I couldn't believe that a major TV news program would have an anchor of such extreme political views -- or, at least, an anchor who would make her extreme political views that apparent in her interview questions. I just sent her the perfect response.
If you haven't seen it already, please go immediately to this amazing diary entry posted by robjnyc and watch the video of an interview with Joe Biden conducted by Barbara West, an anchorwoman with WFTV, the ABC affiliate in Orlando, Florida. West makes numerous false accusations and guilt-by-association charges against Barack Obama, but the real kicker is her quoting Karl Marx to Biden and then asking him if this doesn't show that Obama is therefore Marxist.
Biden is amazing, every bit as great as he was in his debate with Sarah Palin. First, he is understandably incredulous and asks if this is a joke. She assures him that it is not (although, if she had any brains at all, she would have caught the life-preserver he threw her and said, "Oh, absolutely" or at least "No, but I'd like your response to these accusations that some of Senator Obama's detractors are making," but noooo ...). Biden then goes on to explain the real world of tax policy (for all the good that was likely to do with this wingnut).
Well, I've gotten really tired of hearing these hard-right conservatives, most especially the supposedly Christian ones, criticize Obama for daring to expect people making more than a quarter-million dollars a year to pony up a little more of their income, proportionately, than households of teachers or firefighters making $50,000 a year. So, I just sent the following e-mail to Barbara West (thanks to diarist robjnyc for posting West's office e-mail address):
Ms. West,
In a recent interview with Senator Joe Biden, you quoted Karl Marx’s philosophy of taking from each according to his abilities and giving to each according to his needs, and then asked if Senator Barack Obama’s statement about "spreading the wealth around" therefore made him a Marxist.
Here is another sentiment similar to Karl Marx’s, although it actually is much closer to what Senator Obama said: "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."
In case you are unfamiliar with Scripture, those were the words of Jesus Christ, as quoted in Luke 12:48.
I’d say that Senator Obama’s economic and tax policies show that he’s a Christian.