Unless you have been totally ignoring campaign discourse lately, you're aware of the absolute outrage from our friends on the other side of the political spectrum over the notion of questioning Barack Obama's fitness for office. Such indignation is generally couched with two starting points: 1) how dare the Audacity of Hope be questioned for associating himself with characters whose radical views many Americans find troublesome. 2) Republicans are obviously racists compared to us enlightened progressives.
First things first, I've said it before and I'll say it again, those that claim Barack Obama is an "Arab" or a "Muslim" or a "terrorist" are absolute idiots. A stain on the right just as notable elements of the netroots end up deeply soiling the left (see Palin, Trig).
That said, it's not just Obama's associations; it's the alarming lack of forthrightness and honesty on the topic. A) The Obama campaign (and the candidate himself perhaps) can't keep their story straight. Didn't we our fill of that with Bill Clinton? B) These associations become peculiarly malleable when politically convenient - Jermiah Wright "could no longer be disowned"...until he took his crazy-time show to the National Press Club rather than a pulpit in Chicago.
As to the Republicans as racists, progressives as enlightened meme, the startling silence from the left on the derogatory and vulgur attacks against Sarah Palin from within the ranks reveals much about just how "tolerant" some liberals actually are (or aren't). Example: this less than classy bumper sticker, a paragon of intolerance (h/t: K-Lo).
Of course, these are many of the same folks who are earnestly preparing to declare conservatism a dead ideology should Obama win. And they're the same crowd who cheered the supposed dawn of a new age of progressive governance after the 2006 elections.
How's that working out for them?
Posted by Eric Earling at October 20, 2008 07:11 PM | Email ThisThat worthless a-hole David Gregory from NBC (Nothing But Communists) was pontificating about Joe. What a bunch of arrogant jerks! These media people actually thing they're what's important. They actually think their views are handed down to them from the Supreme Being, and anyone who criticizes them or their chosen Saviour (Barack O.) is a blasphemer who must be hounded to death. How else can we explain this media terrorism against an average guy like this guy Joe from Ohio?
These a-holes (Gregory, Brokaw, Rather, Olbermann, Matthews, Maher, etc.) ought to be put to death in the most painful fashion imaginable.
Posted by: Politically Incorrect on October 20, 2008 07:14 PMRace and Republicans is a good topic. Rush and Savage discussed it today. There was discussion that Powell endorsed Obama based primarily on race, and that whites are the only ones who are guilt-ridden and reluctant to vote based on race. Are whites morally superior in their self-condemnation? Have they been conditioned into self-loathing? Are they to pay for the sins of their fathers? If a race perceives itself under attack, threatened, or disadvantaged in any respect, should it be free to peacefully defend or advance itself at the polls?
Posted by: 5.62 on October 20, 2008 07:20 PMJust what America needs. A bunch of hate filled, ignorant lemmings, looking for someone to blame for the coming wipeout on Nov 4th. America will fully reject the party of hate, once and for all.
The Republicon Party will not be looked upon well through the eye of historians. They deserve far worse however. Even their heroes are leaving. The slime is getting too much for people with a SOUL to handle. Just ask Colin Powell.
Their problem is the fact that there are just not enough single digit IQ voters, believing their lies, to put them over the top this time. The "Real Americans" from the back woods, swamps, and I guess caves. You would have to live in a cave to want to vote for ANY Republicon these days.
It's over. Thank God Reagan's Reign of Terror on the middle class, and poor, is finally over.
G.O.P. Don't rest in peace. Burn in Hell.
Posted by: All Facts Support My Positions on October 20, 2008 07:55 PMIt seems that every post you make gets shriller and shriller. You never have facts and all you can do is stick your tongue out and call people names. Are you too mentally incapacitated to have a discussion of facts or is it that the only joy you get id from drive by insults and this his the way you get your endorphin rush for the day?
Posted by: Eyago on October 20, 2008 08:20 PM
Ah yes, those peace loving, tolerant liberals.
Oh yes, those 'Full Time Slimes'.
Which one is you, comrade?
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on October 20, 2008 08:26 PMAnd could the author please show an example of Senator Obama's supporters' outrage?
Posted by: tensor on October 20, 2008 08:27 PMLet's see...
