Drew Westen Takes Aim at Bush's Politics of Fear
Thursday, September 20, 11:00
Psychologist and author Drew Westen put the focus on fear politics in a recent conference call.
“You can use emotions for good or evil in politics…. You can appeal to people’s moral sentiments and their passions,” said Westen. “What many of us are trying to do is raise people’s fears about what’s happening to their Constitution.”
He pointed to the Bush administration’s manipulation of people’s emotions about mortality. “If you make people think about their own death…you shift people to the right,” he explained.
On the campaign for habeas rights, Westen suggested, “We need to replay FDR’s famous ‘you have nothing to fear’ quote” and “juxtapose it to what George Bush and Dick Cheney have been saying for six years: ‘Stay afraid.’ “
“Whenever I say habeas corpus, I always say ‘our most basic fundamental right,” added Air America’s Cenk Uygur. “You’ve got to get people to associate themselves with it.”
One message Westen thinks Congress really needs to hear: “If the Constitution isn’t worth sticking your neck out for, then you really shouldn’t be in politics.”
“When the other side is putting up smokescreens, you have to swing back.”
Missed the call? Hear it now (59 min.)
About Drew: A psychologist, author, and political commentator, Drew Westen has been in the spotlight for his views on the role of emotion in politics. He’s an NPR commentator and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, where he dissects the presidential campaign. Westen teaches psychology at Emory University.
About Cenk: Cenk Uygur is co-host of “The Young Turks,” the new morning show for Air America Radio, 6-9AM/ET. An irreverent take on politics, pop culture, and news, “The Young Turks” has grilled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, DNC Chair Howard Dean, actor Matt Dillon, Brian Williams of NBC News, and many others. Uygur has a law degree and founded “The Young Turks” on Sirius Satellite Radio, where it was the network’s first original talk show. The show can now be heard on XM Satellite Radio, as well as, your local Air America station. Visit the show’s website.
*About “The Political Brain”: What’s the deciding factor in politics: the heart or the head? That’s the key question of Drew Westen’s new book, “The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.” Westen combs through past oratory to uncover the emotional power of political speech, and explains why some politicians have had a hard time connecting with voters on a visceral level. Westen’s message: You can’t change the structure of the brain. But you can change the way you appeal to it. Visit Drew Westen’s website to learn more.
