Well, I think [health care] should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can't pay their medical bills -- for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they're saying that this may be a pre-existing condition and they don't have to pay her treatment--there's something fundamentally wrong about that.
My father taught me many things about appreciating a new book. He told me that each book was like an adventurous journey and opened an opportunity for your mind to expand. He taught me how to play games with a book: to read the first sentence in it and the last sentence and see if there was something really profound that the writer was trying to communicate to the outside world.
So in Barack Obama’s book titled: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, the first sentence is: “On most days, I enter the Capitol through the basement” and the last sentence is: “My heart is filled with love for this country.” So that I think of a half Black man entering our nation’s Legislative headquarters as a very humble and honorable thing. Quiet contrary to the criticism of this man as a latte-drinking arugula-eating elitist. A man who uses fancy words and is eloquent and intelligent and somehow threatens the average Joe—the Joe sixpack and Joe the Plumber.
Then that last sentence in his book goes to the heart of the criticism of this man as an: unpatriotic, Muslim and someone who “pals” around with terrorists. Discussions by Palin talk about the Real America and how Obama is someone not like us, a guy who would threaten our way of life. Be it gun-toting, Bible-thumping, abortion clinic-bombing culture warriors.
These are the despicable Lee Atwater-Karl Rove tactics to attack the very strengths of a candidate and then lie about them to achieve just some doubt in the minds of the voters. Then spring on them the “October Surprise.” It is a sad type of politics but it worked for George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Senator McCain is surrounded by former Bush handlers, Karl Rove disciplines and then last month even Karl Rove himself.
“Spreading the wealth around” in their minds is ‘socialism and worse yet ‘communism.’ Senator Mel Martinez compares Obama to Castro in another desperate Florida fight for the minds and even souls of Hispanics. Yet, this year they are not buying it. We are not buying it. We are snakebit from the last few times anyone went with a Republican. Yes, even going back to Ronald W. Reagan and our foundations for this economic turndown and recession.
We definitely cannot be complacent despite the recent encouraging polls. But I now think we have an opportunity to not only elect Barack, but to drive a stake through the heart of Karl Rove-style hate-division-fear politics. A pretty steady stream of Republicans are now jumping ship, often -- like Colin Powell -- openly expressing disgust at the type of campaign the McCain-Palin ticket is running. Just added to the list were, among others, former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan, former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carleson, and Barry Goldwater's granddaughter. See the links below for more:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/23/mcclellan_endorses_obama.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/32973804.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciaec8O7EyUsr
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cc-goldwater/why-mccain-has-lost-our-v_b_137150.html
Principled conservatives are nauseated by the turn their party has taken. Indeed, William F. Buckley Jr.'s son Christopher recently suggested that conservatives should hold a post-election conference/"dark night of the soul" to be called: "Conservatism -- What the F***?"
Let's keep mobilized, energized, and show Rove-style divide-and-conquer politics for the bankrupt, dead entity it is.
As you may have heard, the McCain campaign is showering Ohio with shamelessly negative robo-calls that make false attacks against Barack Obama, on various fronts. This is a desperate attempt for the opposition to frighten voters into voting against Senator Obama. The video below contains an actual recording of one of these robo-calls--this one attempts to link Barack to the terrorist acts of the Weather Underground forty years ago.
YOU have the power to stop these disgusting tactics, that twist the truth beyond recognition in order to try to take down our candidate. YOU know that Barack has real solutions to the issues that face us, which is what we need right now--not more of the same old cynical, negative politics that have crippled this country in the past.
Take action against these calls. Write a letter to the editor of your local papers and tell John McCain and the Republican National Committee that Ohio won't take these kinds of Karl Rove-ian tactics.
Don't know what you'd say? Haven't heard all the calls? Don't worry, we'll inform you and provide you with talking points. We make it so with just a few clicks you can send to multiple newspapers across the state. Get started right now.
Politics is never fair and has several “ugly” heads that arise precipitously, especially during election time.
There are “entities” with ulterior motive to serve their interest over the country’s future that deserve attention by the electorate.
As stated earlier, communication with political figures is not out of ordinary for private citizens, particularly during elections.
