So I'm in college and as a reflex to John McCain trying to claim the change mantle on national television last night, I posted a snarky note on Facebook:
Listening to John McCain's acceptance speech, I felt an odd sense of deja vu. It was as though I had heard someone else say it before and say it better.
Oh right.
Obama did it.
Like a week ago.
In front of 60,000 more people live. What an asshat.
Yeah, it could've been written in a better way but whatever. So I wake up to find that a friend of mine has commented on my Facebook Note:
Bob...what the hell are you talking about? I saw BOTH speeches live, and there were SEVERAL differences between the two speeches. One of them being that in his speech, John McCain did NOT take cheap pot shots at Obama like Obama did McCain in his speech. Also, did you ever stop and think that this is how most if not all PARTY NOMINATION acceptance speeches go? On top of that: did you get a look at the crowd in BOTH party speeches? I'm not saying I'm for either candidate here (I'm honestly not), but for fuck's sake you're a well educated man and should know how to objectively view something like an acceptance speech and evaluate a candidate. Be just as fair to McCain as you would Obama and I would say the same thing to anyone who had the reverse opinions. I'm not saying LIKE him, just use fair and balanced jugement.
Now I was exasperated by this, especially considering that she'd claimed to have seen both speeches and that it was Obama who was to blame for making all of these mean-spirited attacks.
Though I'm sure everyone here knows that Obama never took those "pot shots" at John McCain during the entire speech except on policy differences and on things that John McCain has said during the course of his time as a Presidential candidate, I think it would be wise to have a fact sheet about this stuff to clear up misconceptions voters have and counteract the spin. I'll start it and feel free to add anything in comments that you think is missing.
- Barack Obama did not attack John McCain during his acceptance speech. In fact, he went so far as to state that he did not believe that John McCain did not hate America.
- Barack Obama has always applauded John McCain's service to this country, but also believes there are significant differences between John McCain and himself when it comes to the policies he would enact as President.
- During the Republican National Convention, Republicans made vicious assaults against Barack Obama by mocking his experience as a community organizer. It seems to me that someone who would take time to fight for the middle class while making $12,000 a year when he had the potential to be a Wall Street lawyer ought to command our respect.