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McCain Sowing the Seeds of Resentment
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With an economy teetering on the brink, Americans are worried. Many are angry. Angry at a system that has let them down for far too long. And rightly so. Many are trying to wrap their heads around who is to blame. And in the middle of a political season, pointing your resentments toward the other party is common course.
But the question both sides ask is this: where does the line get drawn? What’s too much?
Right now, in libraries, coffee shops and chic restaurants across the country, progressives are discussing the racial implications of a Barack Obama presidency–what it means for the country, and the implications of a John McCain presidency–an erratic old man who’s judgement is called to question because of the Keating 5 Scandal, his selection of Sarah Palin as Veep, and his integrity as he panders to the conservative base as opposed to the independents, as most pundits opined.
And on talk radio and in conservative circles, there are conversations about the implications for the country of an Obama presidency–a flag hating socialist, Arab, terrorist sympathizer and even a Manchurian candidate sent in to destroy America, as the New Yorker cover parodied.
The McCain/Palin campaign’s rhetoric reached a fever pitch with Sarah Palin’s assertion that Barack Hussein Obama has been ‘palling around with terrorists’ and John McCain’s questioning of ‘who is the REAL Barack Obama?’
These types of attacks were obviously meant to cast a doubt on Obama’s judgement and capabilities as president. Unfortunately, he inadvertently tapped directly into the mob mentality that comes along with such insecure times.
He’s seen this type of behavior before. We’ve all studied it–Depression Era Germany and America and The American Civil Rights movement. The concern here isn’t that McCain is the ringleader of American renegades hellbent on stopping the country from moving left. Noone’s intentions are to paint McCain as such. Quite the contrary, Americans are concerned that this inadvertent rhetoric is stoking the flames of resentment–racially and culturally.
Barack Obama may not be an MLK or Bobby or Jack Kennedy, but the rhetoric is similar. And discussing sweeping changes during economic turmoil evokes prompts otherwise normal people into action–desperate measures to ensure domestic tranquility.
And the result is often directly opposite of its intended purpose. John Lewis stated, “As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Senator McCain and (Alaska) Governor Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all.”
Recently, Senator McCain has backed off of these remarks, and has gone so far as to chide some in his town hall meetings.
One can only hope that the integrity of John McCain will allow him to attack Obama on the issues, rather continuing to play on the fears and misguided resentments of his most rabid followers.
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