However, there are occasions when citizens get involved in the political campaign; the political candidates expect monetary contributions and other assistance to prevail in the elections.
There have been requests from both “Presidential Campaigns” in this regard.
With a firm commitment to help people and their interests, my position has been clear from the beginning. That is, to support… the policies, the strategies and solutions for all the crises confronting our nation rather than a political “rhetoric” or a “personality.”
I share the recent communication with the “Presidential Campaign” of Senator Barack Obama.
The original transcript from the Vice Presidential Candidate, the Hon. Senator Joe Biden:
To: Padmini Arhant
From: Joe Biden, Obama for America, Chicago, IL 60680.
Dear Ms. Arhant,
Barack Obama and I come from very different places, but we share a common story – an American story.
He was the son of a single mom who sometimes struggled to support her kids. But she raised him to believe in America; to believe that in this country, there is no obstacle that can keep you from your dreams, if you are willing to work hard and fight for them.
I was an Irish-Catholic kid from Scranton with a father who – like too many people today – fell on hard times in a tough economy. Buy my parents raised me to believe that it is not how many times you get knocked down, it’s how quickly you get up.
That’s the American promise that Barack Obama and I believe in. And it’s a promise that’s been knocked around under eight years of George Bush and John McCain.
The McCain campaign wants us to think he believes in change – that he’s a maverick who’s independent of George W. Bush. I know better.
I’ve served with John McCain in the Senate for 22 years. I know him as a courageous patriot and an honorable man. But what he is not — not by any stretch – a maverick.
You’re not a maverick when you vote with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, as John McCAin has.
You’re not a maverick when you boast – and these are John’s words, not mine – that “no one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have.”
You’re not a maverick when you endorse the tax cuts for the wealthy that have been George W. Bush’s only excuse for an economic policy.
And I don’t know what you are – or where you’re living, unless it’s is in one of seven houses you need your staff to count – when you say, as John McCain has, that “there’s been great progress economically” under the Bush Administration.
Still, there was one sense in which I thought John was different from George W. Bush – and I have to tell you I’ve been disappointed to learn how wrong I was.
Whatever our other disagreements, I always thought John and I agreed that the slash-and-burn, divide-and-attack, Swift Boat brand of politics that the Bush machine popularized were debasing our democracy and tearing our country apart.
But today, as he seeks the presidency, John McCain has changed. He has become a practitioner of the very politics he once deplored.
He hired a protégé of Karl Rove to help run his campaign. After condemning the Swift Boat attacks of 2004, John took tens of thousands of dollars from their architects – and, with no sense of irony, even put one of them on his “Truth Squad” for 2008.
Meanwhile, John McCain has blanketed the airwaves with misleading attacks on Barack Obama. They’ve attacked Barack’s character and distorted his ideas.
When it comes down to, I regret to say, is that “John McCain campaigning on the high road” has become as much of a myth as “John McCain the maverick” always was.
And America can’t afford another campaign like this – a third George Bush campaign focused on small attacks rather than big ideas – any more than we can afford the four more years of George W. Bush’s policies that John McCain wants to give us.
Barack and I are committed to running a different kind of campaign — one that addresses our greatest challenges and appeals to our highest ideals.
But to do that, we need your continued help and support.
We are going to have to respond to every attack – every one, every time – while simultaneously keeping our campaign focused on positive ideas. And the cost of running that kind of campaign will be enormous.
Padmini, I know you share both our vision for fundamental change in America and our disgust with the Swift Boat style of politics that John McCAin once decried but now practices. And I hope you’ll continue to help us fight back by rushing a generous contribution of $250 or even $500 to Obama for America.
And please don’t wait a single day. The American promise that gave Barack and me so much has been knocked around for eight tough years. Let’s get up – and restore it – together.
Sincerely,
Joe Biden
P.S. Padmini, the McCain campaign’s attacks on Barack Obama may be the product of desperation, and they’re certainly a poor substitute for vision and ideas – but that doesn’t mean they won’t work. If Barack and I lack the resources to respond, John McCain will be able to distort our ideas and distract America from eight years of Republican failures. We can’t let that happen – and if you’ll stand with us by supporting Obama for America, we won’t.
