Andrew Sullivan calls the Clintons the "horror film that won't go away." An Obama aide is dismissed for calling Hillary a "monster." Hillary uses scare tactics such as the "3a.m. ad," a variant on the Goldwater "Daisy Girl" ad to frighten voters, and the press almost universally rebukes her. Why has Hillary begun to use the fear card against Obama and allow herself to be painted in such bleak terms by the cognoscenti?
Because to paraphrase Oliver Stone; "Fear is good. Fear is right, fear works. Fear clarifies and cuts through." It's working well against the Obama campaign right now and you can sure expect more of it from an increasingly desperate Clinton campaign.
It took Google a little over two years to go from a share price of $180 to $716, all based on "hopes" for Google's bright future. "Fears" of an ad slowdown took Google's stock down nearly 300 points in the last 10 weeks.
Obama is the candidate of "hope," and it has served him well in the last 18 months. But in the final weeks of the campaign, as the Clintons tactically attempt to scare the electorate, Obama should be mindful that, as in the stock market, fear works quicker than hope.