Fear grips us instantly; an easy and quick sell, while confidence builds slowly. The politics of fear and demonization are being used as a blunt instrument to regain control of our government. The media is a willing accomplice as fear also generates viewers and profits. We see this front and center in the tea bagger notion that our president “hates America” as they parade posters of him alternately as Hitler or the Joker who wants to install death panels and destroy our wonderful health care system. Think about this for one moment please in the context of who Obama is.
Obama spent time in his youth in poverty-stricken Indonesia, seeing firsthand what it means to live in the Third World. Contrast that with the life he experienced in America, where he, abandoned by his African father and raised by his single white mother and grandparents, was able to obtain a great education and actually become president. Yes, anyone can clearly understand why he hates America for abusing him so. What?
Obama is cast as someone who is weak on terror, exposing us to great danger. After all, according to the myth now being spun with the aid of our media, Cheney reminds us on a regular basis about the fact that during his tenure we were never attacked and we were kept safe! Of course, we would have to forget that Sept. 11, the shoe bomber, etc., occurred on his watch, because according to the party line this was really Clinton”s fault. Forget the fact that during the transition Clinton tried several times to warn W. about bin Laden but couldn”t get to first base, or that Richard Clarke, the national coordinator for security and counterterrorism was unable to meet with W. until after the attacks, while W. was setting a new record for the number of days on vacation. On Aug. 6, 2001, Bush received a briefing titled “bin Laden determined to strike U.S.” while on vacation, but failed to act. Substantial doubt exists he ever bothered to read it.
We are to be outraged that the underpants bomber was read his rights while we are to forget the fact that Richard Reed, the shoe bomber, was read his rights within five minutes of being arrested during Bush”s term. In total, over 300 terrorists were tried within our court system prior to Obama”s term, but suddenly our justice system, the very one we hold out to the world as a model, is no longer to be trusted.
This demonization in politics has spread to Carly Fiorina”s campaign for Senate in California. Her campaign has released an ad showing a “demon sheep,” supposedly her opponent disguising himself, wearing a sheepskin with red, glowing eyes. It”s not enough for her to say “vote for me because I have business experience (she did actually run Hewlett-Packard into the ground before being fired; and within weeks of her getting canned on Feb. 10, 2005 the stock doubled!).” Instead, she has to make us fear her opponent as something evil, despite the fact that he has had a long career in public service without any allegations of wrongdoing that I know of.
It”s a sad commentary on America”s mentality that we can no longer see each other as good, decent, patriots who simply disagree. That might lead to dialogue and compromise which is impossible when the other side is demonized. How, after all, do we justify compromising with someone we have cast as the devil? This is what we see in Congress today. Hysteria, demonization and a “base” out for blood with no program other than the same old claptrap about tax cuts. I eagerly await the tea baggers sharing their plans to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, our schools, provide for actual national security at our borders, Social Security and Medicare with less money. Voodoo economics have taken us from a national debt of $0.5 trillion to $12 trillion so far and none of these challenges have been addressed. Too bad no journalists are asking!
Lowell Grant is a weekly columnist for the Record-Bee. E-mail him at c21vintage@aol.com.