———————————
I responded to Senator Joe Biden’s letter:
October 9th, 2008.
Private and Confidential
Intended for Addressee Only
Hon. Senator Joe BidenVice Presidential CandidateDemocratic Party
Dear Senator Biden,
Thank you for your email, letters and kind remarks.
I have communicated with the Presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama recently regarding my involvement in the campaign.
The letter received by Senator Barack Obama, lays out the premise of my engagement in the crucial Presidential contest.
I am awaiting response from Senator Obama in that respect.
To reiterate the viewpoint, I have forwarded the letter again and the scenario to Senator Obama for clear understanding.
I am hopeful that Senator Obama’s decision will be in favor of the better outcome for all.
Your cooperation and effort might expedite the communication as well.
As soon as I have a positive response from Senator Obama, I will consider it my patriotic duty and honor to support Obama Biden candidacy and assist the Democratic Party prevail in the highly contested general election on November 4th, 2008.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
The Recent Incidents Indicate That Neither Of The Candidates Is In Receipt Of My Letters Sent By Priority And Certified Mail With Delivery Confirmation.
SUGGESTING – Déjà vu!
REF: Ethical View - www.padminiarhant.com
With great humility, I would like to let America and the rest of the world know about the flurry of communication from all corners on different subjects. It is an honor and at the same time a huge responsibility to express one’s opinion and ideas in public with the national and humanity interests at stake.
I have always tried my best in all circumstances to remain honest, sincere and genuine in the presentation of my thoughts. Further, considering the nature of the situation like the general election, I have prioritized my response to the “Presidential Candidates” requests over other issues.
Unfortunately, within Senator Barack Obama’s campaign, an individual with authority is being highly successful with the interception and even confiscation of my communication with both the Presidential and the Vice Presidential candidates.
It is very disturbing and a matter of concern since, such “unethical practice” in tampering with “private mail” is, in essence a “federal crime” and does not appear to bother this individual because the entity considers “oneself” above the law.
With the Presidential campaigns pledging to eradicate corruption and cronyism in Washington, it raises a serious credibility issue when “individuals” within the campaign pose threats to such commitments of tall order.
Secrecy, dominance and authoritarianism is the cause for the “status quo”… the nation brought to a freezing point and any resemblance of this kind in the future administration will not serve in the best interests of the people of the United States or the global community.
Democracy is active only, when there is absolute transparency and access to information at all levels.
The lack thereof, signifies imminent danger with “sense of entitlement” and abuse of “power” in the horizon.
Finally, it is worth remembering that “Man Proposes and God Disposes.”
Rumors were flying on the blogs recently about Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s five-month old son actually belonged to her unmarried teenaged daughter. To quell the rumors that her son, Trig was indeed hers, she made public the announcement that her 17-year old daughter Bristol was indeed pregnant.
However, her quote and the response of the Republican pundits and evangelical supporters expose a glaring dual standard.
“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents," Sarah and her husband Todd Palin were quoted in the released statement. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080901/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_daughter)
Note the use of “proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby”? That phrase begs the question: was there ever a decision? If so, why? Gov. Sarah Palin is proud to proclaim her right to life and elimination of choice. If there’s no choice, what is there to decide in the Palin family?
After processing what I heard the other day, the reality of this election season, this is what the message in the upcoming election boils down to:
For democrats, it’s Corporate America (big business) vs. the people.
For republicans, it’s blacks and muslims (terror) vs. white people.
http://transpolitical.blogspot.com/2008/08/race-card-you-aint-seen-nothin-yet.html
reprint 8/1/08 TransPolitical blog
“[Republicans] are desperate to win this election – there’s a lot at stake. And they’re going to say and do whatever they need to to get [re-]elected. … The Supreme Court’s at stake.”
Oh! “Buy a gun. And learn how to use it.”
This is a difficult blog to write, and I’m still mulling through how to process this information. One thing I’ve noticed over the years in politics: there are those who create chaos in order that they control and then make their own order out of that chaos.
Palin's ties to 'everyday Americans' aren't an argument for her candidacy. But let's treat her ability to inspire the public for what it is: an asset, not a liability.
