'The Right Choice?'

Yesterday I received an emailed article which encapsulates just about every criticism thrown at Barack Obama by an increasingly desperate right wing.

I was tempted to send back a two-word response: “Double-barreled bullsh*t!”

Then, some words kept running through my head, words spoken by Michael Douglas in Rob Reiner’s “The American President:”

“We've got serious problems, and we need serious people, and if you want to talk about character, Bob, you'd better come at me … “

Here, then, is the article, followed by my response. Well, mine and those of 18 conservatives.

THE ARTICLE:

The Obama Temptation

by Mark R. Levin, right-wing radio talk show host, 25 October 2008 (LINK)

I've been thinking this for a while so I might as well air it here. I honestly never thought we'd see such a thing in our country - not yet anyway - but I sense what's occurring in this election is a recklessness and abandonment of rationality that has preceded the voluntary surrender of liberty and security in other places. I can't help but observe that even some conservatives are caught in the moment as their attempts at explaining their support for Barack Obama are unpersuasive and even illogical. And the pull appears to be rather strong. Ken Adelman, Doug Kmiec and others reach for the usual platitudes in explaining themselves but are utterly incoherent. Even non-conservatives with significant public policy and real world experiences, such as Colin Powell and Charles Fried, find Obama alluring but can't explain themselves in an intelligent way. (BJ: See Colin Powell’s explanation on my post, “What Powell said,” LINK)

There is a cult-like atmosphere around Barack Obama, which his campaign has carefully and successfully fabricated, which concerns me. The messiah complex. Fainting audience members at rallies. Special Obama flags and an Obama presidential seal. A graphic with the portrayal of the globe and Obama's name on it, which adorns everything from Obama's plane to his street literature. Young school children singing songs praising Obama. Teenagers wearing camouflage outfits and marching in military order chanting Obama's name and the professions he is going to open to them. An Obama world tour, culminating in a speech in Berlin where Obama proclaims we are all citizens of the world. I dare say, this is ominous stuff.

Even the media are drawn to the allure that is Obama. Yes, the media are liberal. Even so, it is obvious that this election is different. The media are open and brazen in their attempts to influence the outcome of this election. I've never seen anything like it. Virtually all evidence of Obama's past influences and radicalism — from Jeremiah Wright to William Ayers — have been raised by non-traditional news sources. The media's role has been to ignore it as long as possible, then mention it if they must, and finally dismiss it and those who raise it in the first place. It's as if the media use the Obama campaign's talking points — its preposterous assertions that Obama didn't hear Wright from the pulpit railing about black liberation, whites, Jews, etc., that Obama had no idea Ayers was a domestic terrorist despite their close political, social and working relationship, etc. — to protect Obama from legitimate and routine scrutiny. And because journalists have also become commentators, it is hard to miss their almost uniform admiration for Obama and excitement about an Obama presidency. So in the tank are the media for Obama that for months we've read news stories and opinion pieces insisting that if Obama is not elected president it will be due to white racism. And, of course, while experience is crucial in assessing Sarah Palin's qualifications for vice president, no such standard is applied to Obama's qualifications for president. (No longer is it acceptable to minimize the work of a community organizer.) Charles Gibson and Katie Couric sought to humiliate Palin. They would never and have never tried such an approach with Obama.

But beyond the elites and the media, my greatest concern is whether this election will show a majority of the voters susceptible to the appeal of a charismatic demagogue. This may seem a harsh term to some, and no doubt will to Obama supporters, but it is a perfectly appropriate characterization. Obama's entire campaign is built on class warfare and human envy. The "change" he peddles is not new. We've seen it before. It is change that diminishes individual liberty for the soft authoritarianism of socialism. It is a populist appeal that disguises government mandated wealth redistribution as tax cuts for the middle class, falsely blames capitalism for the social policies and government corruption (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) that led to the current turmoil in our financial markets, fuels contempt for commerce and trade by stigmatizing those who run successful small and large businesses, and exploits human imperfection as a justification for a massive expansion of centralized government. Obama's appeal to the middle class is an appeal to the "the proletariat," as an infamous philosopher once described it, about which a mythology has been created. Rather than pursue the American Dream, he insists that the American Dream has arbitrary limits, limits Obama would set for the rest of us — today it's $250,000 for businesses and even less for individuals. If the individual dares to succeed beyond the limits set by Obama, he is punished for he's now officially "rich." The value of his physical and intellectual labor must be confiscated in greater amounts for the good of the proletariat (the middle class). And so it is that the middle class, the birth-child of capitalism, is both celebrated and enslaved — for its own good and the greater good. The "hope" Obama represents, therefore, is not hope at all. It is the misery of his utopianism imposed on the individual.

