The creation of a hysterical mob mentality for political gain is not restricted to the Middle East.
Barry Rubin
Barry Rubin compares the tactics of Islamists on the one hand and the Obama campaign on the other in order to explain Why They Love Usama, Hate Obama, and How Obama Uses the Same Tactic at Home.
The key component shared by Islamists and the Obama campaign is a very well developed case of an us versus them mentality:
When solidarity along group lines takes priority and the line is that all of “us” must unite against the “other” no matter what truth, logic, or justice dictates then that means serious trouble.In the case of the Muslim extremists, whose anti-US riots spread beyond the Middle East into Europe and even into the Middle East, Osama bin Ladin is one of them. He was an Arab Muslim, one of them. And that is all that mattered, regardless of differences of opinion over tactics.
And according to the Obama campaign it is also an issue of taking sides:
- All African-Americans should support the regime because Obama is black and anyone opposing him is a racist.
- All “Hispanics” should support the president because he really wants open borders and the turning of all illegal immigrants into citizens, while everyone else is a racist.
- All women should support the ruling group and leftist ideology because it wants to give them free birth control and anyone on the other side hates women.
- And everyone who receives a government check has to support the regime or someone might take away their check.
We may look disapprovingly at the Muslim protests, but even here at home you can look around and see interest groups being incited to hate each other while giving unquestioned loyalty to their group.
What works for the Islamists is working here as well.
Or at least until the election is over.
Inciting hatred is not a proven method of governing in a Democracy.
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