# Will the country unravel if Obama is assassinated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 4, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342 "2009-11-04T22:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kiber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiber/32/317_2.png) [@Kiber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiber)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/61 "2009-11-05T17:15:11Z")
I can’t address the social issues - but politically, I think history can be a guide. As I understand it, both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were considered dead in the water prior to the Kennedy Assassination in 1963. However, following his assassination, the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965 - both spurred on in part by a desire to honor his legacy by passing what were 2 signature bills for Kennedy (or something similar - not sure that I’m wording this properly). With that as a guide - I would think we could possibly expect something similar if Obama were assassinated. Currently, healthcare and global warming legislation are both 1) closely tied with Obama himself, and 2) struggling in Congress. I’m guessing that an Obama assassination would spur passage of both pieces of legislation in Congress. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/62 "2009-11-05T17:35:12Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Of course there are. But it is false equivalency to suggest the kooks are of equal importance – or, for that matter, of equal kookiness – on both sides. It’s much, **much** worse on the right. That is where we will have to agree to disagree. I remember scores of protests with Death to Bush or Die Bush Die signs in just his last year of presidency alone. To think that those folks, including a good portion of the SDMB denizens, would not be elated at the premature demise of Bush would be viewing the world through a real thick pair of rose colored glasses. Furthermore, I think it is a mistake to assume that those who are on the opposite political bend of yourself are somehow more dangerous to Obama than their peers on the left were to Bush. Now, if you can cite instances where Micheal Steele, Rush, Beck, or Hannity specifically called for the assassination of the O or something, I’d agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/63 "2009-11-05T17:50:02Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > One would assume that a civil war between the far right and the Democrat-controlled government would necessitate the government being on the side of… itself. So, due to the death of the sitting president, war breaks out. Civil unrest causes a “civil war” against the government. Do you assert that the political lines will still be drawn in the sand? I wasn’t talking about just the “right wing”, if civil unrest occurs and the government rolls in to squash a sizable revolt, I see many more folks standing up to the government. This line of thought is, at best, all circumstantial anyway. Carry On. ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/64 "2009-11-05T17:51:20Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Of course there are. But it is false equivalency to suggest the kooks are of equal importance – or, for that matter, of equal kookiness – on both sides. It’s much, **much** worse on the right. These kinds of statements make me laugh 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/65 "2009-11-05T17:58:52Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Of course there are. But it is false equivalency to suggest the kooks are of equal importance – or, for that matter, of equal kookiness – on both sides. It’s much, **much** worse on the right. > [@Kearsen](#): > > These kinds of statements make me laugh 🙂 Republican office holders have bought into the Birther nonsense, and are repeating the same dire warnings of creeping communism/Marxism/totalitarianism that crazy conspiracy theorists do. That’s an awful lot worse than the left, which has just as many crazies as the right but doesn’t vote them into national office. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/66 "2009-11-05T19:10:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Republican office holders have bought into the Birther nonsense, and are repeating the same dire warnings of creeping communism/Marxism/totalitarianism that crazy conspiracy theorists do. > > That’s an awful lot worse than the left, which has just as many crazies as the right but doesn’t vote them into national office. Cynthia McKinney comes to mind. Maybe a little Shiela Jackson Lee too. Of course this only adds to the argument that there are kooks on both sides, even elected to national office. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/67 "2009-11-05T19:18:10Z")