Unlike past Democrat presidential candidates, Obama is a hardened ideologue. He's not interested in playing around the edges. He seeks "fundamental change," i.e., to remake society. And if the Democrats control Congress with super-majorities led by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, he will get much of what he demands.

The question is whether enough Americans understand what's at stake in this election and, if they do, whether they care. Is the allure of a charismatic demagogue so strong that the usually sober American people are willing to risk an Obama presidency? After all, it ensnared Adelman, Kmiec, Powell, Fried and numerous others. And while America will certainly survive, it will do so, in many respects, as a different place. –End-

MY RESPONSE:

I just read the article you sent. This just scares you to death, doesn’t it? That is what it aims to do. That is the purpose of such propaganda. This is desperation from a political party whose own members admit has practically run this nation into the ground – financially, diplomatically and morally.

The right-wing blogosphere is permeated with this Mark R. Levin article, which, as planned, targets both the ignorant and the innocent.

The ignorant do not think for themselves, fact-check unsigned and undocumented claims or bother to keep abreast with what is going on in the government of this nation. They are happy to let Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity do it for them.

The innocent, unlike me, are just too busy with their own lives, their jobs, their families, to spend their waking hours just trying to keep up with the multilayered scandals manifested in the current administration. I am happy to do it for them.

Sadly, the article will find an audience. The good news is the audience it will find – and it is posted across the Web - is among the 25 percent of Americans who STILL think George W. Bush is doing a good job (Gallup, October 2008, LINK). This core constituency will vote for McCain-Palin no matter what the platforms of either party.

So, this piece of propaganda is not going to affect the outcome of this election.

This is merely a way to deflect the fact that intelligent persons who are very much aware of what is going on in America and in our government are, in great numbers, supporting Barack Obama. This includes many able members of the Republican Party and many right-wing thinkers.

I am not swayed by such propaganda. Don’t you think after eight years of dedicated research and objective thinking, of examining the performance of the current administration and the path the Republican Party has taken, I am capable of deciding the leadership which is best for this country?

Let me scare you. Ask yourself if you really are a conservative, for the path the Republican Party has taken over the last eight years has absolutely nothing to do with traditional conservatism.

I do not always agree with that most outspoken conservative Pat Buchanan, but I respect his strength of conviction and his love for this country. Buchanan, in his The American Conservative magazine, has this to say about conservatism as it has evolved in the Republican Party:

"The conservative movement has been hijacked and turned into a globalist interventionist, open-borders ideology, which is not the conservative movement I grew up with."

Buchanan is joined by an ever-growing cadre of conservatives who are disenchanted with the Republican Party and our current president, particularly in the area of fiscal responsibility.

The cover story in the November 3, 2008, issue of Buchanan’s The American Conservative magazine is titled “The Right Choice?” (LINK) Quoting the “lede” of the story:

“Traditional conservatives have no clear favorite in the November election. Is there a lesser evil? Should we vote third party? Would we be better off just staying home? TAC asked 18 conservatives, libertarians and independent thinkers how they plan to vote and why.”

I have read the 18 responders’ statements – they are both brief and enlightening - and if you want a true picture of what’s at stake in this election, I recommend you read them, too. What is an hour of your time when it comes to making “The Right Choice?” (LINK TO STATEMENTS)

Of the 18 persons:

6 will vote “third party.”
4 say they will not vote.
3 will vote for John McCain.
5 will vote for Barack Obama.

All 18 right-wing contributors hold in disdain both the Bush administration and John McCain. Most said Barack Obama is “the lesser of two evils.”

Of the three who are voting for John McCain, here’s what two had to say about their vote:

“An exercise in futility.”

“A better writer said of a charmless woman that rousing any affection for her would be like ‘smoking an unlit cigar, walking a dead dog, swimming in an empty pool, or listening to the radio when it is off.’ The same goes for the Republican nominee. When John McCain appears on screen, all vacant grin and Eeyore cadence, I reach for the mute button. I hate his wars. I don’t trust his maverick pose. When he says ‘my friends,’ he doesn’t mean me. But, I am voting for him.” This woman calls her vote “damage control” against what she believes will be a sweeping victory for Democrats in Congress.

Of the four who say they will not vote on Nov. 4, one quoted a character from Richard Linklater’s “Slacker:”

“Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy.”

In conclusion, if the article you sent me scares you, let me frighten the hell out you. The article is the product of right-wing desperation: the inability to stand on its merits.

In the eight years of the Bush presidency – six of which saw a Republican majority in both the House and Senate – this country has been in a downward spiral – a far cry from the country you grew up in, or the country you expect your grandchildren to grow up in. A vote for McCain-Palin is a guarantee that the policies which brought about this decline will continue.

