McCain's Dog Whistling to the Religious Extremists

I read and article today (which appears below) about how the McCain campaign teaches his volunteers to "see Barack Obama as similar to Osama Bin Laden–and by training his volunteers to convince voters of the same–McCain is using his presidential campaign to tie Sen. Obama to the mass murders of September 11, 2001. When supporters of a Presidential candidate view the opposing candidate as merely an election threat, they call for his defeat. But when they view the opposing candidate as a national security threat–as they are being taught by the McCain campaign–they call for that threat to be eradicated."

I was struck by the similiarities in goals between the McCain campaign and terrorists. While their tactics may be different, both seem to want to leave people feeling that they are not safe and promote a sense of fear among people. The McCain campaign is dog whistling to a base of religious extremists who are apt to hear the fear based rhetoric as a call to acts as extreme and detestable as the rhetoric of the McCain Campaign itself. It is no wonder that calls of "Kill him," and "Treason," (it's punishable by death) began to spew up from the crowds in open rallies to the dismay of the rest of America who hopefully remembers our history well enough to know that our leaders portrayed the way the McCain and his religious extremist pit bull Sarah Palin,are portraying Obama don't have a long life expectancy. The McCain campaign is comfortable creating an enviroment of fear if they stand to gain power from it. And McCain claims that he is somehow different from the Bush Administration?

I am not placated by McCain's attempt to step back from the venom film he has covered us all in by NOW (after the damage is done) calling for a 'respectable campaign.' Religious extremism is the most destructive force on the planet. Not just the religious extremism that brought down the World Trade Center (whatever you believe happened on that day there is no doubt that a belief in unimpeachable moral authority was in play) but the religious extremism that would have Americans trembling in fear that they are being overtaken by a secret Muslim who wants to destroy America. It is religious extremism that causes gays to be opressed and bashed. It is religious extremism that casuses a nation not to care that we invaded a country and decimated a people that had nothing to do with 9/11, but rather be grateful thinking we are doing ourselves a service by killing 'them' over there so we don't have to deal with 'them' over here.

But not all who believe the implications of John McCain and Sarah Palin's hate speech will tremble in fear. Many will take up arms in defense of what they mistakenly interpret as their freedom. John McCain's dog whistling to the extremist has no doubt caused the ears to perk up on more than a few who hear his insinuations that Obama is a terrorist as a call to arms.

If this is John McCain's idea of a respectable campaign, thanks, but no thanks. I'm not even supporting Obama, I'm promoting the movement of 3rd parties in part due to trappings like this rhetoric inevitable in a 2 party system that limits the dialog and therefore solutions and intelligence that inclusion of a Cynthia McKinney or a Ralph Nader would bring to the country and the world. I still have to say constantly that John McCain's campaign disgusts me and Barack Obama at least uses a dialog respectful enough to legitamize his aspiration to the office he seeks. Among other things, the McCain campaign has put to bed in my mind any doubt that Barack Obama demonstrates by leaving the house every day in the climate of fear and loathing created by McCain's lies that Obama has the same courage as John McCain demonstrated in Vietnam or for that matter Martin Luther King, Jr. demonstrated in the civil rights movement. Perhaps someday Obama will thank John McCain for that, if he lives long enough.

Call someone you know and tell them Barack Obama is not a terrorist. Religious extremists are not just third world terrorists, they are our neighbors, and they are afraid. And they are dangerous when they are afraid.

Thanks,

Kellie Hahn

McCain Volunteers Taught to Accuse Obama of Terrorism