Obama Assassination Fears Are Paranoid Fantasy

Barack Obama supporters who worry about his assassination are indulging in condescending fantasy about the danger of the unwashed masses, writes Brendan O’Neill for Spiked. The so-called plot foiled in Denver never approached a real threat. But liberals are “feudal” snobs so caught up in America’s "violent racism" that they fantasize about the menace of assassination.

The Obama campaign’s own tight security, in contrast to the open style of past candidates, recalls the paranoia of European aristocrats. Supporters have come to view him as a savior, “heir to the slain Kennedys and Dr King who is risking everything to save America.” Liberals see their candidate, and so themselves, as “better” Americans than the “rednecks” they view with suspicion. (More Barack Obama stories.)