Glenn Young

The McCain Campaign and The Road to Terrorism

 

The rhetoric used in political campaigns can have long term impacts long after the election is over.  The politics of hatred and distraction used by desperate politicians can and have resulted in “spillovers.”  In the US,  where politicians for decades used the anti-Black race baiting as a means to obtain the support of segregated and restricted voting population, this approach led to lynchings and the “old fashion” use of the term “race riots” (where Whites attacked Blacks), predominately but not exclusively in the South,.  The more violent the rhetoric, against Blacks during the election periods, the more likely there would be an American style “pogroms.”   And, of course this manifestation of the use of the over the top rhetoric has been seen across countries and time as kings, and rulers and politicians of all kinds used local hated of minorities or different classes as part of the local “rituals of campaigning.” 

 

But in this time, in our country, where the current Republican candidate is trying to link the Democratic candidate to “dark” (use deliberately) forces and crowds at the Republican rallies are calling for the death of the Democratic candidate and calling him a traitor and terrorist, and these events are making the campaign look more like a lynch mob then a reasoned political discussion, we do not have to go back into our history of segregation or to other countries to see the consequences of this type of rhetoric.  We need to look at what seems to be a very forgotten recent event in American history and the greatest terror attack upon our country and its government, prior to 9/11 and which made all the activities of the Weather Underground look like kindergarteners activities; the attack on the 1995 Federal Building in Oklahoma City, but home grown far right wing terrorist linked to the then spreading “militia movement.” 

 

The rise and popularity of this “militia movement” was directly linked to the right wing rhetoric aimed at the, at first candidate Bill Clinton, claiming this “failed governor from a failed state” was planning to bring socialism to the US; and he would force abomination of “gay rights” down everyone’s throats, including gays in the army and equal status of gay marriage.  The attacks on both candidate and President Clinton were outrageous and at the same time seemingly accepted. When a Congressman from North Carolina said that Clinton should not come to his district, because he most likely wouldn’t make it out alive, no action was taken and the incident was merely accepted as a “statement of fact.”

 

These campaigning period of 1992 and early Clinton years were a great time of fear and over the top right wing attacks leading eventually to the Newt Gingrich “Contract with America” and the near collapse of the Democratic Party in the 1994 elections.  Newt added greatly to the anti-Clinton rhetoric and the growth of right wing radio and super conservative Christian evangelicals like Pat Robinson and Jerry Farwell only added to the craziness of the times. 

 

The right (ok far right) was predicting that with Bill Clinton the end of America as we knew it was coming and it was the right and obligation of all people to arm themselves and form into military self defense groups “or local militias (as stated in the second amendment).  These groups popped up all over the place, and were gaining a lot of press and seemingly support, as Clinton seem to prove them right when one of his first acts was to try to allow gays to participate in the military and his much hated (by the right) wife, Hillary ran the process that would “socialize” medicine in the US.

 

Wrapped in the guise of the “love of country and the constitutions” the country was in a radical right wing frenzy, when it all changed do to a logical progression when hate is used for winning votes, and this time it was a direct attack on the US federal government facility in Oklahoma City by a right wing militia group which used the same rhetoric of the over the top politicians. 

 

As stated in Wikipedia

The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist attack on April 19, 1995 aimed at the U.S. government in which the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, an office complex in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was bombed. The attack claimed 168 lives and left over 800 people injured. It was the first major terrorist attack and until the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was the deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil. …

Within days after the bombing, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were both arrested for their roles in the bombing. Investigators determined that they were sympathizers of a militia movement and that their motive was to retaliate against the government (actions).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing

This act brought America to its senses and led to the overt disbandment of most of the militias, and in fact to the first of several reconstruction of Bill Clinton, as the broad majority of the country saw how this right wing madness was led directly to this horrible act. And from a historical view, the Timothy McVeigh action was a predictable as the actions of race riots and lynchings after previous campaigns based on hate.  The “crazies” take this stuff seriously and they take actions based on what they hear.

 

Now, today, while this Presidential  campaign continues, and the attacks against Obama continue at this level and with the purpose that it is intended; to undermine the county’s belief that Obama is legitimate and even potentially a “Manchurian Candidate” sleeper cell; it’s not really a question of the effectiveness of the approach, or what most people believe, but what is really important is in the long term historic consequences of how some “crazies” will take this message to heart; and “save America” by eliminating the “terrorist” regardless of the outcome of the election (but especially if Obama wins.).

 

Through there actions, clearly based on historical presidents, the McCain campaign is laying the foundation for future “American terrorism” as it recreates the hatred generated against Clinton and the fears against change that can be directly linked to the Oklahoma City Bombing.  McCain claims to be an American patriot, this is no way for a patriot to act. McCain needs to take strong and immediate action to not just denounce the calls at his rallies, but to actually stop the approach, and return to a campaign that does not attempt to paint his opponent as un-American.  He needs to recognize the long-term consequences of his actions.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 11:55 am and is filed under John McCain's Campaign - as a Road to Terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.