Reagan was a successful executive before he became president. No foreign policy experience. True for a lot of governors cum president.
FDR was not puny in comparison to, oh...say, Obama. State Senator, Assistant Secretary to the navy, Governor of New York. His experiences gave him executive, foreign relations and military.
Lincoln? Captain of a militia company, ran a small business, Involved in 5,100 court cases, and he and his law partners argued in front of the Illinois Supreme court 400 times. And the Lincoln Douglas debates? Put him in the spotlight to advocate for a controversial position where he stood his ground against strong opposition. He did not try and waffle to say that he was for it but really against it. I don't think he ever voted present, either.
The problem with your argument, Tensor, is that you can take any candidate and show that they have some weakness in some area for president. The problem with Obama is that he has ALL the weaknesses. No Executive experience, no track record of success, no willingness to stand on principle and take the heat when it is not politically favorable to do so, no openness in his record, no long record of legal scholarship and effectiveness, no foreign policy experience.
Obama has done nothing but squander 100 million dollars to no effect, write 2 narcissistic books (I mean who really writes autobiographies before age 50 when they never accomplished a single world-changing thing?), and run for political office. He has surrounded himself with fringe outsiders of a very left-wing ideology throughout his career and cannot really demonstrate he has ever crossed an ideological aisle to do anything with a centrist or Right winger.
Everything about Obama's life is in direct contradiction to what he promises in his speeches. At least with Lincoln you got the audacity of the courage of his convictions.
Posted by: Eyago on October 20, 2008 08:54 PMAnd that wasn't qualified at all.
Leftists know this. They'd be just as rabid for any other leftist candidate.
But at the end of the day, who are we to believe on the issue of qualifications for that empty-suited, anti-American racist bigot that ten cents supports?
cents? Or Biden?
Posted by: Hinton on October 20, 2008 10:24 PMHe wants to change the way labor is bought and sold in America, regulating it with big government.
He's a trial Lawyer.
He wears a beard.
He's in the pocket of special interests, namely unions, saying, "If a man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool. There is no America without labor, and to fleece one is to rob the other."
He's against God, saying, "The Bible is not my Book and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long complicated statements of Christian dogma."
He's soft on communism, exchanging letters with Karl Marx.
Abraham Lincoln. The wrong man at the wrong time.
A vote for Lincoln is a vote against America and its proud traditions."
Posted by: Rank Stranger on October 20, 2008 10:29 PMHe wants to change the way labor is bought and sold in America, regulating it with big government.
He's a trial Lawyer.
He wears a beard.
He's in the pocket of special interests, namely unions, saying, "If a man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool. There is no America without labor, and to fleece one is to rob the other."
He's against God, saying, "The Bible is not my Book and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long complicated statements of Christian dogma."
He's soft on communism, exchanging letters with Karl Marx.
Abraham Lincoln. The wrong man at the wrong time.
A vote for Lincoln is a vote against America and its proud traditions."
I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
Posted by: Rank Stranger on October 20, 2008 10:30 PMOutrage or just base uncivility by some of your friends here at a Palin rally in Philadelphia showing their liberal tolerance...and of course, usual level of liberal maturity?
Liberalism is synonymous with intolerance.
If you look at Obama's body of work, it was as a radical. Most 60 radicals decided to work within the system in the 70s, etc., but that doesn't change what they wanted to accomplish and how to go about it. True, Ayres is nonrepentant and I doubt Obama would agree. Obama seems like the type to run away from any conflict.
However, the radical aspects- the hate America theme- is played out throughout his career. Ayres is active in Venezuela with Chavez and I believe, Obama visited there. Was Ayres an envoy?
So many questions and so little time. I, for one, am glad Palin (attack dog, which is VP job(read Joe Biden role)) is bringing these things up. It is the Manhattan conservatives who are getting antsy because this battle is not being played out in the high and mighty social circles.
Posted by: swatter on October 21, 2008 07:33 AMI do think Sullivan has went overboard on this effort. I do agree that campaigns need to be forthcoming about medical records, which is a standard for Presidential candidates. We should know the health of all the candidates, although I am sure that Palin is probably in the best health of any of them. Biden had his aneurysm several years back. McCain has had his history with skin cancer. Obama has been a smoker, and is now getting into his late 40's, where men start to need to be tested for other standard conditions. He hasn't hit the magic 50 mark where he needs a colonoscopy, but we should know his basic health measures (BP, Chloresteral, etc.).
