Campaign Diary

Erica Grieder follows the US Presidential campaign

My favourite souvenir from the campaign season is a nine-page handout on ‘The Nature & Activity of Demons’. This was provided during a sort of adult Sunday school at John Hagee’s mega-church in San Antonio, Texas. Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and Baptist pastor and candidate for the Republican nomination, was there for a guest-preaching stint, and gave a colourful explanation of why we should strive to be less like Herod and more like Jesus. It was sound advice, but perhaps not as immediate as the lesson that preceded it. Satan is engaged in guerrilla warfare: his minions systematically invade the populace, and infect us with their ideologies. They will look like innocents, and will blame the government for any unrest. They are not sportsmanlike and will ‘employ any scheme to win the loyalty of the people (harass, sabotage, terror)’. They ‘manipulate the populace thru terror and misinformation to remain anonymous’, and ‘no cost is too high for victory’. It is an invaluable resource. I am thinking of sending it to the McCain campaign.

October is the ugly season in American politics, and it is uglier than usual this time around. No one feels good about the final weeks of this election. Among my Democratic friends there are endless jokes about Sarah Palin, but the undercurrent is nervy and anxious. Obama has maintained a lead in the polls these past few weeks, but everyone seems to suspect a trick. The Republicans have no jokes, only awkward silences and averted glances. The candidate of honour is not at his best at the moment.

If you shake the branches a bit you can find any kind of voter you want, including people who will vote for McCain because they are also named John.