The fear factor and the politicians who use it

Stories like this in The New York Times leave me with a heaviness in the pit of my stomache. At 44, it shouldn’t surprise me, but the level of distrust and fear and outright hatred still does and the willingness of too many politicians to play to that fear, to stoke it for political advantage, is downright scary.

Whether we are talking about yesterday’s gay marriage ruling or security issues, too many politicians — especially those with Rs next to their names — figure there are votes buried deep in the scared psyches of a large portion of the American public.

It is sad and evil and — well, I’m not sure what else to say about it.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet