How Democracies Die

by Steven Levitsky

But what was especially troubling about the 2008 campaign is that the right-wing media’s rhetoric of intolerance was picked up by leading Republican politicians. Tom DeLay, for example, declared that “unless Obama proves me wrong, he’s a Marxist,” while Steve King, a Republican congressman from Iowa, called Obama “anti-American” and warned that he would lead America into “totalitarian dictatorship.” Although Republican presidential candidate John McCain did not employ such rhetoric, he nevertheless selected a running mate, Sarah Palin, who did. Palin embraced the Bill Ayers story, declaring that Obama had been “palling around with terrorists.” On the campaign trail, Palin told supporters that Obama “launched his political career in the living room of a domestic terrorist!,” continuing: “This is not a man who sees America the way you and I see America….I’m afraid this is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to work with a former domestic terrorist who had targeted his own country.” Her racially coded speeches elicited cries of “Treason!,” “Terrorist!,” and even “Kill him!” from crowds.