http://www.randirhodes.com/pages/journal.html?feed=380723&article=6565256
Faith Over Fear Mongering
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
It’s a scary world… but evidently not scary enough for certain Republicans. For instance, when New York Congressman Peter King was recently asked to name one “specific recommendation the president could implement right now” to make the country safer, he said “I think one main thing would be to, just himself to use the word ‘terrorism’ more often.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/06/rep-kings-recommendation_n_413277.html
As Keith Olbermann pointed out, President Obama actually used the word “terrorism” 26 times when talking about the Christmas day bombing attempt. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/34738028#34738028 That’s not enough for Rep. King, who evidently wants the President to be the nation’s Fear Monger In Chief. We tried that with George Bush already, Congressman King. And you know what? It was really scary. The Congressman must really love hearing the word “terror.” Are we talking about Peter King or Stephen King? Does Peter King want President Obama to periodically point and shout “Look out behind you!”? Maybe President Obama should give his next speech in the dark with a flashlight held under his face. Or instead of a weekly radio address, the President could host a “Fright Night” of scary stories about terrorists.
Well Democrats are resolved, not fearful… not even when it comes to their own political fortunes. Yesterday saw announcements from Democratic Senators Chris Dodd and Byron Dorgan that they would not seek reelection. But to read the mainstream news, you would have thought that Dodd and Dorgan had been found washed up and half-drowned on the beach after the unexpected sinking of the Democratic Party. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/us/politics/07dems.html
The media might as well have run an obituary for the Democratic Party. Well, rumors of the death of the Democrats are greatly exaggerated. Let’s put this in perspective. Yes, two Democratic Senators are retiring. But six Republican Senators are retiring. You don’t need Nate Silver to crunch those numbers to tell you that’s not exactly a death knell for Democrats. In the House, 14 GOP incumbents have decided not to run for reelection, versus only 10 Democratic incumbents. If Democrats are dropping like flies, then Republicans are dropping like flies in lead balloons.
Democrats have faith in this country, and faith in their own ability to lead it without resorting to fear mongering. The alternative would be to have more Republican Congressmen like Peter King. And that’s frightening.
