I had a bad morning at work so I was in a bad mood anyway. During my break I was reading the NYTimes Op-Eds online including the following column (I won't subject you to much of the article):
The Year of Fear by William Safire
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/20/opinion/20safi.html?oref=login>Down the block from The Times's Washington bureau is a Christian Science church, which, since 9/11, has had this message on its wall: "Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
That's comforting, because the Fear Room at Kerry campaign headquarters is on a hair trigger to turn any breaking news into a personal threat.
Mr. Safire is saying that Kerry is resorting to all kinds of scare tactics in order to win the election.
He ends this part of his column with -
After approving ads that strike fear into U.S. television viewers by exploiting terrorist beheadings of Americans, John Kerry had the chutzpah to say of Bush's reminders of 9/11: "He's scaring people." That was a classic Fear Room maneuver: as soon as editorial revulsion at scare tactics breaks into print, direct that reaction at the other side.
Ethicists, pundits and other goo-goos can all tut-tut about scare tactics, but the big question for political strategists is: do they work? We'll know in two weeks.
The following is my e-mail to him:
You have no integrity, Mr. Safire.
I am sorry sir, but I feel this latest column of yours must be responded to in this way. When Dick Cheney continually mentions that our cities may be bombed if John Kerry is elected; when George Bush says John Kerry will raise everyone's taxes; are these not scare tactics that deserve mention in your column?
How about when they say electing a trial lawyer as vice president will cause business to lose money, rolling back tax cuts for the rich will cause the a recession. When they say we need constitutional amendments because activist judges and local officials have made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage. Are these proven facts or partisan beliefs that are meant to scare people.
Or what of the deluge of statements from the current administration about Iraq being an imminent threat such as, "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud". I certainly don't remember you protesting about those scare tactics.
Actually, it seems to me you mention none of these, ever. Not in the course of this campaign, not prior to it. The only time you seem to complain about the current administration is when it affects you directly as in the case you mentioned about Judith Miller or in the case of deregulation of the media industry.
When I read your columns it is as if I have entered the rose-colored world of William Safire, so positive a spin have you put on the actions of this administration.
Let me be very succinct Mr. Safire.
You are part of the problem sir. You are not part of the solution.
Take off your rose-colored glasses Mr. Safire, crack open those Mr. Magoo eyes and take a fresh look at the world under George Bush. You may be surprised.
It may not have been the best thing to do but it made me feel better.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(630 posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
