In my studies of political history one of the things I believe is that Fear is the easiest way to go in Politics. It is always easy to craft a campaign that makes the voters fear your opponent and/or the consequences of electing that person or passing that bill. On the opposite side, one of the hardest ways to campaign is to focus on hope and or the positives.
One of my least favorite figures in Colorado politics is Douglas Bruce, and that is because he appeals to the Fear of government & taxes. And that appeal to me is a lot like the old Southern politicians who waved the race card. It's an easy way out, and it never really answers any questions and does anything for the voters in the long run. The hard way would be to tell voters that the way to help them would be to actually try and fix their government, not just by starving it into nothingness by cutting taxes. If people are afraid of their government and government waste then they should try & fix it, not get rid of it.
Campaigning on Fear issues insults the electorate and appeals to the lowest common denominator. Issues like Taxes (fear that the darn gummint is taking away your money), Immigration (fear the nasty foreigners), Terrorism (fear for our safety), Drugs (fear the criminals), etc. Again it's not not much different from the stereotype of the old Southern politician jumping on the stump and shouting N******r!
And that is one of the reasons I stopped voting for Republicans in general in 1992. And why I will vote for Obama come November, I want to vote for someone who talks about Hope, and Change, and willingness to work. Not someone who spends all their time focused on the negatives of their opponent.
No comments:
Post a Comment