"The other"

Sociologists often use the term “the other” to describe the out-groups in society.  Such people are often seen as foreign, marginal, not one of us.  Mr. Heffley (Rep., Carbon County) actually used the slogan “he’s one of us” in his 2010 campaign for the Pennsylvania House, implying that his opponent was “the other.”

This attack on “the other” is common Republican strategy.  The Republican presidential candidates have been working this line against Obama.  He’s different.  He’s not mainstream.  He’s a socialist.  He’s exotic.  He’s not one of us.

It ain’t working.  Four Republican candidates are still in the race.  The front runner has more money than God, banks in the Cayman Islands, took a drive to Canada with his dog strapped to the roof of his car, thinks corporations are people, and made his reputation managing a business whose main purpose was to fire workers. 

We have another candidate who asked his wife for an open marriage and cheated on two successive wives.  Now on wife #3, he says he has asked God for forgiveness.  He used his connections to make millions as a lobbyist, but says he wasn’t really lobbying.

The third candidate, who opposes all forms of birth control and constantly preaches morality, used the earmark process to reward campaign contributors and made millions as a lobbyist after his re-election defeat for the U.S. Senate.

The fourth candidate, who ran for President in 1988 as a Libertarian, has so many bizarre ideas that he is a joke.  He wants to get government totally out of our lives, although it would still be watching to make sure women didn’t have abortions.

President Obama is one of us.  These Republican candidates are not.