I was just four years old in 1960, so I have no memories of that election. But some of my coworkers do. During breaktime this afternoon, they recalled the fear-mongering of the 1960 election.
- That if JFK were elected, he’d be taking orders from the Pope.
- That JFK will force everyone to use the Catholic Bible, including in Sunday school, and outlaw all other Bibles.
One coworker, while out at lunch (in historically racist Huntington), was asked by some guy at the gas station or bank or somewhere, “Are you ready to have a black man as president?”
John McCain, to his credit, has avoided the fear-mongering that trademarked the Karl Rove campaigns of 2000 and 2004. There has been plenty of negative campaigning (on both sides), but the fear-mongering (not to mention race-baiting) has come from people outside the official campaigns. That’s something we can applaud.
