Main | Alaska and Aerial Killing of Wolves October 07, 2008

Putting Obama in Danger

I've started three different entries today and have not been able

to finish them. There is certainly plenty to write about, and I have a

few other entries as partial drafts, but I just can't seem to finish my

thoughts. The culprit? Well, certainly trying to say too much. Perhaps

the bane of bloggers. But no; the primary culprits here are frustration,

disappointment, and anger. What a bad concoction those three generate.

My answer to this blockage then will be to sit for a while, and then

just write short entries. So, without further ado let me go to the one

thing that is troubling me today (I already sat):

The McCain campaign, and I point directly at McCain and Palin (and by

extension their various supporters like Hannity, Kristol, etc.), are

knowingly raising the threat level and danger to Sen. Obama, by stoking

rage, ressentiment, anxiety, and fear. Their recent attacks are a

shameful and dangerous appeal to the basest dispositions of their

audiences, and are likely to result in serious harm to us all.

The potential outcomes from this type of rhetoric are explosive and

virulent. Suggesting that Sen. Obama is a terrorist, unfit to be

President, suspect because of his associations and race, un-American,

and hence a danger to the United States, is not just beyond the pale --

those words are an alchemic nightmare. That kind of rhetoric provides

solace, aid, and comfort to those who do not need much to spark their

hate, and whether somebody makes an attempt against Sen. Obama's life or

not, that rhetoric poisons our communities, is patently unpatriotic,

and reinforces the well-earned reputation of the GOP as viciously

race-baiting and hate-mongering.

There's no way to turn this crap into gold, and even if it

facilitated an electoral win, they would have done it at the expense of

our wellbeing as individuals, community, and a nation. This rhetoric is a

continued betrayal of the promise of America, and of the efforts of

those who work to make this world a better place for all.