Suppressing voter turnout with fear: good or bad for Bush?

[Cat Atomic]

I've already heard alot of talk about Al Qaeda targetting voting sites. This seems like more ridiculous fearmongering to me. However, I'm wondering whether this specific brand of fearmongering would work for or against Bush.

A talking point like this would surely have to be shoved into the mainstream by the rightwing media; talk radio, Fox, the usual. So don't you think the Republican base would be more afraid to vote than anyone else?

I'm curious to hear what other DUer's think about this.

[randr]

1. I hadn't thought that this may be his intent.

We will see if he calls on his followers to pray their way to the voting booth.

[Radical Activist]

2. Republicans always win when few people vote

So if Bush can scare people into not voting, he wins. If Bush can run enough ugly campaign ads to turn people off of the election, he wins. That's the strategy.

[LeighAnn]

3. Only right-wingers will fall for it.

Everyone else will be making a bee-line for the polls, damn the torpedos, because they know Bush is the cause of all this.

[Raven]

4. I am betting that he calls for a Red Alert.

After all, a threat in one state should not call for a shut-down of the whole country...a little hard to justify martial law. They will just watch the polls and if things are looking bad for them, good old uncle Tom will up the alert to Red and talk vaguely about "chatter". The people who we are trying to get out to vote will be the first people to see this as an excuse not to vote. Low turnout always favors the incumbant. It will work for them unless there is a national movement for a vote by absentee ballot. We ought to demand that GW Bush be the chairman of that effort...after all...he's so high on democracy. :-)

[tech3149]

5. bad

those most susceptible to the fear mongering are those that buy into the propoganda. The stong willed will tell the fear mongers to piss off and vote anyway.

[Meldread]

6. Heh, Heh. I think Bush will get the short end of the stick.

It's going to bite him in the ass, just like everything else (or just about everything else) has so far. By now the left doesn't trust a word out of Bush's mouth, and are doubting his every word, while his own supporters believe him. So in all likelihood he's scaring off the people who would vote for him.

There is a high level of Bush-Hate on the Left. Hate is a strong motivator and is good for us. As long as the left still feels the way it does come November, I have little doubt that they will turn out in droves just to get rid of Bush. It's not so much that many of them will be voting FOR Kerry as they will be voting AGAINST Bush. :P

Fear and Hate are powerful motivating tools. Hate often overrides fear. So the only ones left to vote for Bush that aren't terrified of getting blown up are those who are fanatical haters of Clinton, Kerry, and your average Joe Democrat.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. Suppression of the vote could be a motivation here

but as Meldread says it would simply backfire on Bush.