Hope went up against Fear in the primaries Tuesday, and for the moment, fear won. The polling data, along with the split between early voters and voters who made up their minds at the last minute and voted in person, proves Hillary Clinton's last minute Swiftboating of Barack Obama worked. Specifically, there's no doubting the effectiveness of her despicable ad implying people's children will not be safe in their own beds with Obama in the Oval Office.
She's also proven there's life in the Republican strategy of campaigning on fear. If it can work now, it will work in November, no matter who wins the Democratic nomination. If this election is about fear, it's already over-- that's competing on Republican terms, not ours.
Unless, of course, Barack Obama responds decisively-- and strongly. This is his decisive moment of testing. Deplore it as we may, fear is not going to disappear from this world, nor the willingness of the unscrupulous to employ it politically. Obama has to demonstrate he is tough and strong enough to be President, so that such ads simply aren't credible.
He needs to show there's Leonidas in him, too, along with Mr. Rogers.
Come, Take in ancient Greek, or, in the English version, Come And Take Them, was King Leonidas retort to Xerxes's demand at Thermopylae that the Greeks lay down their arms. Through history that phrase has expressed the epitome of fighting spirit, that one will do what is required for the defense of one's country, even to one's own death.
It is easy to conceive that phrase coming out of some politician's mouths-- for instance Robert Kennedy or Howard Dean and, also, the post-2000 Al Gore. But not others. For instance, Michael Dukakis was never able to make that credible-- his riding on a tank brought laughter. John Kerry allowed attackers to defame his heroic war record and foster an image of irresolution and weakness. In the end Come And Take Them was not credible, and they lost.
At the moment, it's not so easy imagining those words coming out of Barack Obama's mouth. But that is an image he can change, and must. Leonidas' famous phrase is the gold standard-- if we can imagine him credibly saying that, he can win, both the nomination and the General Election. After all, we all want to be friends. But sometimes we have to stand up for ourselves.
Obama must call out Clinton for what she has done-- attacking his character in a baseless way. That's what that red phone is about, a fundamental attack on his character-- not the specifics of experience or know-how or anything like that. She is trying to frame him as Republicans have traditionally framed Democrats-- as weak, irresolute, fearful. This is not about judgement. She is saying he is too cowardly to be President.
He must turn that around and turn her asset-- her vote for the war-- back into her greatest liability, her failure of character.
He must challenge Clinton's courage as bluntly as possible-- she wasn't brave enough to stand up to George Bush. Had she come out strongly against the original Authorization Of Force Resolution, she would have placed the prestige of the Clinton White House against Bush and the Neocon's imperialist fantasy and probably stopped it. But her nerve failed. If she cannot stand up to Bush, why should we expect her to defend our Party, our country, our allies? It's a question her basic character and fortitude. How did she behave at her great moment of testing? She surrendered to the empire builder, to our modern would-be Xerxes.
He must declare his defiance-- and tell her to Come And Take-- his states, his delegates, his voters, the nomination.
And there is more one immediate chance to prove his toughness-- by publicly and loudly firing the idiot or idiots who thought it was smart to talk of out class to the Canadians about NAFTA. They can do their talking after the election.
Cross posted earlier to Tea In The Harborand Blog For America.