In 2007 the New York Times published the editorial “The Politics of Fear”, here’s the money quote:

This administration has never hesitated to play on fear for political gain, starting with the first homeland security secretary, Tom Ridge, and his Popsicle-coded threat charts. It is a breathtakingly cynical ploy, but in the past it has worked to cow Democrats into silence, if not always submission, and herd Republicans back onto the party line.

In 2010, the New York Times published another editorial with the same title:

An election is coming, so the Republicans are trying to scare Americans by making it appear as if the Democrats don’t care about catching or punishing terrorists.

However, as the above audio shows, fear-mongering for political gain is dangerous, disgusting, and bipartisan.