A Spiritual Take on Partisan Political Fearmongering

by Stephanie Brail

Each presidential election, America turns into a football field where two sides, Republicans and Democrats, fight it out in a bloody battle that usually ends up leaving the country more divided and bitter once the game ends. Each side thinks that it has the claim to moral superiority and rightness. As the game wears on, fans becoming increasingly rabid and nonsensical, to the point where fisticuffs often ensue.

As elections become closer and closer, the two sides begin to employ increasingly drastic slash and burn tactics to take out their opponents. On the right we have the Republicans, who use scare tactics to tell us that voting for a Democrat is sure to rain terrorists down upon our heads. To the left we have the Democrats, who use scare tactics to tell us that electing a Republican is sure to bring World War III down upon our heads.

At the core, both sides have sincere, caring reasons for their stances. The sincere on the right, believing in old-fashioned ideas of security and a strong military, simply want to protect the country, even if sometimes their boogieman is perhaps a bit overblown. The sincere on the left want peace, believing in a utopian (but perhaps naive) future where terrorists and other enemies will join hands with us in peace and harmony, if we just tried to sit down and talk to them. Somewhere in the middle is probably the truth - that yes, sometimes we need to protect ourselves from the very real boogiemen out there, and sometimes we need to sit down and try to talk it out more.

At the core, both sides want a safe, prosperous America. They just disagree on how to make that happen. The outcome we could all generally agree on; it's the strategic "how" we differ on.

But we forget that during election years. Television and media have sped up election news so that polls can turn in a day, depending on the latest shocking scandal or admission. Cynical campaign managers and advertising agencies are hired to work overtime to manipulate the hearts and minds of Americans, in an effort to swing voters their way. Email whisper campaigns are spread like viruses, slandering candidates and scaring Americans who don't realize they are falling prey to simple marketing. The same marketing that makes men run to the store to buy Rogaine and women to buy anti-aging creams is what is used in elections. Commercials for personal care products prey on our fears of aging, our fears of being unattractive, and our fears of being rejected.

Campaign marketing plays on deeper, more existential fears. In essence, the fear generated by both the Republican and Democratic sides is the SAME FEAR. It is the fear of war coming home to roost in America. The Republicans play on the fear that it will come from outside via terrorists. The Democrats play on the fear that it will come from our own "warmongering" officials, or what I will call "establishment terrorists." Socially, the far right Republicans play on the fear that Godless liberals are going to bring Satan to our homes and schools, and the far left liberals play on the fear that Republicans are not only going to ban abortion, but chain women up and force them to become baby-making machines ala The Handmaid’s Tale.

Note how this has played out in the 2008 election. On the right, we have people foaming at the mouth over Barack Obama's middle name or Muslim faith (fear of terrorism). We have an independent 527 putting out an ad suggesting that Obama consorts with terrorists due to his past associations with William Ayers. Yes, Ayers did bomb the Pentagon as a counterculture activist in the 1960s. An old hippie, however, is not quite the same as Osama bin Laden, though I'll leave it to you to decide whether Pentagon-bombing hippies are a good or bad thing.

On the left, we have people sending out frightened smear emails equating Sarah Palin to a female Hitler, who is going to force all women to carry babies to term, ban all library books (even those that have not been published yet), and start nuclear war with her fashionable glasses. McCain is a warmonger, Palin is a fanatical right-wing nut, and "God help us all if they get elected, we must move out of the country!" (Here we have our fear of so-called establishment terrorists.)

May I have a suggestion? We all need to CALM DOWN.

Neither party is 100% pure and decent, and neither party is 100% horrible and evil. If you honestly believe that a Democrat or Republican is beyond reproach simply due to their choice of party, well, the word naïve comes to mind. Politicians can be corrupt on both sides of the aisle. But not all politicians are bad, and to make a snap judgment on someone due to their political party is about as sensible as hating a football fan just because they like the rival team.

By buying into an ideology of us vs. them, we fall prey to negative campaigning and fearmongering. We are being manipulated by both sides, folks. While fearmongering may be good for winning an election, it is bad for our collective psyche and souls. Instead of listening to the other side, we yell and insult. We believe we are right - after all, we've bought into the lie that our very lives are at stake! (Go, team, go!)

What we forget is that the American political system is set up with a system of checks and balances. The separation of powers guarantees that no-one becomes King of America. No president can start World War III without Congress backing him or her up. No president can willy nilly open the borders to terrorists if Congress does its job and keeps the president accountable. So electing a bad president is not enough to destroy the country. He or she will need the help of Congress to do that. But we forget that, in our fear.

Consumed in this fear, we use selective reasoning to harden our stance towards our side. Anyone who opposes is us is not just wrong, but evil.

Consider the eight years of the G.W. Bush presidency. I was very unhappy when he was elected. I bought into the fear. When 9/11 hit, my fear got worse. We were headed for World War III, and Bush was hell-bent on starting it!