That is why Barack Obama’s message of “change” is resonating across America, and that is why the core right-wing, Palin and McCain are fighting him nail and tooth with all they have to offer – an unprecedented smear campaign.

Just a few days ago I posted an essay, “How to Detect Propaganda.” (LINK) It is important to point out here that the devices of propaganda are not only rampant in the above article, but appeared throughout Obama’s 30-minute TV appeal last night. Propaganda, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. It is the “predetermined ends” it seeks to accomplish, which should be examined, and those ends can be either good or evil. The essay equips you to know the difference.

In my opinion, Obama’s message for this country appeals to our better selves.

Will the smears against Obama stick? Maybe, if voters do not take the time to fact-check them.

But, don’t take my word for it. Your vote is your American birthright. It is both a duty and a privilege. Some time in the remaining days before you vote, spend an hour or so reading what 18 of your fellow right-wing Americans have to say about the McCain-Palin ticket: LINK

The greatest nation

“America didn’t become the greatest nation on earth by using your money to spread the wealth around.” – John McCain, campaign speeches, October 2008.

YES, IT DID!

That’s exactly how it became the greatest nation on earth, and that’s how it will remain the greatest nation on earth.

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

That’s how we got the name “United States.” And, that’s where your money goes. And, we all share in the wealth.

THINK ABOUT IT!

Still 'a big, fat idiot'

When Tom Brokaw asked Colin Powell on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” about those who would suggest his endorsement of Barack Obama is race-based, the former secretary of state said:

“If I had only had that in mind, I could have done this six, eight, 10 months ago. I really have been going back and forth between somebody I have the highest respect and regard for, John McCain, and somebody I was getting to know, Barack Obama. And, it was only in the last couple of months that I settled on this.

“And, I can't deny that it will be a historic event for an African-American to become president. And, should that happen, all Americans should be proud - not just African-Americans, but all Americans - that we have reached this point in our national history where such a thing could happen. It will also not only electrify our country, I think it'll electrify the world.”

***

“I just want to button this up, because the Drive-Bys had a tizzy over my allegation that his nomination was about race. Well, let me say it louder, and let me say it even more plainly: it was totally about race! The Powell nomination, or endorsement, IT WAS TOTALLY ABOUT RACE!”

- Rush Limbaugh, radio talk show host, 20 October 2008.

Sigh.

Gen. Powell’s reasons for endorsing Obama are clear enough and can be found in yesterday’s post.

Rush Limbaugh just doesn’t want his Dittoheads to hear or understand them.

After all, his devotees got that nickname from calling into his radio show and saying, “Ditto, Rush.”

What Powell said

Let’s move beyond the Monday morning headline, “Colin Powell endorses Obama,” splashed in various words across the nation’s front pages.

The importance of Powell’s endorsement lies not only in who he will vote for, but in what he said – powerful words of wisdom, spoken with genuine sincerity.

Many saw Colin Powell’s appearance yesterday with moderator Tom Brokaw on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Many did not. Many today will be limited to soundbites from, in my opinion, one of the most significant statements of this long presidential campaign.

If only every voting-age American could hear Powell’s words.

VIEW THE MSNBC VIDEO, or read the TRANSCRIPT below of Powell’s brief statement:

“Meet the Press,” NBC, 19 October 2008:

MR. TOM BROKAW, moderator: Gen. Powell, actually you gave a campaign contribution to Sen. McCain. You have met twice at least with Barack Obama. Are you prepared to make a public declaration of which of these two candidates that you're prepared to support?

GEN. COLIN POWELL, former Secretary of State: Yes, but let me lead into it this way. I know both of these individuals very well now. I've known John for 25 years as your setup said. And, I've gotten to know Mr. Obama quite well over the past two years. Both of them are distinguished Americans who are patriotic, who are dedicated to the welfare of our country. Either one of them, I think, would be a good president.

I have said to Mr. McCain that I admire all he has done. I have some concerns about the direction that the (Republican) Party has taken in recent years. It has moved more to the right than I would like to see it, but that's a choice the Party makes. And,

I've said to Mr. Obama, "You have to pass a test of “do you have enough experience, and do you bring the judgment to the table that would give us confidence that you would be a good president?" And, I've watched him over the past two years, frankly, and I've had this conversation with him.

I have especially watched over the last six or seven weeks as both of them have really taken a final exam with respect to this economic crisis that we are in and coming out of the conventions. And, I must say that I've gotten a good measure of both. In the case of Mr. McCain, I found that he was a little unsure as to deal with the economic problems that we were having and almost every day there was a different approach to the problem. And, that concerned me, sensing that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had.

