The Hate Gap
During this election season, we have seen a number of gaps referenced. The money gap caused by Barack Obama's intense fundraising. The media gap, which is said to benefit Barack Obama through the news media's supposed infatuation with him. These gaps, to many outside observers, seem to be heavily weighed toward the Democratic nominee for President. However, I'm more concerned with a different gap, and one whose balance is quite different.
As we approach these last few days of the general election, and as has been reported by the mainstream and non-traditional news media, rhetoric has gotten high on both sides. Much more traction has been gained in the coverage of the rallies of the Republican nominees, however, due to the targetted hate that has been caught on film. Cries of 'terrorist,' 'traitor,' and even calls for the death of Barack Obama have all been captured, some directly under the nose of the candidate at large. To John McCain's credit, some of the sillier suggestions, such as Barack Obama being a member of the Arabic ethnic group, have attempted to be defused by the McCain campaign. The most hateful of these, however, have largely gone unaddressed.
When many lower-level Democratic activists or advocates heard this news, they responded with hate of their own. They labelled entire swathes of McCain supporters racists, rednecks, and fear-mongerers. A great deal of this criticism was directed at the Republican candidates themselves, with Sarah Palin receiving the brunt of the attacks.(1) In fact, these attacks have seen a massive decline in Sarah Palin's favorability ratings, in recent polling.
While we should all be concerned primarily with electing men of substance and integrity, like Barack Obama, we should have secondary concerns as well. During the 2000 and 2004 elections, we saw attacks carried out on the Democratic nominee that were vile on several different levels. However, as we saw through the entire first half of the ought decade, these brought immediate, short term results for the Republican party. They won the presidency and control of both houses of congress, and maintained that control until something happened.
While many will point to the election of 2006 as a referendum on Iraq, I simply don't believe that to be the case. Though the Democrats in congress have done almost nothing to halt the continuation of the war, increased majorities in congress and an extremely likely Obama presidency are almost certain. No, it's become increasingly clear that the tide was largely pushed through by opposition to corruption within the Republican party, and personal animosity toward George W. Bush were the key issues in the 2006 election. Even the Republicans seemed to blame the Rove doctrine, which was to fire up the base and engage their hate, and using that momentum to squeak out near-miss victories.
I fear that the Democrats are on this same path. As we see the gains in polls associated with demonization of the opposing candidate, we might be tempted to follow this storyline until it stops working. Sure, there are genuine reasons not to vote for the Republican ticket, which far outweigh any similar reasons for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. But we, as progressives, attempt to be trying to close the Hate Gap, even as more moderate Republicans seem to be moving toward reconciliation with the American people. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd prefer a more honest discource than that.
(1)http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93KD6Q00&show_article=1
As we approach these last few days of the general election, and as has been reported by the mainstream and non-traditional news media, rhetoric has gotten high on both sides. Much more traction has been gained in the coverage of the rallies of the Republican nominees, however, due to the targetted hate that has been caught on film. Cries of 'terrorist,' 'traitor,' and even calls for the death of Barack Obama have all been captured, some directly under the nose of the candidate at large. To John McCain's credit, some of the sillier suggestions, such as Barack Obama being a member of the Arabic ethnic group, have attempted to be defused by the McCain campaign. The most hateful of these, however, have largely gone unaddressed.
When many lower-level Democratic activists or advocates heard this news, they responded with hate of their own. They labelled entire swathes of McCain supporters racists, rednecks, and fear-mongerers. A great deal of this criticism was directed at the Republican candidates themselves, with Sarah Palin receiving the brunt of the attacks.(1) In fact, these attacks have seen a massive decline in Sarah Palin's favorability ratings, in recent polling.
While we should all be concerned primarily with electing men of substance and integrity, like Barack Obama, we should have secondary concerns as well. During the 2000 and 2004 elections, we saw attacks carried out on the Democratic nominee that were vile on several different levels. However, as we saw through the entire first half of the ought decade, these brought immediate, short term results for the Republican party. They won the presidency and control of both houses of congress, and maintained that control until something happened.
While many will point to the election of 2006 as a referendum on Iraq, I simply don't believe that to be the case. Though the Democrats in congress have done almost nothing to halt the continuation of the war, increased majorities in congress and an extremely likely Obama presidency are almost certain. No, it's become increasingly clear that the tide was largely pushed through by opposition to corruption within the Republican party, and personal animosity toward George W. Bush were the key issues in the 2006 election. Even the Republicans seemed to blame the Rove doctrine, which was to fire up the base and engage their hate, and using that momentum to squeak out near-miss victories.
I fear that the Democrats are on this same path. As we see the gains in polls associated with demonization of the opposing candidate, we might be tempted to follow this storyline until it stops working. Sure, there are genuine reasons not to vote for the Republican ticket, which far outweigh any similar reasons for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. But we, as progressives, attempt to be trying to close the Hate Gap, even as more moderate Republicans seem to be moving toward reconciliation with the American people. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd prefer a more honest discource than that.
(1)http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93KD6Q00&show_article=1
