cognitive dissident

Before I get into the comment above, Lionel just made an interesting point that we should not bring race into the issue, e.g. George Wallace. He says that highlights the distraction away from the fact that McCain doesn't know what the fuck he's doing. He has a point. Are we taking the bait, or are we expressing real concerns. Probably a little of both.

Now, Aminnu:

"What should be troubling to you is when your free country has been beaten to the point of thinking it safe or even racist to handover the command of its war arsenal to the SAME guy that launched his political career in the living-room of a white terrorist. And when questioned about the relationship, he LIES."

Isn't the first part of that statement oxymoronic, or am I just nitpicking? Free country beaten? You may have accidentally made a case for GOP authoritarianism in that comment.

Futhermore, you say, "of thinking it safe or even racist to handover the command of its war arsenal..."

I don't even understand the point here. Safe or racist? Are you bringing up liberal guilt? Is that the implication here. If so, I believe you are wrong. I'm a white liberal and I can say comfortably that I'm voting for Obama, not because of his race, or because I feel like we owe it to black men, but because he's a qualified leader with the ability to contemplate complex issues, and the ability to administrate with smooth and confident authority.

I do agree that we've come a long way, but I don't understand what you're saying about black folks in that second to last paragraph.

I just don't get your arguments.

I’ve seen no indication that an Obama presidency would be unsafe to our nation, and the prospect of him in the Oval Office troubles me only to the extent that McCain and Palin seem to be near-pathological in the amount of lies they’re telling in order to besmirch his good name—and the overblown Ayers “relationship” is a perfect example. If you can locate even a single lie that Obama has told about Ayers, I’d like to see it; until then you—like the McCain ads you appear to be parroting—don’t have a proverbial leg to stand on:

“We find McCain's claim to be groundless…nothing Obama said previously has been shown to be false.” (Source: FactCheck)

What else does FactCheck say about McCain’s claims?

Voters may differ in how they see Ayers, or how they see Obama’s interactions with him. We’re making no judgment calls on those matters. What we object to are the McCain-Palin campaign’s attempts to sway voters – in ads and on the stump – with false and misleading statements about the relationship, which was never very close. Obama never “lied” about this, just as he never bragged about it. The foundation they both worked with was hardly “radical.” And Ayers is more than a former "terrorist," he’s also a well-known figure in the field of education.

It's crazy. Sometimes when I'm watching the pundits, like Joan Walsh, express their concern, I'm not sure they realize just how real this is. This is certainly no slight on her, or anyone; and I thank them for raising awareness in corporate media. This febrile rhetoric is ugly and reprehensible and it's also very real. It's almost Ubik here in Central Florida where I am presently, and wholly terrifying. Now that the GOP is splintering (for instance, with notable intellectuals --Chris Buckley, Will, Fein-- perhaps paleos, defecting ranks), what's left at the bottom of the barrel is the worst, the absolute worst of America. One foul move spurned by the hate rhetoric of the McCain camp could realize our worst dystopian nightmares, and suddenly, all those conspiracy theories seem prescient.

What should be troubling to you is when your free country has been beaten to the point of thinking it safe or even racist to handover the command of its war arsenal to the SAME guy that launched his political career in the living-room of a white terrorist. And when questioned about the relationship, he LIES.

The sins and pains of our fathers were grievous, but it is clear to everyone that Obama's candidacy represents the fact that America has gone a long way in reuniting its citizens. That should be the breaking news.

When blacks have a candidate that can win the presidency without reminding all that his father is from Kenya and that he does not look like the people on the dollar bill, they will bring him out and he will serve the AMERICAN people.

And in case you think I am racist, just be informed that I am black; One of the few being criticized for not supporting Barack.