With Fear as Their Weapon

With fear as their weapon

VP candidate Palin’s accusation that Obama has “terrorist friends” is a warning of a ruthless campaign.

Democratic strategists are no longer in doubt: The McCain campaign is realizing that the economic crisis could lose the Republicans the election, which is in 28 days. Before the weekend McCain abandoned his campaign in Michigan; in crucial states (like Ohio and Florida) polls show Obama increasing his lead.

In a situation like this, the goal is to draw attention to Obama’s personality, judgment, connections, and last but not least, his abilities as commander-in-chief in a critical situation.

Professor:

This weekend the Republicans got help from professor Bill Ayers. Ayers sat in the same boardroom as Obama in a couple of charitable foundations in Chicago in 1995, and was to some extent helping him launch his political career.

What the Democrats did not know, is that in the 1960’s, when Obama was an eight year old child, Ayers was suspected of being one of the founders of the radical group Weather Underground. The group used extreme methods, and in the 70’s they were involved in bomb attacks against public buildings.

Ayers was never convicted and Obama claims he never knew about the professors past when they got to know each other. Sarah Palin still did not hesitate to use this connection as proof that Obama, “is seeking friendship with terrorists that wish to harm our country”.

It is a pretty disgusting form of political campaigning, and it is hardly a coincidence that it is Sarah Palin and not John McCain who is fronting this smear campaign. It must be ironic for McCain because eight years ago he probably lost the fight for the presidency to George W. Bush because of dirty campaigning. McCain said he would never sink to that level. Now it seems like he’s forgotten that promise.

Sex and children.

Because the Ayers-card is not the first to be played on the dirty side of this campaign. In a controversial TV-ad it is claimed that Obama supports sexual education in kindergartens. “Learn about sex before your child can read?” is the rhetorical question at the end of the film. The reason: Obama did not vote against a bill that would allow kindergarten teachers to talk to children about sexual abuse. The McCain campaign has made this look like Obama wants sexual education for children.

American history shows that negative campaigning can be very effective. They openly appeal to fear and prejudice, and are supposed to draw a picture of an untrustworthy candidate. In Obama’s case this can be even more effective because he is African-American with an non-traditional background and adolescence. That is why the McCain campaign is openly playing the American middle class’s fear of things the small town voter is not familiar with at home.

Tough counter-attacks.

This time Obama’s campaign strategists are taking the attacks so seriously they are counter attacking. Earlier they were criticised for portraying John McCain as a man of the past who is unable to use the internet and email. It was not a big success.

Now the Democrats are bringing up McCain’s role in the so-called Keating-scandal twenty years ago. He was criticised by the Senate ethics committee for showing poor judgment because he was an errand boy for the convicted banker Charles H. Keating. It is doubtful “old garbage” (as the Republicans call it) will be effective. McCain has never portrayed himself as having an unblemished past.

Maybe the Obama campaign’s answer to Palin’s charges is more effective. They released a TV-ad where the underlying message is that McCain must resort to insults because he is unable to discuss what is needed to re-establish the faith in the American economy.

Fight for the agenda.

Fighting for the agenda is what it is all about. When the campaign really began, it was said that a day the economy or Iraq was not discussed was a good day for McCain. Now the economic crisis is dominating completely. It creates big problems for the Republican campaign after eight years of an unpopular president.

It is in this context one has to see negative campaigning. Tonight, we have the second of three presidential debates. It is about politics and personality, and it is not in these settings the worst insults appear. They are saved for the alligators hiding in the undergrowth. And Sarah Palin.