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lesliepearOk, I am pro-Obama, but I just wanted to post some commentary on elections here.
In recent years it seems the campaign strategy of politicians has been to find negative things about the opponent and not stress their own positive things.
I think with Barack Obama they've had a hard time with this because he's relatively young and lived a fairly clean public and private life. First they found out that the pastor of the church he attended had very racist views. Just because his pastor has opinions and he attended the church doesn't mean he believes exactly the same thing on everything the pastor did. (As far as I know it wasn't a cult that brainwashed it's members). People chose houses of worship for many reasons not always based on the leader.
Now they are attacking him because he knew or served with Bill Ayres, a 60's radical terrorist on a committee on education (a common interest). Obama was 8 years old at the time of Mr. Ayres activies - he probably didn't even know what was going on then. If Obama was like myself, and found the 60's a fascinating time and wished he were older then - that still doesn't mean he'd approve of terroist tactics of the Weathermen. I think the 60's radicals are very different than Al Quida and other modern terriorists - their goals were different and I'm not sure their aim was to wantonly kill people in the name of their cause - they aimed to be more distruptive in general.
In recent years it seems the campaign strategy of politicians has been to find negative things about the opponent and not stress their own positive things.
I think with Barack Obama they've had a hard time with this because he's relatively young and lived a fairly clean public and private life. First they found out that the pastor of the church he attended had very racist views. Just because his pastor has opinions and he attended the church doesn't mean he believes exactly the same thing on everything the pastor did. (As far as I know it wasn't a cult that brainwashed it's members). People chose houses of worship for many reasons not always based on the leader.
Now they are attacking him because he knew or served with Bill Ayres, a 60's radical terrorist on a committee on education (a common interest). Obama was 8 years old at the time of Mr. Ayres activies - he probably didn't even know what was going on then. If Obama was like myself, and found the 60's a fascinating time and wished he were older then - that still doesn't mean he'd approve of terroist tactics of the Weathermen. I think the 60's radicals are very different than Al Quida and other modern terriorists - their goals were different and I'm not sure their aim was to wantonly kill people in the name of their cause - they aimed to be more distruptive in general.
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Date: 2008-10-14 08:08 pm (UTC)There are plenty of conservative Republicans who are disgusted with McCain and his pseudo-running mate at this point - for example, Christopher Buckley
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-10/the-conservative-case-for-obama/
I'm hardly convinced this is another Carter. That said, McCain can't seem to stop talking as if it's 1980 and seems to be under the impression that he's Ronald Reagan at this point.
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Date: 2008-10-14 08:46 pm (UTC)His Palin pick was his first presidential act, and he wants me to believe that this was the one person he felt would be capable of running in his absense? No,I am sorry - this is not the same man I admired in 2002. The tone of his campaign has been anti-intellectual, name-calling, and generally about stupid crap like who is sexist and whether or not lipstick is a trademarked term that only Palin should be using.
He jumped the shark and has disgraced himself and his party at this point. I think if you watch anything besides FOX news you'd see that.
http://nymag.com/news/politics/powergrid/51016/
And as long as everyone is up in arms about picking someone with shady political ethics, how about that running mate who was in the midst of an investigation when he picked her? And the fact that the investigation concluded that she DID infact abuse her power. THIS is what we want our leaders to be like?
Maybe folks are just going to hope she'll make up for her lack of interest and experience by waiting for her to just surround herself in office with her middle-school classmates and buddies like she did in Alaska?
God forbid this man were to die and leave that woman in charge. And even less than her, what does this selection say about him?
I haven't heard intelligent argument for why I should NOT fear McCain in power.
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Date: 2008-10-14 10:09 pm (UTC)Well, we know that this is what the writers for the McCain speeches are well known for these days.
As for "talking about Obama"
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/GOP_hits_rock_bottom_Calls_Obama_in_an_official_release_terrorists_best_friend.html
But yes, I referred back to McCain in my first reply, because it's a ridiculous tactic to take to call someone friends to terrorists in this way, because mcCain may as well call a pot a kettle black by that argument. It's a non-argument and doesn't need defending.
And I don't see making vague smarty-pants references to Carter as intelligent discussion either, because from my perspective you're the one calling names without a firm "grasp of the issues".
Love how you make a lot of assumptions about me when you know absolutely nothing about me just because I find McCain to be distasteful. And you pack in the insults too!
You forgot to mention that I'm a sexist and an elitist too. :P
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Date: 2008-10-15 12:59 am (UTC)because seriously...
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Date: 2008-10-14 08:09 pm (UTC)(By the way Carter also graduated from the Naval Academy like McCain - but his major was Nuclear Engineering - for some reason that bit of information always impressed me.)
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Date: 2008-10-14 08:23 pm (UTC)