The American people have been fed a steady diet of fear for the better part of the last seven years. Since the harrowing hours of Sept. 11, our media and politicians have done their best to scare the living daylights out us by incessantly informing us that its not a matter of if there will be another terrorist attack, but when.
Perhaps no one has been more skilled in the art of fear-mongering than our leader, President Bush. For all the talk of his deficient intellect, Bush has proven to be exceptionally shrewd when it comes to using the fear card to gain support for his ruinous policies. The selling of the war in Iraq and the deletion of privacy rights from the Constitution come to mind.
Fear is an American pastime. It's as American as baseball and apple pie. Fear enabled slavery to survive for two-and-a-half centuries, then precipitated its evolution into the Black Codes and finally Jim Crow. Fear caused innocent Japanese Americans to be locked away in internment camps during World War II. Fear is the reason Lou Dobbs gets to spew his nationalist, anti-immigrant invective on national television.
No one is completely immune from fear; it is the most basic human emotion. The one who says he or she isn't afraid of anything is either a liar or an automaton. It's only natural to be afraid from time to time, especially when our leaders tell us we ought to be.
Some are afraid of Islamofascist terrorism, others - myself included - of Hannah Montana mania. Still others are afraid of losing elections.
Sen. Hillary Clinton falls into the latter category.
After a string of demoralizing defeats, the former Democratic front-runner is on the ropes. Unable to find a positive message to match Sen. Barack Obama's breathtaking oratory and growing grassroots movement, Sen. Clinton has turned to the divisive and irrational politics of fear in attempts to revive her campaign.
Last week, Clinton's campaign leaked a photo of Obama wearing traditional African dress during a trip to his ancestral homeland, Kenya. The implication being since he wore what Muslims in that region wear, the rumors about him secretly being a Muslim must be true! Failing that, at least the photo might place some doubts into the minds' of voters about casting a ballot for him. Never mind that donning traditional ethnic dress is a time-honored gesture of good will and friendship.
Case in point: a perusal of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum Web site will produce photos of then first lady Hillary Clinton wearing the hijab - Islamic head covering - as well as shots of former President Clinton himself sporting African attire during a visit to the continent.
Even if Obama were a Muslim - for the record, he is a Christian - why should that matter? There is no religious test for holding office in this country.
The Clinton campaign's attempt to use fear to divide us doesn't stop with questioning Obama's faith. Last week also marked the launch of a new Clinton TV spot that again sought to use fear to scare up votes. It shows a suburban woman checking in on her sleeping children: "It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something is happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call." The ad is a blatant attempt to exploit the national security concerns of many, hinting that Obama shouldn't be trusted with our safety.
This is more than the symptoms of "silly season;" it's a calculated attempt to instill fear in the hearts and minds of the American people.
I hope that this time we will see through this deplorable ploy and reject it vigorously at the ballot.
Joshua Fredrickson is a political science senior. His column appears Wednesdays.
