McCain/Palin Appeals to Prejudice, Fear and Anti-Intellectualism are Making it Close

There are a rash of polls showing a close race nationally and in states like Virginia and Colorado, with Pennsylvania narrowing. One has to wonder if the McCain/Palin relentless innuendos about Obama are beginning to pay off. This is quite depressing.

Officially Obama's campaign people have been declared geniuses, but one has to wonder if they have been tough enough in pushing back on the massive hypocrisy and gutter politics of the McCain/Palin camp.

I for one would welcome some more pointed attacks on McCain for pillaring Obama for merely having talked to or known people who are Muslims or who have non-mainstream views, and something more personal toward Pallin on the socialism charges, given how close to the trough she has been.

I watched McCain have a long interview on Larry King last night that was basically an endless string of cowardly insinuations by McCain over things that have no relevance or evidence, and that are pretty much designed to appeal to prejudice and ignorance. When he wasn't doing that he was making absurd comments about how he'll balance the budget by "growing" the economy, with zero details or explanation as to how.

The Palin/McCain camps have so completely played the press guilt about their personal views in favor of Obama, they can now say just about anything without paying a price.

The only Obama ad I have seen mentioning Palin is the one with the wink, and she actually looks cute and likeable. She's kicking Obama in the ass right now, with idiotic first level appeals to rednecks. I would not underestimate the impact of these attacks, which are not being very strongly addressed. I would welcome more open challenges to the un-American notion that politicians shouldn't talk to people with diverse views and backgrounds, and emphasize that she is basically an ignorant uneducated rube, and the world is complex place with some tough competition and we can't afford a third rate mind at the helm. Don't be ashamed of being smart and well educated. We have suffered plenty from the other kind already.

Comments

[Digeeedad]

GREAT article.... but also pretty depressing to know that many Americans gooble up those messages of hae, fear and intolerance!

Even MORE disturbing is knowing that McCain and Palin appear to be taking direct advice from Sean ("Dont' you believe it ladies and gentlemen! Everything Michelle Obama said (in her eloquent and moving speech at the DNC) was scripted, PURE HOLLYWOOD. Never forget that this is an angry black woman"!) Hannity and Rush ("It's all about race, It's ALL ABOUR RACE" and "I know how to end unemployment in our country, just create more basketball teams"! ) Limbaugh!

After the Obama infomercial, Hannity said: "Obama's infomercial was soooo depressing! I couldn't even recognize my own country."!

Of course he couldn't recognize his own country. His "country" consists of the audiences that come to his events and those at the MCain/Palin rallies that he attends. At all of these you have to SEARCH to find non-whites. Hannity was probably confused, because the Obama spot included African-Americans displaying positive values!

[knowBuddhaU]

Reminds me of a lesson I heard from a preacer some time agao. It's a familiar story, I'm sure many will recognize it.

TO make a long story short, one guy's natural response to seeing a baby floating downstream in a river is to rush in and save the baby, with the help of his friend. As soon as one is rescued, along comes another, then more and more and more until they can't save them all. The second guy starts heading up the river bank.

"Where you goin'! We got babies to save here!"
""Up the river, to stop whoever it is from throwing them in in the first place!"

Pushback is needed, yes, but what's the pattern here? It's an old, old trick.

So you want to hijack an entire nation, or just one voting bloc? "That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce [your critics and opponents] for lack of [the spirit in question, be it religious, nationalist, or economic] and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."

Is that not BushRoveCheneyCo? And the whole bizarro GOP cosmos these days?

I edited the quote to generalize it. Bonus points to whoever names the source. No fair Googling!

[WolfLady]

"Close"? Have you been watching FOX again? Oy!

Have a warm bath and a Xanax. It's all going to be fine.