With respect, Jon misses the principal arguments for Sarah Palin. She is the governor of a state with an $11 billion operating budget, a $1.7 billion capital budget and nearly 29,000 employees; she's got more executive experience than any candidate for president or vice president this year. In Alaska she took on the state political establishment, the incumbent Republican governor and the oil companies. She's a rising star who accentuates John McCain's maverick strengths and a "hockey mom" who has developed a powerful tie to ordinary voters.
That link isn't itself an argument for Palin. But being able to connect with, and inspire, the public is an asset —not a liability. As for Jon's argument against "everyday Americans" as political leaders, many great presidents have been more average than elitist. Ronald Reagan, from Eureka College, was a far better leader than Woodrow Wilson, a former president of Princeton. Wilson would have given you 100 Supreme Court opinions he disagreed with, whether you wanted to listen or not.
Barack Obama has also introduced Joe Biden as a Joe Six-Pack, saying, "His family didn't have much money … sometimes moving in with the in-laws or working weekends to make ends meet." Biden himself rarely misses a chance to say, "I was an Irish Catholic kid from Scranton with a father who, like many of yours in tough economic times, fell on hard times." Both veep candidates are trying to portray themselves as ordinary folks.
On experience, I'm all for it. But judgment is at least as important. Biden has 35 years in the Senate, yet his record on national-security issues during that span has been atrocious. He might be able to name Germany's chancellor, but he was wrong in his fierce opposition to Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and to the surge in 2007. Even Democrats don't see Biden as president. He got 0.9 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses. Forced out of the 1988 White House race for plagiarizing, he is that blend of longevity and long-windedness that Washington accepts as statesmanship.
McCain and Palin face an uphill struggle. Economic woes, war and the natural desire of Americans to give the other side a chance (after eight years with one party in the White House) should mean a big edge for Obama and Biden. But the race is tight, no candidate can get above 50 percent for more than a day or two, and it is likely to stay close right to the end.
The reason is, people have persistent doubts about whether Obama is qualified. NEWSWEEK's poll last month found that 47 percent felt Obama "has enough experience in politics and government to be a good president" but 46 percent said he didn't. In the recent ABC/Washington Post poll, 45 percent said Obama doesn't have "the needed experience," the same as last March. Even the late-September CBS News/New York Times poll found that while 46 percent feel "Obama has prepared himself well enough for the job of president," 45 percent do not. For good reason: Barack Obama has less than half a term in the Senate, where he's proposed little, accomplished less and spent virtually every day campaigning—as if being on the trail is a principal qualification for president.
McCain-Palin must deepen those doubts by pounding away on questions about Obama's character, judgment and values. Drawing on Obama's own record and statements, they need to paint him as a big spender, class warrior and cultural elitist; they need to say he's never worked across party lines or gotten his hands dirty solving big issues. But the duo must also give voters reasons to support them. They must crystallize a positive, forward-looking vision so people who see Obama as unqualified have something to hang on to. It can't be a laundry list of positions. McCain-Palin must offer a narrative about what they will do to help America see better days, especially on kitchen-table concerns.
McCain must launch these themes in the two remaining debates. Knockouts are welcome but unlikely and unnecessary. Introducing a theme and sticking to it day after day worked this past July, when McCain successfully depicted Obama as a celebrity taken with his own press notices. The GOP nominee did it right in the first debate when his assaults were formal and indirect ("Senator Obama has the most liberal voting record …") while Obama was personal and direct ("John, 10 days ago you said …").
McCain and Palin should also respond to key misstatements by Obama-Biden, but only to flip the discussion back to Obama's own deficits. They should not chase rabbits: that would only occupy time better devoted to who can fix the big stuff broken in Washington and reach across the aisle to work for the American people by putting country first.
The election still favors Obama. But Sarah Palin's debate performance, and the passage of the economic-rescue plan, may bookend a bad couple of weeks for McCain. He has a month to turn things around. It's doable; but it won't be easy.
Rove, the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President Bush, is a NEWSWEEK Contributor.
