When Democrats Pull the “Fear” Card

Hillary Clinton ran a new campaign commercial on Friday – asking who you want answering the White House phone at 3:00 a.m. when something happens in our “dangerous world.” The ad was indistinguishable from what John McCain did two months ago, and within 3 hours Barack Obama felt compelled to shoot a response. For years, Democrats have been paralyzed by fear – believing they must pick a candidate who is “tough” on national security. It’s a false dynamic that cedes to Republican talking points – and as we learned from John Kerry in 2004, doesn’t help Democrats win. Fear is an effective tactic because it causes people to behave irrationally, which is why the right has used it time and again. But at the same time, Democrats cannot just ignore it.

Read More