McCain’s campaign is based on creating fear

I thought it couldn’t get any worse. But as I’ve observed the presidential campaigns, I’ve… I thought it couldn’t get any worse. But as I’ve observed the presidential campaigns, I’ve learned never to say that again. I watched the final debate between Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama on CNN last week, and I thought it would be full of more cool, mildly boring discourse that had the occasional comic relief of a ‘Joe Six-Pack’ here and a ‘drill, baby, drill’ there. I was wrong: It was ‘Joe the Plumber,’ and the discourse wasn’t cool or mildly boring. The American presidential debate is no longer a forum to learn about candidates and their policies; rather, it is the space in which we watch the foul play of a Democrat and a Republican as we try to make sense of whose smears are actually grounded in truth. During the debate, McCain vaguely referenced attack ads that the Obama campaign had run, saying they inaccurately represented his positions on funding stem-cell research and immigration. He went on to claim that Obama has spent more money on negative campaign ads than any other candidate in American history. During the debate, he also commented on T-shirts that were present at an Obama rally that were ‘unacceptable.’ McCain then said, ‘Every time there’s been an out-of-bounds remark made by a Republican, no matter where they are, I have repudiated them.’ ‘Our opponent … is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country,’ said Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, at an Oct. 4 rally in Colorado. Her statement was not repudiated. But Palin is not simply a ‘Republican’ or a person at a rally or a slogan on a T-shirt or poster. She’s McCain’s running mate, second in line to command the United States if his smears scare enough people and he wins. Regarding rallies where Palin was present, Obama said during the debate, ‘All the public reports indicated [supporters] were shouting, when my name came up, things like ‘terrorist’ and ‘kill him,’ and that your running mate didn’t mention, didn’t stop, didn’t say, ‘Hold on a second, that’s kind of out of line.” In response, McCain said, ‘Whenever you get a large rally … you’re going to have some fringe peoples.’ I thought I had a low opinion of Palin, but apparently she is nothing more than a ‘fringe person’ at her own rallies. Obama commented during the debate that Americans are becoming ‘cynical’ about politics. That is the greatest understatement of the century. People aren’t cynical ‘mdash; they outwardly hate politics. The debates have become something painful to watch, and no one feels as good as they want to when they cast a vote because it is always flipped from ‘who I want as my president’ to ‘who I mind the least as my president.’ No wonder so few Americans vote! Between an alleged terrorist and his ever-smiling running mate, and a senile, grumpy old man and his lunatic pet from Alaska, I’ve become disillusioned with politics as well. I used to be excited to voice my opinion, to have a part in a decision that affects the entire world. Barack Obama is still clearly the cleaner candidate. His so-called negative ads attack policy, not people. Not once has he challenged the McCain campaign’s claim that McCain is a ‘hero’ or an ‘honorable POW.’ During the debate, McCain misrepresented Obama, saying he meant to raise taxes on ‘Joe the Plumber’ and to spread his wealth to other people. He failed to mention that ‘Joe the Plumber’ would be making more than $250,000 per year if his taxes would be raised under an Obama administration. But of course, who has time for facts these days? McCain is an old dog, and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. He is not a maverick. He is a traditional Republican. He is losing, and like a traditional Republican, rather than accept that his policies are the opposite of what the people need, he has chosen to appeal to their fears. For McCain, it’s about what can win rather than what’s right. I used to think McCain was respectable, but even after Obama clarified his connections to Bill Ayers and ACORN and the topic had been settled during the final debate, McCain persisted by quoting a comment by Bill Ayers and retorted that Obama’s ties needed further investigation. He said, ‘The American people will make a judgment.’ Then, he quickly sobered and said that his campaign is about a ‘brighter future for America.’ Brighter doesn’t typically describe a future in which the public is manipulated by lies and rhetoric and pumped full of baseless fears. McCain is out of ammo, so now he’s pointing his empty gun at the American people. He doesn’t want people to think ‘Who will be best for me?’ or ‘Who will be best for my children?’ He wants fear. Vote McCain or die. E-mail Matt at mad150@pitt.edu.