The Politics of Fear
Israel Ortega /
Back in 2004, then Senate candidate Barack Obama delivered a powerful speech on the floor of the Democratic Convention challenging our country to shatter the idea that we are a divided people. Obama went on to say that this country is not a country of Black America, or Hispanic America or White America, but a United States of America. “We are one America,” Obama would go on to say culminating a speech that would go on to eventually propel him as the Democratic candidate for the Presidency in 2008.
Six years after that stirring speech, now President Obama has replaced the lofty rhetoric of hope and unity with fear and divisiveness. With his political party facing the prospect of a receiving a resounding thumping in the upcoming midterm elections, President Obama has resorted to name calling as a last ditch effort to sway the outcome.
Appearing on a popular morning Univision radio broadcast called “Piolin por la Mañana,” hosted by Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, President Obama urged Hispanic listeners to vote for his political party in the upcoming elections and punish the enemies. “If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, ‘We’re going to punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us,’ if they don’t see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it’s going to be harder and that’s why I think it’s so important that people focus on voting on November 2.”