Bill Call wrote:Brian, we live in two different countries. My country honors those who serve in the American military, yours honors those who build bombs to be planted at USO dances.
No, Bill, we live in the same country. One that has some significant contradictions. And that's the difference in rhetoric between the two parties this season - one wants to keep talking about 'us' vs. 'them' and the other wants to talk about how we come together as one. That's why people have been overlooking some of the troubling aspects of Mr. Obama's past - because they believe that he's more likely to point the way to a better tomorrow.
But your post illuminates precisely what I was talking about. Rather than present facts and make a somewhat logical argument, culminating in the conclusion that Obama must be a Marxist, the interviewer went right from 'spread the wealth' (which is exactly what the progressive tax structure does already, doesn't it?) to "turn the USA into a Marxist country like Sweden". It was a ridiculous way to frame the question, and a ridiculously easy one for Biden to dismiss. I suspect you would be a much tougher interview for Mr. Biden than that woman was.
The
Rasmussen poll you mentioned showed that among those who identify themselves as liberals, 25% had an overall favorable view of Mr. Ayers. That's not saying they 'honor' him. That means that 78% of LIBERALS have an 'unfavorable' opinion of Ayers. For what it's worth, *I* have an unfavorable opinion of Ayers personally. I've read all the purported links (Ayers babysitted for Obama, Obama wrote a blurb for Ayers' book, even that Ayers ghostwrote Dreams From My Father, etc etc) and it doesn't convince me. Yes - its apparent that Obama got his political beginnings amongst some pretty radical thinkers. But as I look at who the man is today, and I read all that he's written and said - I'm going to take him at more or less face value on what he's planning on doing as President. Hell, I was interested in radical politics when I was a young man and I'm a fairly conservative Democrat with libertarian leanings today.
By the way, only 28% of ALL voters feel the McCain campaign has been helped by focussing on this issue.
Bill, you're in the unenviable position that many on the left were in 2000 and 2004. You're going to have to find a way to deal with your anger and frustration, and give the guy the benefit of the doubt for a couple of months into the new administration. I hope you'll be better satisfied than we were.