Fearmongering is always part of presidential election years, but I honestly don’t remember when the fearmongering has been as ugly as it is in 2024. Republicans and Democrats have turned fearmongering into a spectator’s sport, and if you condition yourself not to take it too seriously, then it’s quite a spectacle.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, fearmongering is defined as “the action of intentionally trying to make people afraid of something when this is not necessary or reasonable.”
My first memory of political fearmongering goes back to the 1964 presidential election year of 1964 when Republican candidate Arizona Gov. Barry Goldwater ran against the Democratic incumbent President Lyndon Johnson. Goldwater used what became known as “Southern Strategy,” which was built on opposing integration and instilling fear in white Southern voters that Black Americans were stealing their jobs, raping their women, and were a general threat to the white population.
In this presidential election year there is one threat coming from both sides. Democrats are campaigning on the fear that if Donald Trump is elected again then democracy as we know it in America is dead. Likewise, the Republicans are promoting the fear that re-electing President Biden will be an end to democracy. The idea that our free society will perish is quite a threat coming from both sides and many believe the death of democracy is a real possibility.
One of the positive things about the attack on America on January 6, 2021 is that the violent attempt to stop the democratic process was thwarted and those who were attempting to take over the government failed and many of the participants are currently serving time in prison. Right-wing radicals refuse to call them prisoners, and refer to those who attacked the Capitol as heroes or hostages or political prisoners of the United States. None of that is credible.
On our talk show yesterday, I asked our listeners to define the number one problem facing America in the election year and here is a list of some of the answers to the question: What is the biggest problem facing America?
Democrats
The MAGA Movement
Breakdown of civility
The truth is no longer respected
Our freedoms are not appreciated
Gullibility - thinking the 2020 election was stolen
The debt
The debt is truly a threat to all Americans, but it is not a sexy topic and does not get media attention. The ramifications of our debt could be totally devastating for the United States of America, but the people aren’t interested in hearing about it, therefore the media, in its desire to attract and feed the audience, essentially ignores the topic - and so do the candidates for the same reason.
I trust that America is strong enough to withstand the “wrong” candidate winning the election, whoever you think the “wrong” candidate is. There should be concern for the actions that may occur after the election, but we will survive. As a teenager, I witnessed America surviving the monumental events of 1968, from assassinations to severe rioting, and I watched a return to normalcy.
As divided as we are as a country and as hateful as political discourse has become, we will get through this turbulent time, but I’m still looking for the catalyst that will spark the easing of political tension in America.
