CHANGE OF HEART

Writer Michael Fumento Quits Conservative Movement, Calls It “Hate, Anger And Fear Machine”

Journalist Michael Fumento, long heralded as a shining star among right-wing pundits and journalists, is washing his hands of the conservative movement, which he says has become a “hate, anger and fear machine” more focused on fostering “mass hysteria” than finding solutions.

In a piece published on Salon.com, Fumento details the increasingly ridiculous lengths conservatives—from Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh to Allen West to Mitt Romney—are reaching to lambast so-called enemies:

 …I find myself linked not only with the Unabomber, but also Charles Manson and Fidel Castro. Or so says the Chicago-based think tank the Heartland Institute, for which I’ve done work. Heartland erected billboards depicting the above three declaring: “I still believe in Global Warming. Do you?” Climate scientists now, evidently, share something in common with dictators and mass murderers. Reportedly bin Laden was scheduled to make such an appearance, too.You see, I’ve published articles saying I do “believe in global warming.” Yes, I’ve also questioned the extent to which man-made gases have contributed to that warming and concluded that expenditures to reduce those emissions would be as worthless as they’d be horrifically expensive. No matter; just call me “Ted.” Or “Charlie.” Or “Fidel.”

This is nuts! Literally. As in “mass hysteria.”

But more than the right’s far-out opinions, Fumento is tired of the movement’s sheer incivility, which borders on the rabid:

Civility and respect for order—nay, demand for order—have always been tenets of conservatism. The most prominent work of history’s most prominent conservative, Edmund Burke, was a reaction to the anger and hatred that swept France during the revolution. It would eventually rip the country apart and plunge all of Europe into decades of war. Such is the rotted fruit of mass-produced hate and rage. Burke, not incidentally, was a true Tea Party supporter, risking everything as a member of Parliament to support the rebellion in the United States.

All of today’s right-wing darlings got there by mastering what Burke feared most: screaming “J’accuse! J’accuse!” Turning people against each other. Taking seeds of fear, anger and hatred and planting them to grow a new crop.

And the celebrated skeptic who challenged everything from Gulf War Syndrome to heterosexual AIDS statistics—calls conservative leaders to task for ignoring facts in favor of rhetoric:

Conservatism has also historically emphasized empiricism. Joe Friday of “Dragnet” must have been a conservative: “All we want are the facts, Ma’am.” When President Reagan famously said, “Facts are stupid things,” he meant to quote President John Adams’ observation that “Facts are stubborn things.”

But how much fact was there in Heartland’s billboards, whose shock purpose has been likened to tactics of the hard-left animal activist group PETA, with whom I’ve repeatedly locked horns. Or in West’s assertion? Or Breitbart’s tirades? Rush Limbaugh compared Breitbart, who never wrote a single investigative report, to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the dynamic duo who brought down the thoroughly corrupt presidency of Richard Nixon.

He actually said Breitbart’s work was superior. Oh, dear!

We appreciate Fumento’s change of heart, really we do. But what took him so long?

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated