Fearing the Other

Rove’s protégé, Steve Schmidt, commonly know as the “the Bullet”, took over the McCain with a vengeance. His special stamp is clearly on the celebrity ads linking Obama to Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. His fingerprints are over the ad touting Obama’s support for sex education for kindergartners. Remember, the goal of Republican politics is to win. And to win at any costs. Democrats have not learned this lesson yet. Democrats believe campaigns are a means to an end. They want to use politics to achieve their policy goals. Republicans see politics as the ends. Frankly, they just want to win to have control.

As Little John appears increasingly out of touch and Palinpalooza starts losing its audience, Schmidt has many more tricks up his sleeve. Here is an approximation of a future political ad created by the Bullet. I am sure you can imagine the images that he would use. The narrative will go something like this…….

“American faces many challenges. Islamofacism. A failing economy. Energy shortages. If you ask most citizens, they still have great faith in our country and are looking for leaders that truly represent American values. Someone who looks, feels and sounds like an American. Someone who loves this county and will lead us relying the true grit, faith and toughness. These are attributes of John McCain, a born leader and someone who is a full-blooded American hero.

Can we really risk turning this country over to someone that you really don’t know? I don’t think so. John McCain stands with you.“

Republicans are masters at exploiting the “fear of the other.” Obama is different. The TV spot will not overtly promulgate racism. The ad will only reinforce underlying prejudices. The future ad will walk right up to the line and will not go over it.

Trust me. They already are in pre-production.