The party of patriots, the "us" in "us against them," the party that claims a patent on the love-of-America brand, is become the party of distortion, lies, personal attacks, slime; and the party of voter suppression. One on top of another, the stories pile up: deliberate attempts to deceive voters, to challenge them, to reach into the polluted well and come up with new ways to prevent voting. It's as much as admitting that in the battle of ideas, they have none; or they have no faith that theirs might prevail in a fair fight.
Where's the outrage? Where are the voices on the right, crying "enough." Is there no one on that side to say, "We are better than that. This is America. We should battle in the arena of ideas." Silence. It's beyond shameful. It's a disgrace to them, to this country, to our future. There have been defections: many newspapers, many prominent Republicans have announced their support of Obama. And while it's good that such switches have been based on substantive issues, I've heard no one on the right speak out against this most fundamental perversion of democracy, this evidence that, for all their professed love of country, what they hate is its very foundation.
I'm not a vindictive person. But this time, I hope for a resounding rejection of the tactics, a rising up of people from every state saying, ENOUGH!! We can't afford this. This will not do. This kind of politics -- Rovian, Orwellian, Machiavellian; destructive, undemocratic, uncaring, cynical, antithetical to everything I believe -- I long to see it end resoundingly, in the only way it can: by a reaction so obvious, so monumental, so undeniable that it will never, NEVER, be used again.
No matter the outcome of the election, in this, I know, I will be disappointed.
Please do not use this space for dissenting opinions. Only people agreeing with Sid should comment.
ReplyDeletePlease.
"I long to see it end resoundingly, in the only way it can: by a reaction so obvious, so monumental, so undeniable that it will never, NEVER, be used again."
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sid, for giving articulate voice to my render-me-speechless rage.
McCain/Palin can not win. They must not win, and they WILL not win. Still, I too,have been joking with friends that I have a DNR in place IF they win.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Say it with me. President Obama.
Yes. We did!
It's time to start the over-under on the Obama presidency.
ReplyDeleteAnyone can play. Here's the table:
______ weeks until Obama loses the war.
______ months until people making $40k realize their taxes are going up.
______ days until Iran nukes Israel because of BO's inexperience and naivete.
I agree with you wholeheartedly...but from the right looking to the left and have been so discouraged by the fact that they suspect voter fraud in all the swing states that is connected to acorn.
ReplyDeleteAnd they thought the Florida chads were bad.
Dear Dr S... I have NEVER in my voting years (76-present)...never seen such blatant media bias and suppression of the facts.
I have lost all faith in the journalistic integrity of most journalists.
There are dems of political stature that have crossed over to the republican side too.
I am not understanding the early voting at all. There is election DAY. Except for the military and extreme circumstances.
My concern is because the political climate can change.
I feel this way no matter who wins the presidency.
Here is one man's opinion.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/early-voting-a-travesty/#comment-142044
Well... I'll see you on the other side of Tuesday. Wednesday...one of us is waking up feeling like our country will go down the tubes.
anonymous #1: nope. It's about style, not substance.
ReplyDeleteanonymous #2: I like that game. Let's hear your answers. And let us know the point beyond which you'll agree you were wrong.
seaspray: the voter fraud is a totally specious concept, trumped up to divert attention from voter suppression. Collecting false names does NOT lead to fraud, except on Acorn who paid their workers to get legitimate names. The fraudulent registrations (you need to make the distinction between registration fraud and voter fraud!!) were nearly all discovered and pointed out by Acorn; they were flagged and sent forward to the states (as required by law). The Republicans have for many elections systematically engaged in voter caging and suppression, along with dirty tricks to discourage voting. Voters wrongly purged from the rolls by Republicans number in the tens of thousands, probably way more. The number of fraudulent votes in the last presidential election, in the entire country: five!
ReplyDeleteAcorn screwed up. It didn't properly screen its hires. But that's in no way the same as defrauding the voting system. In that, it's the Republicans, and they've taken in much of the public -- including you, evidently -- as they try, falsely, to suggest there's voter fraud when their real intent is to disenfranchise as many new voters, and minority voters, as possible. Them's the facts. You have it exactly wrong.
You might find this interesting.
As to the media: as Stephen Colbert said, "facts have a well-known liberal bias." If there are facts that you know that have been "suppressed," how is it that you know them? What's been in the news more: Wm Ayers or Charles Keating? Reverend Wright or Palin's witch doctor? Who owns more of the US media than Rupert Murdoch?
The Republicans have, for a long time, built their strategy around creating distrust in the media and in the voting process. It's what one does when they have no confidence in the power of ideas.
I agree about the "tubes" thing. One of us will be very wrong. The question is whether that person will be able to allow some time to pass and keep enough of an open mind to recognize it at some point.
sid i sometimes wish i had your childlike faith. you actually believe good will prevail over evil. you think democracy, because it is essentially a good idea, won't be corrupted by power hungry people. sorry but i think not.
ReplyDeleteif the people preventing people from voting lose this time, they will simply iron out the mistakes in their method and next time around they will be better at controlling who votes and who does not.
i truly hope obama wins but i don't think the other side will sit down and reflectively think it was not a good idea to try to prevent people voting. power doesn't work like that. power for thge sake of power has no ethics.
anyway, i'm rambling and as always i don't have your elloquence.
bongi: well, I said at the end that I knew I'd be disappointed. I know you speak from a seat closer to real corruption than I can even imagine.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to see mom shortly but will come back to read your link.
ReplyDeletePresident Kennedy election where dead people voted in Chicago?
It just isn't right to have early voting for the masses. Unfortunately...where ever there is the human element...there is risk of corruption.
Interestingly, former President Clinton commented in an interview that this is the most honest campaign season we've ever had and he meant in reference to voting.
I don't believe that though.
And there were the people who were bussed in from CA to vote in OH who had their jobs,families and residences back in CA. C'mon!
And what about prisoners and homeless?
If there are federal investigations...that is significant.
I am sorry for being repetitious but in the Vietnam war there was complete liberal bias in the press which was selective in what they showed you in the nightly news and it is an established fact how they only used to show scenes of the marches in Washington and not show the other side of things.
And I believe the liberal press, our politicians (both sides who cared more about their votes and activists like Jane Fonda are what prolonged the war, therefore causing more death and destruction and caused our military men to be disrespected which is beyond any words I could offer as criticism against their actions.
I am so grateful there is conservative and liberal media to balance out the facts.
But on most stations...there is a liberal slant.
Also what about Obama breaking his deal with McCaign about campaign financing?
P.S. When I pray...I don't ask God to put McCain in office.
ReplyDeleteHe knows I am voting for him obviously.
I don't believe God is a democrat or republican... I am thinking he's an independent. ;)
Anyway...what I do pray is that while I will do the best that I know to do...I ask him to please put the best man for the job in office because I figure he knows so much more than we do.
And so even when there are not so good presidents... I think it all ties together in the grand scheme of where things are supposed to go even if we don't understand it.
Hope I didn't offend you with that. I know we think differently there too.
I just want you to know that I am open about it in the cosmic sense and I will get behind the man that is voted in on Tuesday and we all should because when all is said and done...we are Americans and we need to be a strong, unified nation.