“Tell the TRUTH About Benghazi”

HILLIARD, Ohio – The final Obama push begins here, in the fairgrounds in this Republican-leaning town. On the approach, a few blocks from the parking lots, about a dozen Republican protesters held up home-made-looking signs demanding that the media pay attention to – and assume Obama perfidy in – the Benghazi attacks. “Three calls for help, all denied,” read one sign. Another: “We Won’t Back Down! Tell the TRUTH About Benghazi.” Then some more signs:
From there, into the parallel world where nobody thinks about “Benghazigate,” or thinks it’s a -gate at all. (They might be right!) Kyle Simpson, a 26-year old middle-school teacher, walks with me to the rally and explains how he’s wavered between the GOP and Democrats because of the economy. “I do think Romney could improve it faster,” he says, “but he worries me, he really worries me on the social issues.” Inside, an Obama volunteer named Tom O’Connor vents a little about the canvassing he’s been doing. “It’s just the worst,” he says. “You go up to the house, and there’s a guy wearing a T-shirt, holding a Bud. You talk about global warming and he looks at you like you’re speaking another language.” And yet… he was finding just about the same strength for Obama that he did when he canvassed in 2008. “There’s less racism now, because they know him.” There’s just that population of people thinking the same as Kyle Simpson, but flipping the other way. Or those people thinking about Benghazi…