> [@Kiber](#): > > I can’t address the social issues - but politically, I think history can be a guide. > > As I understand it, both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were considered dead in the water prior to the Kennedy Assassination in 1963. However, following his assassination, the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965 - both spurred on in part by a desire to honor his legacy by passing what were 2 signature bills for Kennedy (or something similar - not sure that I’m wording this properly). Well, also because LBJ was much, much better than JFK at wheeling and deeling and getting things through Congress. I dunno how strong Biden is in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/68 "2009-11-05T19:41:50Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Cynthia McKinney comes to mind. Maybe a little Shiela Jackson Lee too. Of course this only adds to the argument that there are kooks on both sides, even elected to national office. Cynthia McKinny got shown the door pretty quickly after she started going off the rails though. I doubt the same will happen to Bachman, King, and the various birthers in the House will meet the same fate. What did Shiela Jackson Lee do? I didn’t see anything in her wikipedia article that came across as overly kooky. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/69 "2009-11-05T19:42:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Jesus Christ. I always thought you were pretty reasonable… until now. Lobohan and I were talking about what the far right’s reaction would be, not mine. I’m a moderate, but I’m exposed to enough far-right stuff via my parents to tell you uncategorically that people who are a lot farther to the right of me think that President Biden would be as bad and President Pelosi _worse_ than having President Obama. Of course, they also say that she’s calling all the shots now anyway, so I’m not sure how they think it could be worse than that. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/70 "2009-11-05T19:46:04Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Cynthia McKinney comes to mind. Maybe a little Shiela Jackson Lee too. Of course this only adds to the argument that there are kooks on both sides, even elected to national office. Right, that’s _two._ Look through the “Stupid Republican Idea Of The Day” thread in the Pit and you’ll find _hundreds._ Well, dozens, probably - I’m sure some of the people mentioned are repeat offenders and some are local/state officials. > [@elfkin477](#): > > Lobohan and I were talking about what the far right’s reaction would be, not mine. I’m a moderate, but I’m exposed to enough far-right stuff via my parents to tell you uncategorically that people who are a lot farther to the right of me think that President Biden would be as bad and President Pelosi _worse_ than having President Obama. Of course, they also say that she’s calling all the shots now anyway, so I’m not sure how they think it could be worse than that. Oh. Fair enough - I apologize for misunderstanding your post. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/71 "2009-11-05T19:48:37Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > What did Shiela Jackson Lee do? I didn’t see anything in her wikipedia article that came across as overly kooky. She was arrested for protesting outside the Sudanese embassy, which frankly I have no problem whatsoever with. Would that every congresscritter had her balls. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/72 "2009-11-05T20:01:11Z")
Assassinating a President is like killing Obi-Wan Kenobi - if you strike them down, they become more powerful. President Biden would use the memory of the martyred Barack Obama to do far more than Obama himself ever could. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/73 "2009-11-05T20:03:04Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Can we cut this shit out in GD? It just adds nothing of substance to the discussion. You don’t like the far right. We get it. Predicting that would “hoot and cheer” at the assassination of the president is a flatly unprovable assertion. I know of a way to test it. I would not like to see it put to the test, but it could be tested. > [@](#): > > As for the OP, I certainly hope that we, as a country, could get by if one of us, even the president, were to be killed. It would be awful, maybe even more awful than when JFK was shot. But why would we “unravel” as a country? Fox News and Clear Channel and WND and Free Republic and their ilk did not exist when JFK was shot. No one had been hired by a propaganda outlet to declare JFK a fascist daily, either. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/74 "2009-11-05T22:20:57Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > The far right would hoot and cheer. The left would realize at once how utterly worthless those people are. > > Civil war! But the right has the guns, so it wouldn’t last long. 😃 > [@Kearsen](#): > > [QUOTE=Der Trihs] > Once the government rolled in with the tanks, those idiots with the rifles would quickly find out just how hollow their Rambo fantasies are. And the average intelligence of the nation would go up slightly. Who said the government would be on your side? These kinds of snide remarks really irk me at times. For you to be here “fighting ignorance” is laughable. If anything you should be taking notes. [/quote] > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > One would assume that a civil war between the far right and the Democrat-controlled government would necessitate the government being on the side of… itself. Exactly. Or with most Republican governments, for that matter. Governments tend to be less than fond of armed rebellion. And goofballs like the militia/Second Amendment fetishists/etc aren’t the sort to pull off a serious guerilla war. Not that they’d win one of those either. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/75 "2009-11-05T23:03:46Z")
