The Greatest Fear

JAY BOOKMAN, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greatest fear isn’t terrorists, it’s change
Published on: 11/15/04

Democrats and Republicans don’t agree about a lot, but they do agree that fear played a major role in the 2004 election. Millions of voters saw in President Bush what they did not see in John Kerry, the type of strong, decisive leader who would protect them and their families from a threatening outside world and would do so without asking the United Nations for permission.

But sifting through the exit polls and election results . . . it’s a funny thing. The voters least likely to be terror targets ­ those in rural areas, small towns and the less populated states ­ tended to be most frightened by the prospect of a terror attack. Conversely, voters in major metro areas that would be logical targets of terror, including New York and New Jersey, were least likely to be frightened by it.

This column isn’t directly about mixed race issues, but the statements regarding fear of change tell you something that can be applied to “race” in the U.S. I think a lot of “blacks” were not ready for integration and the rapid changes it brought and sought to retard the process of integration through “black power” demands and devotion to the ODR.