Words Have Consequences – 800,000 Consequences

It used to be that if a politician said something stupid, he or she could deny, deny, deny. In the age of YouTube, that is no longer true.

First, Gov. Sarah Palin talked about the “pro-America areas of this great nation” as if some parts of America are anti-American.

Then Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) accused Sen. Barack Obama of having anti-American views. She also said “I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?” Rep. Bachmann has tried several times to deny that she made the statement, despite the fact that anyone with a computer and internet connection can watch her statement on YouTube. As a result of Rep. Bachmann’s statement, over $800,000 in new contributions from over 31,000 people have poured into the coffers of Democrat El Tinklenberg.

Now Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC) just said something equally dumb. He said "liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God." After denying repeatedly that he had made the statement, an audio recording turned up and he was forced to say that, yes, he had made the statement after all. It will be interesting to see the increase in fund raising by Rep. Hayes' opponent, Larry Kissell.

In the age of YouTube and ActBlue, it is easy for voters to be informed and then to express their outrage in a tsunami of fund-raising. I would suspect that one of the reasons that Barack Obama raised $150 million in September is because of the lethal combination of the selection of Sarah Palin as the Republican VP candidate and the McCain attack ads.

Words have consequences - sometimes 800,000 consequences and sometimes even more.

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

On February 10, 2007 Barack Obama stopped by Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, IA to launch his presidential campaign. He made an important statement then that I think we need to remember today. He said:

“People ask me, ‘Who is your most important rival in this campaign? I would say it is cynicism. And I mean that because if people are opting out of the process, that benefits the insiders.’”

You can see the 2-minute video here.

Now, 20 months later, with 17 days left in this campaign, we see the most bitter of cynicism in its ugliest forms:

• Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann called for an investigation of members of Congress to "find out if they are pro-America or anti-America."
  
• The Sacramento GOP released an ad declaring “Waterboard Obama.”
  
• Another GOP group in California released a graphic of Obama’s picture on a foodstamp along with pictures of watermelon, fried chicken, ribs and Kool-Aid.
  
• Virginia State GOP Chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick recently encouraged a crowd of canvassers by drawing a connection between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden: "Both have friends that bombed the Pentagon," he said. "That is scary."
  
• John McCain’s campaign is robocalling into several states saying “Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers.”

In this environment it is easy become distracted.

When Lincoln was elected he was deeply loathed by the Southerners and viewed with suspicion by many Northerners. The south was just days from seceding from the union. And yet in this cynical environment, Lincoln closed his inaugural address by appealing to “the better angels of our nature.”

We don’t have to fall into this trap. We don’t have to be caught up in the Republican’s fake rage machine whether they are raging over ACORN or lipstick on a pig. We can remain above the fray.

In the civil rights movement in the 1960’s, we used to sing the song “Keep your Eyes on the Prize.” That’s good advice for us today. With merely 17 days to go, let’s keep our eyes on the prize and not be distracted by the noise.