> [@The Tooth](#): > > I know of a way to test it. I would not like to see it put to the test, but it could be tested. I said unprovable, not untestable. And if the context wasn’t clear, I meant unprovable in the context of this debate thread. And sure, someone in this thread could assassinate Obama, or someone else might do it while this thread is still active. But I don’t think we should count on it. > [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Fox News and Clear Channel and WND and Free Republic and their ilk did not exist when JFK was shot. No one had been hired by a propaganda outlet to declare JFK a fascist daily, either. I honestly don’t know what that had to do with the part of my post you quoted. Are you agreeing with me, disagreeing or talking about something else? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/76 "2009-11-05T23:20:00Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > What nonsense. Palin, Beck, Hannity and Limbaugh are not “far right” in an American context; they’re smack in the middle of the right. None would openly cheer the death of a President, any President, even if one or all of them was secretly pleased. “Middle of the right” in what sense? If in terms of political beliefs, they have much greater public visibility and influence than people of similar beliefs. Of people with similar public visibility, they are farther to the right. The net result is that they are a rightward influence from wherever the current mainstream is. > [@](#): > > This especially goes for Palin, whose hopes of winning national office would be destroyed by any sort of public comment in which she expressed approval of the hypothetical assassination. > > Now _this_ is a far more likely scenario. I can see Limbaugh especially opening with some sort of commentary designed to deflect blame from himself. Limbaugh’s MO is to never play defense. He wouldn’t deflect blame because to do so would be to admit that any such case could be made.[sup]\*[/sup] He would spin it to be about himself. Something like “this just proves what I’ve been saying, that he was a danger to the country and should never have been elected.” - Someone may be able to find a cite to the contrary. When someone has a daily radio show for a couple decades, he’s probably made a few such denials, but I think those anomalies would be glossed over pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/77 "2009-11-06T21:03:23Z")
> [@Kearsen](#): > > So, due to the death of the sitting president, war breaks out. Civil unrest causes a “civil war” against the government. Do you assert that the political lines will still be drawn in the sand? > > I wasn’t talking about just the “right wing”, if civil unrest occurs and the government rolls in to squash a sizable revolt, I see many more folks standing up to the government. When has any civil war ever been “the people” vs. “the government”? It’s always between different factions of “the people.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/78 "2009-11-06T21:49:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > When has any civil war ever been “the people” vs. “the government”? It’s always between different factions of “the people.” The recently sort-of-ended Sri Lankan civil war was _some people_ vs. the government. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > “Middle of the right” in what sense? If in terms of political beliefs, they have much greater public visibility and influence than people of similar beliefs. Of people with similar public visibility, they are farther to the right. The net result is that they are a rightward influence from wherever the current mainstream is. The _far_ right is made up of people for whom the Republican Party is too liberal. The sort of people who join the Constitution Party or Liberty Party and such, and certain libertarians. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/79 "2009-11-06T23:29:38Z")
Contrarian view. I think Obama’s assassination could possibly be for the greater good in the end, but mainly in working against the intention of his assassin. That is, if Barry O. is assassinated by a racist with “right-wing” identifiers, it will bring the hammer down on racists & right-wingers. Joe Biden will see to that. I’m less sure what happens if a lefty shoots him. Depending on the variety, it might lead to a purge of that variety of lefty. And if a moderate kills him? Hoo boy. I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342/80 "2009-11-07T00:32:57Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Contrarian view. > > I think Obama’s assassination could possibly be for the greater good in the end, but mainly in working against the intention of his assassin. > > That is, if Barry O. is assassinated by a racist with “right-wing” identifiers, it will bring the hammer down on racists & right-wingers. Joe Biden will see to that. How would he “see” to that? If he started harassing right wing groups, it would probably make them dig in ever more. > [@](#): > > I’m less sure what happens if a lefty shoots him. Depending on the variety, it might lead to a purge of that variety of lefty. > > And if a moderate kills him? Hoo boy. I don’t know. I think the most like scenario is that the person is of the mentally unstable side of things, rather then being right or left. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-country-unravel-if-obama-is-assassinated/516342.md?page=5)