October 22, 2008
The Passive Vitriol of the "Intellectual" Left
This MClatchy "report" by David Lightman is really too much:
An ugly line has been crossed in this presidential campaign, one in which some people don't mind calling Barack Obama a dangerous Muslim, a terrorist and worse."To me, this all feels much worse than we've seen in some time," said Kathryn Kolbert, the president of People for the American Way, which monitors political speech.
No evidence is provided. Instead we get feelings from a member of People for the American Way, presented as if that group is some non-ideological arbiter. The tone is that half-smile with a knife twist sometimes performed by those who think they're too clever to be seen as being vitriolic in their own way.
Just doing their part, I guess, to hammer home the message that anybody who doesn't vote for Obama is a racist. Predicting the future is risky business, but I wouldn't be surprised if the operative word used in historians' description of an Obama presidential term is "silenced."
Maybe they'll continue using the "racist" taunt until they get the reaction they weren't expecting.
It wouldn't be a bad thing if the US DID elect an Afro-American president.It would put it in the world's face that we walk the walk with regard to anyone being able to do whatever they want here.This man just isn't the right candidate.He acts entitled and swaggers around while trying to make it seem like he's just a regular guy.
I wonder what McCain was thinking when he chose Palin over Romney.Or did he cave in to James Dobson & Co.?She is really hurting McCain's candidacy at this point.Romney obviously had what was needed to step into the Oval Office the second it became necessary.I know too many of my own friends who are voting for Obama for this specific reason.They seem convinced McCain may not make it through 4 years.I find that to be a poor attitude,but that's the way a lot of people think.The clothing spree and the kids' travel is just another pile on or two that are adding up to help Obama.His half hour infomercial may be the make/break point.
Hopefully he will be suitably arrogant and talk down some more.
So Joe, your friends are going to vote for a President who is even less qualified by experience than the VP choice on the other side. Can't you dope slap them? Is Senator Gaffe-o-matic Biden more qualified to step in for BO should the need arise? He sounds good, but is as factually challenged as Cliff on the old Cheers show.
These are people I know for decades.I don't get it,but there have been a lot of surprises as far as people supporting Obama,and I'm not referring to Powell,because everyone is aware of that endorsement.
Posted by: joe bernstein at October 22, 2008 4:06 PMChuckR
You can say what you want about experience. Millions of voters have voted for for Obama for President in the primary election. However many votes cast for Biden in the primary are that many more than the number that Palin has recieved. The sole accomplishment of Palin nationally was her nomination by the delegates at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Posted by: Phil at October 22, 2008 4:32 PMThe sole accomplishment of Bill Clinton nationally was his nomination by the delegates at the 1992 Democratic National Convention....
The sole accomplishment of George W Bush nationally was his nomination by the delegates at the 2000 Republican National Convention.....
and so forth.
Senators play on a national stage, but legislation is not governance. The last time we had a President this inexperienced, it was Sen. JFK. Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam...
Even Biden pointed out that BO wouild be tested, like JFK at Vienna. If Putin or his surrogate leans on him hard, what is BO going to do? Accuse him of racism?
ChuckR
You willfully missed the point. All who you just mentioned had millions of U.S. citizens vote for them in primaries leading up to the national conventions. Millions of voters in a democracy decided that that particular candidate was qualified to be President and that includes George W. Bush. Putin who you mentioned had experience. Stalin had experience. Shall I go on.
Phil
Putin and Stalin had experience. So did Nikita Khrushchev. Is there a better argument for why our guy should have some too? And should have been tested before people like these get a crack at him?
Millions of people voted for them in primaries? Hell, millions of people read the National Enquirer weekly too.
Understand, Phil, I'm voting against BO, not for JM. Best of a bad situation and all.
Posted by: chuckR at October 22, 2008 8:30 PMSo the PFAW folks think the campaign has "crossed a line?"
Where have they been for the past eight years?
President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been subjected to vitriolic, hate-filled attacks from the left, and I haven't heard a whimper out of PFAW.
Posted by: brassband at October 22, 2008 10:15 PMPFAW is supposed to sound non-partisan,but in fact is a Norman Lear production.
Just like Common Cause in RI.They are not the way their name sounds.They oppose voter initiative because they are liberal elitists-Phil West was a prime example.The current Director,a young woman who is a leftist political wonk from Amherst(just what we need),is a supporter of illegal aliens among other things-although she keeps a relatively low profile.
Operation Clean Government and the League of Women Voters,on the other hand,are pretty much working in the public interest without particular political bias.