.  Our No! Congress hasn't gotten much done, as both sides have put partisanship over the needs of the country.  Can't blame that on Obama though, nor the fact that much of our debt and economic trouble is carryover from the Bush years.

5) He's leading a "fundamental change in America."  I think the folks who make claim this oppose legalizing same sex marriage, marijuana and not bombing Iraq and/or North Korea and/or Russia.  If those issues represent a fundamental change than hooray!!

6) Obama takes money from big corporations and rich donors.  Duh.  What politician doesn't?  If we had campaign reform that could change but it's not going to happen.

7) Barack Obama is apparently against freedom, liberty, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  I don't understand this one at all, to tell you the truth.  People who claim to understand the founding fathers often seem to misrepresent them (those pesky facts getting in the way again) or pick and choose.  I laugh that folks who vehemently oppose having to show an id to get a gun think it's fine to demand it of voters.  (and voter fraud is not only not really an issue, unless you count minorities voting, nor has it killed anyone!)

I can understand that people don't like Obama.  I didn't like GW Bush, nor do I like scary politicians such as Ted Cruz or Rand Paul.  Still, I don't have this gut-wrenching hatred that causes me to act rudely, or ignore reality.   Everyone can have an opinion and I respect the right to have them no matter how much I disagree with them.  But facts are facts..... aren't they?