Republicans are getting frustrated with the progress of the John McCain campaign and are voicing that frustration in appropriate and inappropriate ways at campaign rallies. I applaud Senator McCain for trying to reel in the extremism and keep the pot from boiling over. Senator Obama seems to be made of titanium and Teflon and possesses almost hypnotic orator abilities. Republicans, including yours truly, get more and more frustrated as our own ranks, as well as Democrats and independents, no longer care about the facts and are just making a choice based on rhetoric. It's hard not be angry and yell out, but as Senator McCain has stated at recent rallies, it needs to be respectful. We are one country and need to act like it, even when we disagree.
Racism and Dummies in High Places
This goes double for elected officials. You have people like Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat making extremely irresponsible statements to try and create racial unrest in this campaign. In a statement released Saturday (10/11/2008) Rep. Lewis said that John McCain and Sarah Palin were "sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need of this hostility in our political discourse". Lewis compared McCain's campaign to the hateful atmosphere of Governor George Wallace of Alabama in the 1960s. Senator McCain called Lewis' remarks "shocking and beyond the pale". Senator Obama's campaign stated that Senator Obama did not believe McCain or his policy criticism is at all comparable to Wallace or Wallace's segregationist policies.
There is no excuse for someone in Lewis' position throwing these types of accusations around - their sole purpose is to bring up the kind of hatred and racism that they claim to want to overcome. Their actions speak otherwise. They want racism to go away except when they want to use it in their favor.
Unfortunately, Rep. Lewis is not the only one to keep bringing up race in this election. Pretty much any criticism of Obama results in someone saying it was racist. Who knows if this is directly tied to the official Obama campaign or not, I think most of it is not. I think it goes without saying that if John McCain were running against a white man that he could be much more aggressive in his attacks. The pendulum of race has swung way too far in the direction of ridiculous. For some to take McCain's "that one" comment in the 2nd debate as a racist comment is proof that we're completely out of control in this area. So it's no surprise that Obama supporters start crying that the anger and comments at Republican rallies are racist. They're not. Sure, someone may say something racist, I did hear one report of someone saying something racist to a black cameraman, but that's the exception not the rule. It certainly didn't come from the podium. I truly believe that the comments Senator McCain and Governor Palin make would be the same or maybe even stronger if Obama was white.
Friends in Low Places...
There's been a lot of mud slinging about some of Obama's pasts friends, associates, even his pastor. Some say it doesn't matter. Others say it means a great deal about his character. Senator McCain and Governor Palin have been making a big deal about William Ayers, co-founder of the radical Weather Underground group in the turbulent Sixties, who bombed government buildings and killed at least three policemen. Ayers was not convicted on a technicality and has never repented for his acts. In fact he has stated that they didn't do enough. Ayers lives in Obama's neighborhood, they've served on several boards together, and Ayers hosted an event for Obama in 1995. Obama claims he wasn't aware of Ayers past when this occurred. I find that hard to believe. However, the best quote I've heard about the differences between John McCain and Barack Obama is: "If this is true, when Obama found out, he said simply that Ayers questionable past happened a long time ago and he's not doing those things anymore. John McCain would have knocked his teeth out." Enough said. McCain gets my vote again. Then there's the anti-American venom spewing pastor of Obama's church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama was a member of his church, until recently, and attended somewhat regularly for twenty years and claims he never heard any of Wright's anti-American garbage. Again, a claim I find hard to believe. How important are associations like these? I don't think they're life and death important; however they speak to the types of people that a candidate is tolerant of and associates with. It plays into the decision making process as a negative in my opinion.
Hindsight is 20/20...
I still don't understand why people are supporting Obama. I'm actually shocked when I see some neighbors, or people that I know, with an Obama sign in their yard or an Obama bumper sticker on their car. I don't understand what they're basing their decision on. If it's the economy, both parties had a hand in getting us this deep in the mess we're in, but the facts prove that the Democrats had more to do with it than the Republicans. If you're blaming President Bush for the economic mess, then you don't understand that it takes longer than eight years to get us this screwed up. If it's the war on terrorism then either candidate offers a different viewpoint than President Bush. Hindsight is 20/20 and it's easy to say we should or should not have done this or that. President Bush would probably make different choices now about certain things. The fact is that we are engaged in a war and need to finish it, not just pull out.
Long Lasting Effects...
When we elect a president we're doing more than electing a man or a woman to the Presidency of the United States of America. We're also electing someone who has the potential to make choices and decisions that can and will affect this country for years, even decades. The decision on who to vote for should involve much, much more than how polished and charismatic a speaker a particular candidate is, and how much rhetoric their campaign can pump out. It should involve looking past the campaign rhetoric and jargon and weighing each candidates views on important issues. If that candidate has been in office, it should involve looking at their past records on important issues and voting records if appropriate.
Judges may be the Most Important Reason...
Judges are one of the longest lasting appointments that a president can make. Even if I didn't agree with McCain's stance on a lot of issues, and there are issues that I disagree with him on, such as illegal immigration, I would still want a conservative President simply because I want conservative Justices (judges) on the Supreme Court. Appointments such as judges may be the most important thing to consider when voting for a candidate. If the candidate turns out to be a lousy President, they could be finished in four years, but any judge they appoint could be on the bench for 30 years or more.
I encourage you to look at the issues and long term effects of choosing one candidate over the other, not just the headlines and top stories that you see day to day.
Until next time,
Recoil
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Posted by Fred (aka Recoil) on October 12, 2008
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