By Isaac Yetiv, Ph.D.
LA JOLLA, California — Even before the presidential debates, the lines separating the worldviews of the candidates present a sharp picture of clear distinctions; and that is good for the electorate and for democracy.
The incumbent, President Obama, by his words and deeds, situated himself far to the left of mainstream democratic party: he is for the preeminence of government, redistribution of wealth, more taxing– not only the rich, which is insufficient and fallacious–, more interference and regulations, and if allowed, the nationalization of the means of production, a strong belief of Socialists.
The challenger, Governor Romney, believes in less government, less taxing, more individual freedom and entrepreneurship, less regulations, and a safety net for the indigent.
Obama’s policies have increased , and will continue to increase, the number of “takers” and their dependency on the government for their welfare checks and food stamps. Romney’s policies will do the opposite: increase the number of “makers” and reduce the number of “takers;” with more people gainfully employed and paying lower taxes; more paychecks and less foodstamps.
I trust both parties agree with the above summary description; in fact,they boast about their differences. So, in an ideal world, the people will make their choice, based on these “platforms.”
But in the real world, that is not so simple.We have been inured to “acceptable” tactical tricks and devices, exaggerations and inaccuracies, and the targeting of specific groups to help win their votes. Here are a few examples of these devices used by the Obama administration and its re-election campaign:
.- Its use of silly euphemisms in order not to offend the Muslims (“man-made disaster” for terrorism, or ” overseas contingency operation” for anti-terrorist military action; even the terrorist act of Major Nidal Hassan, who killed 13 soldiers and wounded 35 , about 3 years ago –still awaiting trial rather than being courtmartialed without delay– was classified by some official in the Defense Department as “workplace violence.”)
.- Its efforts to outdo its opponent in very expensive largesse by “spreading [other people’s] wealth around,” or enrolling 30 million more people in Obamacare, including “illegal immigrants,” or “amending well-established laws by executive fiat,” bypassing Congress, such as allowing children of “illegals” to obtain residency on a path to citizenship and waiving the “work” requirement for welfare recipients (as was required by a bipartisan law under Clinton presidency in 1996.)
.- Its use of class warfare, gender and ethnic differences, even the race card , to “divide and conquer,” thus fostering divisions among the people instead of the “unity” promised in 2008.
.- Its twisting and reframing the issues for political purposes, such as : Opposing gay marriage–as Obama did for years until a few months ago– becomes hating gay people; a Catholic institution refusing to pay for contraception for religious reasons is assailed as anti-women ; demanding identification of the voters at the polls is denounced as disenfranchizing the poor and the African-Americans.
All these instances remain within the confines of political dialogue, anchored in “free speech.” But recently,the modus operandi of the Democratic political machine took a violent turn, resorting to lies and calumnies as never before . The strategy is to win at any cost, the end that justifies all means.
You may think that an informed voter would take a pick between the contestants ,based on his own political worldview, but you would be wrong because the electoral campaigns have , disgracefully, degenerated into pugilistic street fights of catch-as-catch-can with scratching and pulling hair and spitting. The talking points, the accusations, the calumnies, and the lies on petty and silly matters
like the cost of a candidate’s wife’s shirt or a dog’s trip (on top of Romney’s car or in Obama’s stomach), and other inane, false and slanderous accusations, fill the air, and distract from the real
problems like the $ 16.4 trillion national debt, the annual horrendous deficit when 43% of the federal budget are borrowed money, the bankrupt entitlements of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, the unacceptable rates of unemployment (8.3%) and poverty (17%).
It is in the nature of things that the incumbent’s political machine, especially with a record of failures as that of the Obama administration, is the one interested in “changing the subject” But “methinks the lady doth protest too much,” which I see as a sign of desperation. They cross the lines of common sense and decency when , for example, an Obama campaign manager calls Romney
a “felon” without any proof or evidence, or when the Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, repeats twice, in an official Senate meeting , that ” the word is out” that Romney hadn’t paid taxes for 10 years. Again,no proof or evidence of any kind (and where is the IRS?)
And the most egregious and reprehensible calumny du jour : an ad showing a man blaming Romney for losing his job at Bain and indirectly causing his wife’s death from cancer for lack of health insurance. And it was a lie:a quick check showed that Romney left Bain in 1999,the man found a job with health insurance after that date,and his wife , who had health insurance of her own,died in 2006, seven years after Romney left Bain. Moreover, it was discovered that the man had appeared before (in May 2012) in an anti-Romney ad produced by the Democratic re-election campaign.
This is really beyond the pale, but intentionally done, as a strategy, to put the Republican candidate on the defensive and prevent him from talking about the economy, the unemployment, the debt, and national security.
We may deduce from these actions that the Democratic propaganda machine believes that the voters are ignorant and stupid, and will swallow any lie. In 2008, James Carville, the Democrat political strategist, coined the phrase: “It’s the economy, stupid !” I believe it still applies today, and will not be supplanted by “It’s the stupidity, stupid ! “*
Yetiv is a freelance lecturer and writer based in La Jolla, California. He may be contacted at isaac.yetiv@sdjewishworld.com
Yetiv is a freelance lecturer and writer based in La Jolla, California. He may be contacted at isaac.yetiv@sdjewishworld.com