RE: NY TIMES ARTICLE TODAY ON AYERS:
Our cause was done a signal disservice by whatever campaign wonk was channeling Karl Rove and decreed that there could be no signs at today's rally. As the local paper points out today, that's quite a surprise from a campaign with a former professor of constitutional law at the head of the ticket. Signs are protected by the first amendment to the Constitution.
In this Democratic bastion, surrounded by a sea of Republicans, if ever it were incumbent on the campaign to remember the ideals for which we stand, this is it. To appear to trample on fundamental freedoms is a huge tactical error. No matter how noble our intentions, when we react out of fear and loathing, we're no better than our opponents.
EDITORIAL NOTE: This Post Originally Appeared At The Huffington Post / Off The Bus On September 14, 2008.
Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-foval/wisconsin-hotly-contested_b_126332.htmlto view the original post.
Wisconsin has become one of the most watched battleground states in the country, and forces on both the Democratic and Republican sides have activated their field operations and get-out-the-vote, or GOTV, efforts to woo registered Independent and undecided likely voters. Democrats have been hoping to turn this traditionally red state into a purple or possibly even blue one this year. But just before polls opened last Tuesday for Wisconsin's general assembly primary, numerous, unconfirmed allegations began to surface of a behind-the-scenes effort by the McCain-Palin campaign to manipulate the vote totals in Wisconsin and other key states this November.
On the Monday night before the primary, thousands of Wisconsin registered Independents and voters who have re-registered in the last year received absentee ballot applications enclosed in McCain / Palin direct mail pieces. The pre-printed, re-mailable absentee ballot applications appeared to be customized to the recipient's mailing address, with the addressee's local election office already on the form. Such mailers have been a tool for political campaigns, labor unions, GOTV interest organizations, and state and county election offices for a number of years. Other states reportedly saw similar mailings hit mailboxes, possibly totaling in the millions.
On the surface, the mailings appear to be a legal GOTV effort to re-register targeted recipients for the November 4 general election. But reports in the blogosphere, progressive media, and by other individual sources allege that the forms could instead be part of a larger effort to purposefully manipulate voter registrations in Wisconsin and possibly nationwide. The mailers, if true, may be a type of voter fraud because if someone receives an absentee ballot but does not send it in, he or she cannot go to the polls and vote on election day. The allegations imply that the McCain campaign is sending absentee ballots to people in the hopes that they will not send them in and when they try to vote in person will be turned away.
On Thursday's and Friday's nationally-broadcast Thom Hartmann Show, which airs on Air America Radio Network and streamed online, guest host Lee Rayburn of AAR affiliate The Mic 92.1 FM in Sun Prairie, Wisc., broke the story about the mailings and fielded numerous calls from listeners echoing their concerns about them.
In Wisconsin, the core center of government, the state capitol of Madison, is notoriously liberal. And Milwaukee, the economic center along Lake Michigan, tends to lean left. However, over the last three decades the rest of the state, proud of its independence, its agricultural and green technology industries, and religious conservatism, has proven to be moderate-to-conservative, primarily voting so-called red most of the time. In the last 12 years Wisconsin also has had its share of alleged voting irregularities, although investigations into the allegations have not yet been aggressively pursued by the state assembly or attorney general's offices.
This year, however, may be different. As the economic policies of George Bush have played out, and 3000-plus Wisconsin National Guard reservists were called up last weekend to deploy to Iraq this fall, the state's residents seem to have shifted their opinions of the Republican Party, and the presidential and vice presidential contests. As a result, Wisconsinites are scrutinizing every angle of electing their public officials at a level that has not been seen before. Members of the military who are deployed abroad, by far the largest group of absentee voters, are being courted particularly heavily by the political parties, as dissension in the ranks has swung both political contributions and absentee registrations towards the Democrats and away from Republicans in many states.