Eight years later and I can look back and see that World War III did not, in fact, happen. That here at home we have had relative peace and prosperity since 9/11; that America has actually rebounded from a terrible tragedy better than I originally imagined. In fact, my life has been pretty good during the Bush years; I honestly can't relate to people who say that we're living in the worst times in American history. Really? I've rather enjoyed myself then, in spite of the supposed hell surrounding me. But, see, that's more marketing - we must paint everything as really bad, a problem to be fixed, baldness to be cured, wrinkles to be smoothed over.

So let's ask the question: Was Bush a great president? Mmm, probably not. But was he a Hitler? Hardly. And if we're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and stretch our minds a little further, we might even consider that it was perhaps his response to 9/11 that kept another terrible terrorist-related tragedy from happening again during his tenure. I'm not saying that's true, but it's possible. (Never mind the various conspiracy theories, which may also be true, or may be more marketing through fear.) Who knows? Are you sure you are right? Do you own an infallible crystal ball?

Let's take a tougher issue: The Iraq War. The war, which many fearmongering folks on the left see as this horrible, terrible thing, is not something I can easily judge anymore. I'll never forget the documentary I saw showing an old Iraqi woman kissing a photo of Bush for liberating the country from Saddam Hussein. This changed my perspective forever. I found out that many Iraqis are glad we came in there. But Iraqis, like Americans, are not a monolith and they don't all think the same way. Surprisingly, quite a few Iraqis said on camera they preferred the dictatorship, because they felt the country was more secure under the tyranny, that it was precisely Saddam's heavy hand that kept all the differing factions in line. Did far too many Iraqis die during the Iraq War? Yes. Would many more have died through racial genocide had Saddam Hussein stayed in power? Possibly.

What is truly best for Iraq? I don't know.

Is there a right or wrong answer on this? Some think they know, but I can't say that I do. I'm not God; I can't claim to have moral authority on everything 100% of the time. I still don’t like Bush, and I suspect he may have been one of our worst presidents. But I’m open enough to give him the benefit of the doubt and the passing of time before history fully judges him.

Are you that open?

What truly amazes me, actually, is how many people protesting the war in Iraq in the name of “peace” spread violence and hate through their words and actions. Burning an effigy of G.W. Bush is hardly peaceful. Protesting by smashing windows and destroying property at the 2008 Republican Convention was truly a low point for those who claim they are on the side of what’s good and right. This made about as much sense as the so-called “pro-lifers” who went berserk in the 1990s and went around shooting and killing clinic doctors.

So can we find a middle ground here and get beyond the black-and-white thinking?

Are Republicans sometimes right about certain things? I have to concede that sometimes, yes, they are. Are Democrats sometimes right about certain things? Absolutely. (My personal take is that the Republicans are probably a bit more realistic about national security, and the Democrats are much better about domestic issues such as the environment and education.)

Is that such a bad thing, having two parties with unique strengths to bring to the table? Maybe we need a country where we have hawks (spiritual warriors) protecting us and doves (spiritual idealists) reminding us to be compassionate to others. Maybe that's the beauty of America, and people in general, that we have strong military-minded hawks who stand up to protect the doves, who can then have the prosperity, freedom, and peace to promote even more peace and remind those hawks not to go overboard with aggression. We keep each other in check.

Thus, I believe as spiritual people we need to try to let go of labels, judgments, and fearmongering when we discuss politics. This doesn't mean we can't criticize or have preferences. But to label someone a "warmonger" without really understanding their concerns or sincere desire to protect and serve is childish at best, and hateful and spiritually warmongering at worst.

Likewise, to label a liberal-minded peace-lover a kooky fruitcake is dismissive and not appreciative of those higher ideals that show America's best side as a light for hope, freedom and democracy.

I believe we need both hawks and doves, and those plain old robins in the middle who do the simple job of showing up and contributing their talents, love and joy to society.

Additionally, can we agree to start respecting other people's spiritual beliefs, even if they are counter to our own? If you - as a Mainline Christian, Jew, New Ager or otherwise - cannot see the beauty in the faith of an Evangelical, then you haven't done enough spiritual work on yourself. Conversely, if you are an Evangelical or Fundamentalist who can't see the devotion to God inherent in many non-Christian people, you need to go back to the Scriptures and read up more about what Jesus was really about.

And a reminder to the doves reading this - peace starts in our hearts. How can you say you are about peace, when your heart is angry and you sow hate and discord with your words? How can you be about peace, when your agenda is to mercilessly destroy candidates (and their families) simply for having a different strategy but the same goal? What almost all Americans want is a peaceful, prosperous America. We just disagree on the best way to do that. That is all.

Certainly, there are times when dangerous people attempt to come into power, and we all need to be vigilant about that. But if you find yourself automatically labeling someone a dangerous “warmonger” or “communist” just because of their political party, you’re not being vigilant. You are being reactive.

So the next time you come across a political "opponent," consider whether you are labeling them out of fear or listening to them from your heart. If you open your eyes, you might be surprised to find a sincere human being on the other end of that label. Are all politicians good and sincere? No. There are bad eggs in both parties. And remember: The American people behind the politicians - normal, everyday Americans - are for the most part good, sincere, decent people.

Try to remember that the next time you get tempted to label the other side.

Photo: Hillary Clinton and John McCain, who have developed a friendship across party lines.