Hope and Fear

Everybody knows this but it still bears repeating: this year’s Presidential election is a contest between hope and fear. Obama offers us the promise of how the future might be; his campaign appeals to our best aspirations. McCain paints for us a past the never really existed; he and Palin try to stir up our worst fears.

I just heard an ad on the radio in which the Republicans again attempted to frighten voters with the implied specter of (gasp!) Socialism—that old saw about Obama wanting to “spread the wealth around,” as if to do so would something so awful and, for that matter, inconsistent with policies that both parties have supported for decades.

The only thing that scares me of is that the American people will be sufficiently frightened to fall for this sort of fear-mongering; and since when did we turn into a nation of such short-sighted and selfish fraidycats unwilling to help out our fellow citizens in need?

It’s also struck me how different the two candidates’ leadership styles are: Obama is all about inclusiveness and reflection; he seems to listen, deliberate, and then make decisions coolly and objectively; McCain is much more old school—he’s the boss, turning a deaf ear to advice and unilaterally deciding on his own. I think people who are drawn to Obama prefer to be involved in the process, even if it’s difficult and yes, sometimes scary; those to whom McCain appeals just want big daddy to make it all right for them.

All this is mere conjecture, of course, based on observing the public faces they put forth; what do I know, anyway—other than that I can hardly wait for this final week of the campaign to be over and done with. It’s hard to remain hopeful in light of the frightening tone the Republicans have adopted of late, but as scary as a McCain victory would be, my hope that Obama will win still prevails.