Direct mail campaigns containing absentee ballot applications from political parties and campaigns targeted at registered Independents are not new. Wisconsin is an Independent stronghold due to the popularity of Independent U.S. Senator Herb Kohl. Mail campaigns also affect the local and statewide races by activating those potential swing votes. Democrats have been active too, coordinating GOTV efforts for contested Wisconsin General Assembly seats with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). SEIU distributed direct mail pieces to thousands of households on behalf of their endorsed candidates to likely voters in Wisconsin and other states. In Wisconsin both direct mail campaigns hit mailboxes on or before Monday night, September 8, just in time for Tuesday's primary activities. The SEIU mailers did not contain absentee ballot applications, nor did they include endorsements of the national parties or the Obama-Biden campaigns.
McCain's political pitch is targeted squarely at pro-life conservatives. The headline, "A faith that sustains me...," leads to a main story starting with his POW experience in Vietnam, his adoption (with wife Cindy) of a little girl from Mother Theresa's orphanage, and delivers the pro-life position to the reader right between the eyes.
Quoted McCain lines from one of the mailers include these:
"My faith in God sustained me, protected me and gave me the strength to endure."
"That's why I have consistently fought to defend the right to life and the rights of the unborn."
"That's why Cindy and I have worked to promote adoption here and around the world as an alternative to abortion, including adopting our own daughter from Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh."
"And that's why I will appoint judges that respect the values and protect the rights established in our Constitution, faithfully applying the law without legislating from the bench."
Local party officials and labor union organizers are mixed on the effect the national efforts will have on the races at the local level, and on the results in November. Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District Democratic Party Chairman Peter Rickman, an experienced political operative and labor organizer for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), indicated in a Thursday phone interview that the national campaigns are prioritizing their efforts in Wisconsin towards GOTV efforts, but that more statewide and local media buys would be necessary to sway the voters in his district. Rickman insisted that the local candidates and parties were more focused on winning the Wisconsin General Assembly for Democrats, because local politics, he said, is where "real governing happens," and was pessimistic on whether the Obama campaign had done enough to support the entire ticket in an effort to spur the kind of change Obama spoke about in his Democratic National Convention acceptance speech.
"They're focused on their guy and getting him elected, and that's great, but the Obama Campaign could do a lot more to help out in local and statewide races, supporting the whole ticket," Rickman said. "If they really want to make change happen, it's going to have to be at the grassroots level, and although they have raised a lot of individual contributions and support from the grassroots, I haven't seen much of that money coming back in the way of paid media." Rickman did say, however, that the Obama-Biden Campaign and other national organizations are mobilizing large numbers of volunteers and paid staffers in his state and others to bolster GOTV efforts, which would go a long way to insure that likely voters are delivered on November 4.
Wisconsin Republican Party officials at the state and county levels in several areas were contacted for this report, but numerous requests for comment about the allegations surrounding the McCain-Palin mailings went unanswered. Democratic officials, including Rickman and Dane County Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Bigelow, did not mention the absentee ballot allegations in their respective interviews, but have been contacted for follow-up on this story. Efforts to contact state election officials about the allegations are still ongoing, but at press time, requests for comment have yet to be answered.
Liberals -- defined as those who believe in a humanistic education, the earned rights of people, and the inalienable pursuit of the facts about and the meaning of life -- have the intellectual handle on what's wrong with society. In spite of a superior knowledge of what's wrong, how things got that way and how they can be equitably repaired, Liberals lose in American society. And they have lost since long before Hofstader pointed out that there is an abundance of "Anti-intellectualism in American Life." Just visit the grave of Adlai Stevenson -- the wonderfully smart and kind Obama of his day -- and contemplate the current race.
If we're so smart, how come McBush is headed towards a win even after picking the Barbie Doll from Hell to rule the country shortly after his handlers tell us about John's unfortunate losing battle with Alzheimer's Disease in '09? The answer is simple. The Neocons have ruled so long and so successfully by studying how to control and manipulate the masses from the undisputed experts: the National Socialists of three-quarters of a century ago. Karl Rove, aka "McBush's working brain," has been a student and admirer of Dr. Joesph Goebbels since his salad days. The results are obvious: strong words, gesture-punctuated certitude, and the Big Lie works every time, even if the GOP's talking head has all the appeal of a pasty, bloated Ghost of Christmas Past.
