As the American election campaign draws to a close, the fanatics are spreading their wings more than ever. According to politico.com, at a recent rally in New Mexico for John McCain, the candidate asked a rhetorical question about his opposition, “Who is the real Barack Obama?” A man in the audience responded with, “Terrorist!” A woman in Pennsylvania answered the same question with, “He’s a damn liar! Get him. He’s bad for our country.” It’s apparent how much of a threat Obama has become to the Republican reign in the U.S. when McCain supporters start chanting “Obama Osama” at the mention of the Democrat’s name.
This complete rage, in the place of the mockery previously seen during election campaigns, just shows the panic that conservative audiences have built since Obama first stepped on the scene. After eight years of Republican rule, the threat of change is a dire one. Their coping mechanisms have been shot down to petty name calling. Twice in the same week, officials have warmed up the crowd by chorusing “Barack Hussein Obama.” This is not only absurd, it’s going way too far. John Weaver, McCain’s former top strategist, agrees.
“As a party we should not and must not stand by as the small amount of haters in our society question whether he is as American as the rest of us,” he said. “Shame on them and shame on us if we allow this to take hold.”
Of course, where there are Obama haters, there are also Obama lovers (literally). In San Francisco, his supporters are planning a “one of a kind Obama rally,” San-Fran style. According to osforobama.com, the event will be headed by erotic rock star Destin Gerek.
“You will be guided into using breath, sound, and movement to access your erotic energy, raise its vibration, and circulate it throughout your entire body, culminating in a simultaneous group energetic breath orgasm.” This could be a great family outing, as the event will be kept (barely) PG. It’s a “clothes on workshop.” Ridiculous as this is, one could be more inclined to give an “O” for Obama instead of a “Barack Hussein Obama” for McCain.
In short, the fanatics are just a display of how this election could actually bring about change in the U.S. It’s evident that the outcome of this election will influence not only the U.S. and its neighbouring countries, but the entire world. These angry outbursts are fuelled by the fear of change– of a black man with a Muslim-sounding name gaining office. Obama’s campaign is centred on what he plans to do for the nation, while McCain’s is centred on how Obama’s plans will have a negative impact, rather than what the Republican’s own plans will do for the country. The reactionaries have a dilemma on their hands: vote for change that they refuse to trust or vote for the man with a Republican brand at least.