I'VE BEEN WORKING MY WAY through Lou Pritchett's deceptive email about Barack Obama, pointing out the propaganda techniques he uses along the way.
Last time, I ended with his fourth repetition of the hypnotic "You scare me because...":
You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
The sleazy implication, of course, is an intentional play on racist fears.
We're supposed to think that Obama grew up in Africa, and consequently isn't a "real American".
The truth is that the term "formative years" is a little slippery, but in developmental circles it usually can refer to the first four to seven years of life. Obama lived in the United States until he was six.
Then, he lived with his American mother in Indonesia until he was ten. Then he returned to America, and lived with his grandparents during what he considers his formative years, until he went to college.
No where near as scary when you have the facts, is it?
On to the next "You scare me..."
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.
I must say, this guy is easily frightened.
We're supposed to think that Obama has no management experience, has never had responsibility for employees, and has never been the man in charge, with bottom-line responsibility for an organization.
But once again, it's all smoke and mirrors.
Actually, he did meet a payroll. The word "company" is a bit slippery here—it's probably meant to give Pritchett wiggle room. Obama directed the Developing Communities Project for three years, growing it from a staff of one to thirteen, and growing its budget from 70,000 to 400,000 (in order to meet that payroll).
You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.
Again, notice that he leaves his real point implied—the idea that only someone who has served in the military can be president.
Tell that to John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, or any of the other presidents who served their country without any military experience.
Or, just tell it to Dick Cheney, who when asked why he had never served said, "I had better things to do." Isn't it interesting that no one on the right was scared by that?
You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.
Stay with me—this is going to be fun...
