Hillary isn’t the enemy. Nor is Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Geraldine Ferraro, or the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright.
John McCain, Karl Rove, Ken Mehlmann, and the media are the enemy.
I am an Obama supporter. Yes, I deplore the politics of fear, or the politics of personal destruction. My blood pressure fluctuates wildly when I hear a baseless accusation, and I talk to the television as much as anyone. I want a polite debate on the issues, I want to believe that right always wins and that everyone will see the simple logic of truth over hyperbole. But I’m older now (50), and I’ve been a political junkie for a long time. I don’t believe that most of what is happening is horribly damaging for the Democratic Party, or the candidates themselves. It is interesting, and entertaining, and a prelude to what really matters. WINNING IN NOVEMBER!!!!!
I would like to keep this discussion generic, please. No "HRC is Evil", or "Obama is finished". We will have a nominee. Hillary seems to have weathered Geraldine Ferarro. We don’t know what the long term effects of the Dr. Wright controversy will be, but as a new member of KO’s, I am very disturbed by the divisions between HRC and BO supporters on this site. I suppose that the lack of real substantive division on the major issues leaves us to discuss negative campaigning, guilt by association, hypocrisy (real and imagined), and any other fluff that the media feeds us.
The MSM doesn’t care who wins, as long as it’s long, ugly, and contentious. What could be better? If it was over on Tuesday, March 4, then they would have to work harder for the 6 months until the convention, and they would make billions of dollars less. Therefore, it was in their interest to stop Obama’s momentum. If Hillary had been ahead by the same margin, they would do the opposite. They want this to go on, and will do whatever it takes to stir the pot.
What Hillary has actually done so far is a love tap. The press has made it into a Mike Tyson roundhouse followed by an ear chomp. They have ignored reality to impose their own upon this race and onto us. This is predictable and sad, because we let them. We even help them. We have to stop.
Does anybody really think that the red phone ad is Rovian? Come on. That would be Karl Rove clearing his throat. The MSM will cover whatever they need to, because they want to keep it even. The press is looking ahead, and each week of coverage will be tailored to KEEP IT EVEN. Keep that in mind as you watch this fluff.
There are almost perfect corollaries between the MSM and sports media. What did they do in the run-up to the Super Bowl? They created a story. The Giants were about to face the first 18-0 team in Super Bowl history, so they created a contest. Turns out, the Giants didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to lose. They lost 3 quarters in the SB, but they won the game. How? They scored more points. That’s all. They scored more points. That’s how you win the game.
But this isn’t a game. This is so deadly serious that analogies shouldn’t even be allowed. This is about 40 more years, because if McCain wins, he could pack the Supreme Court so thoroughly that we may never get it un-constipated. He could keep us in Iraq, put us in Iran, Guatemala, North Korea, Pakistan, and maybe go back to finish the job in Vietnam. He could lead us through recession into depression, abrogate the rest of our civil rights, and entrench the richest people and corporations into power for the rest of time. He could shepherd us into global environmental catastrophe, and mismanage our diplomatic relations to the point that no American will be safe outside our borders. So we need to keep our eye on the ball, folks. It’s the McCain, Stupid.
Therefore, I will support the Democratic nominee. Period. Because it’s Important. And this site would be well served if we argued from that point of view. Because Karl Rove is out there. He’s probably in here, too. He’s everywhere, believe me.
Let’s not forget 2000, when he stole an election. Or how about in 2002, when he stole a bunch of them. Or 2004, when he stole another election. Karl Rove steals elections, and he’s working for John McCain. What do you think he’s going to try to do in 2008? I think he’s going to try to steal an election. Just a hunch.
He won’t need Fear, Smear, and Queers this time. Just Fear and Smear. I have been re-reading Al Franken’s "The Truth (with Lies)" all this week, and I’m surprised how much I’ve forgotten about the things Karl Rove did. I would recommend that everyone do a little reading - any of the thousands of books that have been written in the last 8 years about the most influential man of the 21st century, Karl Rove. The books could be about George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson, 9/11, WMD, conspiracy theories, election fraud, the Constitution, civil rights, big pharma, global warming, corporate thievery, or any other outrage that has been perpetrated on OUR country over the last 8 years. But don’t forget, they are ALL about Karl Rove. AND HE"S WORKING FOR JOHN MCCAIN!!!!!!!!!!
Democrats typically have lost because we can’t ever imagine to what depths Rove will sink. We need to think ahead this time, because we need to win. We have to stop focusing on the crap between Hillary and Obama, and start focusing on McCain and Rove. Especially Rove. Because either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama can beat John McCain in a fair fight. But it won’t be fair. It won’t even be close to fair.
I, like many of you, made the progression from Kucinich to Edwards to Obama. I knew Kucinich wasn’t electable, even though he was right. I thought Edwards might be electable, but South Carolina proved that to be wrong. Then I listened to Obama speak after winning Wisconsin, and I was hooked. I went to bed that night, looked at my 2 year old boy sleeping, and thought to myself "Things might actually get better for you." I believe in Obama, I believe in hope, and I hope he can win. But if I think he can’t, because of Wright, Rezko, or for any other reason, I will support the candidate who can win. My son is too important to me. I don’t want to explain to him in 16 years that Daddy tried, but McCain won, and now he has to go kill Iranians because Daddy didn’t realize that Karl Rove could stoop to THAT.
So come on, Democrats. Come on, Liberals. Come on, Progressives. Come on, Independents. And come on, Republicans. Because Karl Rove is coming soon to a theater near you.