You cannot beat Neocons or Nazis with reasoned discourse. And on that tragic truth, Liberals will always lose. We are just too darn nice to cast even a harsh, complicated truth about an opponent, let alone a Big Lie. Well, I've studied Goebbels' diaries just as Rove has. And I am not afraid to shout: "John McBush is a failed war vet, his policies are anti-constitutional and even anti-military. McBush is dumb as a post, he lies opportunistically and chronically, he changes his opinions as often as he covered up his failed war record, and his misogyny and racism are just one temper tantrum away from a public, finger-on-the-nuclear-trigger display. John McCain is the only candidate that ever made George Bush look good." There, I've said it. And he's just a few dozen more Big Lies away from the White House.
If the Obama campaign doesn't recognize the value of making very loud, very bold statements about their opponent, come November 5th they'll likely join the distinguished (and forgotten) ranks of Henry A. Wallace, Adlai E. Stevenson, Hubert H. Humphrey, and all of us Liberals who hoped the American electorate would reward intelligent leadership over fear-mongering piracy. They didn't then; they probably won't now. I hope I'm wrong.
The best watchdog team out there!
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card
* can't say I coined the howler monkey phrase ... see previous post called "Enough! Here's Why the Polls are so Damn Close!" by Bob Cesca.
Oh, and doesn't Dick Morris remind you of Harvey Fierstein? You know, the husky-voiced, drag queen on Broadway!
When you hear one of the many distortions, misrepresentations, and downright lies about Barack Obama repeated, how do you respond? Here’s some provide information refuting five common misrepresentations.
1. Barack Obama has never introduced or sponsored any meaningful legislation.
Obama sponsored the following passed legislation:
2. Barack Obama has never reached across the aisle.
Obama reached across the aisle when he cosponsored The Lugar-Obama Nonproliferation Initiative (detailed above) with Richard Lugar (R, Indiana).
3. Obama is not an agent of change, because he votes with his party.
This is a classic red herring. While it is true that Obama voted with his party 96% of the time during the current Congress (The Washington Post), in an election in which both sides proclaim that change is key, Obama’s voting record demonstrates that he represents change from Republican governance. John McCain, on the other hand, “in 2007 McCain voted in line with the president's position 95 percent of the time – the highest percentage rate for McCain since Bush took office – and voted in line with his party 90 percent of the time” (“McCain voted with George Bush”). If the goal is change, it is clear that Obama votes against Republican government 96% of the time, while McCain votes for it 88%.
4. Obama puts politics before country.
We often hear McCain’s say, "I'd rather lose an election than see my country lose a war," and that Obama put politics ahead of country when he opposed the surge in Iraq. Lacking psychic powers, we can’t attribute Obama’s motives vis a vis this position. It is interesting, however, that the same accusation could be leveled against McCain for his pick of Sarah Palin as running mate. You don’t have to take my word on this. Here’s what Karl Rove had about choosing a vice president.
Discussing Obama’s potential choice of Tim Kaine, Governor of Virginia, Rove said, "With all due respect … to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years.… He was mayor of the 105th-largest city in America [Richmond, VA].… It's not a big town. If [Obama] were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice, where he's said, 'You know what? I'm really not first and foremost concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States? What I'm concerned about is, can he bring me the electoral votes of the state of Virginia, the 13 electoral votes in Virginia?'"
If Tim Kaine would have been a “political choice,” because he lacked sufficient experience, what does that say about McCain choice of Palin. Palin was mayor of Wassila, Alaska, a city significantly smaller than Richmond. (Richmond's population is over 200,000, while at the end of Palin's tenure as mayor in 2002, Wassila had about 6,300 residents.) Also, while Kaine has been governor of Virginia for almost three years, Palin has been governor of Alaska for less than two. If we apply Rove’s logic, McCain’s choice of Palin is clearly political, because, based on her relative experience, she is obviously not qualified to assume the job of the presidency.
In this case, it appears that McCain put politics before country.
5. Sarah Palin is more qualified than Obama, because she has executive experience.
If executive experience, at any level, is the sole criterion for qualification, then Sarah Palin is more qualified than John McCain as well as Barack Obama, yet I don’t hear the Republicans saying she should be their presidential.
Using Rove's logic again, Palin is not qualified to be Vice President.