~WolfLady~

[chagedorn]

I just watched a segment on "Morning Joe" where Willie Geist stood in front of Zabar's in a McCain/Palin t-shirt and, naturally, Upper West Siders overwhelmingly said things like "no thanks," and "I disagree with everything he stands for." The closest it got to anything racy was someone in the background I think said "I hate" someone and then a woman clarified, "I don't hate you, I hate your politics though." Flash back to the Panel...Willie, Joe, Mika and Mike Barnicle and lo and behold, ALL of them were outraged by the "vituperation" that they heard, kicking off a narrative about how hateful and closed minded Democrats are compared to how polite and respectful the other side (would?) be --- if they actually decided to put Willie Geist in the danger of handing out Obama t-shirts on the most Republican corner in the world (where would that be? Texas?) While this was lame for all sorts of reasons (New Yorkers aren't interested in ANYBODY trying to get them to do anything -- if he had been passing out Obama shirts I'm sure he would have gotten positive, but still cursory responses) there's just going to be more of the same from now on...

[proreality]

The corporate media is a joke they are all ran by Republican interests that do Republican bidding and play the role of the villain in order to obfuscate any truth. These people gave Palin a free pass on being found guilty of ethics violations. They bury every new piece of corruption that comes out about her. Palin refuses any real questioning that would expose her complete ignorance and yet the sycophant's that follow her around like her own personal paparazzi regurgitate every lie she tells without question never pointing out the complete hypocrisy or fundamental lack of understanding that goes with it. The only time Biden is noticed is when a conservative propaganda hack does a hit job by feeding him GOP talking points, or when the truth he speaks is twisted and then spouted by the McCain campaign. It seems that the truth is the part the media has the biggest problem with. Why print or broadcast truth or substance when you can create your own personal ratings bonanza, even if one of the contestants is reviled by now 60% of the American people it just makes it even better.

[Krikkit]

"...without paying a price"? Really? I think losing the election is a pretty hefty fee, don't you?

[llisa]

I read that about 3/5 of voters are very uneducated about the candidates and their views. I can only hope that those who are not really paying attention to issues like Obama's smile and positive attitude better than McCain's gritted-teeth anger.

[CaptainStormfield]

I think most of the people those attacks appeal to are already in the McCain camp. It is interesting that the polls show some movement in Ohio to McCain among white males in the last few days. I sort of expect McCain to win Ohio.

[D2D2]

Senator Obama should continue with his issue-based campaigning, making the voters the center of his attention and offering solutions in response to current events. I believe the Obama campaign has responded masterfully to the McCain attacks, demonstrating the nonsensical nature of the attacks through humor and effective counter-punches, and should continue to do so. But Senator Obama should not raise tit-for-tat issues with McCain, as they only serve to distract and diminish the seriousness of the times.

From the start Senator Obama accepted a campaign strategy containing an undeniable, significant amount of risk. The campaign faithfully adopted the belief that by offering sound, intelligent policies without demeaning or tearing down the opposition, that the public would respond with enthusiastic support and acceptance. Why is this risky? Because success not only requires an electorate with an appetite for change from the status quo, but a public engaged enough to know or seek out the difference between campaign rhetoric and factual information. Moreover, those engaged must also reason about the nature of the rhetoric and its timing. Positive change, it would seem, cannot occur without a vigilant and inquisitive electorate.

Insisting that the Obama campaign play tit-for-tat with McCain only serves to distract the Obama campaign away from the progressive solutions Senator Obama offers on the campaign trail, and worse it may risk weakening the faith placed in him by those in whom he has so much.

[milo h minderbinder]

While I agree with most of the article, I don't think it's particularly close, not in the national polls and not in the states that will make a difference.

The Fox poll is particularly bogus, they're presenting it as a big jump for McCain when in fact the main reason they had such a big shift in numbers is because they changed their methodology and suddenly shifted their party weighting by about 4-5 points in favor of the GOP.

If they want to claim their new method is better, that's their prerogative. But they just threw out their old polling model so any comparisons between their last poll and this one are completely dishonest, it's apples and oranges.

[alansky]

The fact is that McCain's appeal to fear and bigotry does resonate with a significant minority of the voting population"thus exposing the very deep divide that obviously still exists in this country. Fear and ignorance are a potent combination. Watch your backs, brothers and sisters!

[newshound1]

James, you are so judgemental....and dead on.