The October Surprise
July 16, 2010 by Bob Livingston
I’m sure you’ve heard of the “October Surprise.” It’s an event or series of events occurring in the days before a November election that sway voters one way or another.
The first one—or at least the one in which that term first came into use—occurred in late October 1972 when then National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger announced that peace with North Vietnam was at hand. President Richard Nixon was already leading George McGovern in the polls, but that declaration is thought to have increased Nixon’s standing with the electorate.
There have been several October incidents since that some think at least influenced United States elections.
Now, with polls showing increasing dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress—a recent poll by Democracy Corps showed that 55 percent of Americans think Obama is a socialist and only 42 percent of Americans support Democrats—there are some rumblings that an October surprise may be the only way for Obama and Democrats to retain their Congressional majority.
In fact, a former Clinton official recently suggested to the publication Financial Times that a major terrorist incident in the U.S. along the lines of 9/11 or Oklahoma City may be Obama’s only hope. As the Times reported:
“The bottom line here is that Americans don’t believe in President Obama’s leadership,” says Rob Shapiro, another former Clinton official and a supporter of Mr Obama. “He has to find some way between now and November of demonstrating that he is a leader who can command confidence and, short of a 9/11 event or an Oklahoma City bombing, I can’t think of how he could do that.”
Shapiro knows a thing or two about surprises. In 1995 Clinton used the Oklahoma City bombing to bolster his political comeback. We documented here how if the government was not directly involved in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murray building, it at least fostered a cover-up.
Democrats are desperate to retain the majorities they currently hold in the House and Senate. Don’t be surprised if a false flag terrorist attack along the lines of 9/11 or Oklahoma City occurs prior to November.
Americans tend to rally around their leaders in times of crisis. But remember that the government response to every terrorist attack on U.S. soil has been to steal more of your liberty.
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