All the candidates, including Cindy McCain, who files separately, have at least released their financial records, now. So, Sullivan doesn't have that to rank on. If I was the McCain camp, I would shut him up and release the medical records. What's to hide?
I do disagree with Sullivan on the CA initiative. I have read his essay on why he feels "marriage" is the only answer, but he misses the point. My feeling is the same as it is with the struggles within my own denomination, the "marriage" charade is not over equality, the eventual target is church theology, and not legal rights. Obama and McCain have both stated they are all for equal legal rights for all, but both still want marriage defined in traditional sense. This is one area, where Obama doesn't fit with his liberal counterparts, nor his church (the UCC has blessed gay marriage), but it does put him in line with blacks, who have been more conservative on this issue than other social issues.
Posted by: tc on October 21, 2008 07:46 AMTENSOR read comment 4 from AFSMP
If that is not outrage what is?
Do you really want a Government agent who is like AFSMP to come to your place of business in an Obama administration that has decided to expand government control over the economy? I do not. I have had to deal with badge heavy zealots in person who disregard the laws and regulations and tried to bully businessmen into doing things they were under no obligation to do. In one case, I had the direct backing of the man who wrote the regulation about what it meant and the enforcement officer claimed that she got to determine what it meant not the person who wrote it. (She had no education or expertise in much of anything while the regulation writer had over 40 years of relevant experience.)
The problem with increasing goverment power and control over people and business is that you never know when you will get a mindless hater like AFSMP who wants you to "burn in hell".
Posted by: KW64 on October 21, 2008 09:48 AMNixon is a trial lawyer and should not be trusted
Ford is an unqualified Representative from Michigan
Ronald Reagan is an elitist movie star who will push appeasement with Communist countries
"Senator Obama is not ready to be President."
Sen. Joe Biden, VP candidate and Gaff Master.
No "twisting" there, eh?
Posted by: Hinton on October 21, 2008 03:57 PMYou can beat this dead horse of Ayers/Wright until the cows come home. NO ONE CARES. It's not a big enough tie or enough apparent influence to matter. Sorry, there's too much important stuff going on.
I miss the point of why I would believe Republicans are racists. I don't but there are certainly a lot of interesting people attending some Palin events. People who seemingly don't care that they are being videotaped shouting or saying some pretty outrageous things.
I can see how this election slipping away is painful. You can imagine the pain that Dems felt 4 years ago watching Kerry get hit by the Swift Boaters. However, much is happening to the McCain campaign in ineptness and self-destruction (note Palin's attempts to shake off her handlers - positioning herself to say later that she didn't agree with the campaign direction?)and not anything that the Dems have done.
I really disliked Bush but after 9/11 I would have done anything he asked. He asked us to shop. McCain says he has all sorts of "plans" for finding Osama Bin Laden and solving the economy problems and "winning" the war(s) and yet it seems we have to wait for him to be elected to find out what they are. Obama has made real promises about what he wants Americans to do to help our country.
Cry me a river but barring some huge event or error, Obama is going to win. The question is are we going to tear ourselves apart as a country with ultra-partisanship or are we, as we go forward, going to remember the adage "United we stand, divided we fall."
The question is are we going to tear ourselves apart as a country with ultra-partisanship or are we, as we go forward, going to remember the adage "United we stand, divided we fall."
With Hillary clamoring for 60 Senators so as to completely cut the Republicans out of any "compromise" in the Congress, I think you know the answer to your own question.
The Slavery Party has ZERO interest in working together, or seeking compromise. It is all or nothing.
If Obama wins, and Hillary gets her magic 60, then you will have NO ONE to blame but yourselves. It will be all your fault - can't blame it on Bush, can't blame it on any Republicans. It comes crashing down, YOU destroyed it.
You've already kicked most of the supports out from the US via your cowardice, appeasement, treason, and financial thievery. Now you want to tear the country apart with your own goals.
Some going forward together...
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on October 21, 2008 09:31 PMOne last thought, how much worse - really now, given our current situation - could Obama possibly make it?
Posted by: westello on October 22, 2008 02:12 PM