And, I was also concerned at the selection of Gov. Palin. She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be admired; but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president. And, so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Sen. McCain made.

On the Obama side, I watched Mr. Obama, and I watched him during this seven-week period. And, he displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge and an approach to looking at problems like this and picking a vice president that, I think, is ready to be president on day one. And also, in not just jumping in and changing every day, but showing intellectual vigor. I think that he has a, a definitive way of doing business that would serve us well.

I also believe that on the Republican side over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain has become narrower and narrower. Mr. Obama, at the same time, has given us a more inclusive, broader reach into the needs and aspirations of our people. He's crossing lines - ethnic lines, racial lines, generational lines. He's thinking about all villages have values, all towns have values, not just small towns have values.

And, I've also been disappointed, frankly, by some of the approaches that Sen. McCain has taken recently, or his campaign ads, on issues that are not really central to the problems that the American people are worried about. This Bill Ayers situation that's been going on for weeks became something of a central point of the campaign. But, Mr. McCain says that he's “a washed-out terrorist.” Well, then, why do we keep talking about him? And, why do we have these robocalls going on around the country trying to suggest that, because of this very, very limited relationship that Sen. Obama has had with Mr. Ayers, somehow, Mr. Obama is tainted? What they're trying to connect him to is some kind of terrorist feelings. And, I think that's inappropriate.

Now, I understand what politics is all about. I know how you can go after one another, and that's good. But, I think this goes too far. And, I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for. And, I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me. And, the Party has moved even further to the right, and Gov. Palin has indicated a further rightward shift.

I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be looking at in a McCain administration.

I'm also troubled by, not what Sen. McCain says, but what members of the Party say. And, it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But, the really right answer is, “What if he is?” Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's “No, that's not America.” Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim, and he might be associated with terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And, as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone, and it gave his awards - Purple Heart, Bronze Star - showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And, his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he could go serve his country, and he gave his life.

Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourselves in this way. And, John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But, I'm troubled about the fact that, within the Party, we have these kinds of expressions.

So, when I look at all of this, and I think back to my Army career, we've got two individuals, either one of them could be a good president. But, which is the president that we need now? Which is the individual that serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time? And, I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities -and we have to take that into account - as well as his substance - he has both style and substance - he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world, onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason, I'll be voting for Sen. Barack Obama.
-END-

Mr. Brokaw met head-on any suggestions that Powell’s endorsement is race-based. For the complete interview, click the links above.

***

Thank you, Gen. Powell, for reminding us who we are.

The moccasin mile-walk

Somewhere along the way, I’m sure we’ve all heard the maxim, “Never criticize an Indian until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.”

If you need a higher authority than me, how about “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” More simply, “Love one another.”

For me, all of these were early lessons about discrimination. They gently put me in my place and have kept me there.

My friend Mat O’Keefe over at “Papamoka Straight Talk” learned about such things on his grandparents’ knees. As immigrants from the counties Claire and Cork in Ireland, they were met in America with overt discrimination.

Papamoka has shared his thoughts on such discrimination in a post, “True colors in politics,” which features two video examples of overt racism by Republicans. (Unfortunately, I am on a dial-up, or low-speed, connection which prevents me from viewing videos.)

Go HERE to read Mat’s straight talk and view the videos and, by all means, leave him a comment expressing your own views.

Here are mine:

Sadly, there will always be those who believe they are the models of perfection for all persons. I don’t believe this is a phenomenon systemic to or based ONLY in the Republican Party.

As a Southerner who lived through – indeed, was an eyewitness to - past civil rights struggles, I can say with some authority that such hatred - or fear - of others is based in ignorance – the lack of education. Not the rudimentaries required to “get a job,” but a well-rounded, liberal education which exposes one to the world outside a narrow-minded existence.

Ironically, as I type this at 4 a.m. Friday, “CBS Up to the Minute” is airing a segment on how poorly America’s education system stacks up against others in the world.

I’ve always heard that “man fears most that which he does not understand.” What is needed is more understanding.

Finally, let’s not make the mistake – in the event Barack Obama is defeated – of blaming every vote for John McCain on racism. The dedication to conservatism in this country remains very strong, and it existed long before an African-American was at the top of a political party ticket.

***

In every (every!) political race, when candidates are at the post and come out running, there are always promises of meaningful improvements in America’s education systems. In the end, as we juggle all the issues important to us and to this nation, education always seems to fall precipitously to the bottom of the priorities list.

I would argue, it remains the single most important issue, the key to solving all the others.

If this country is so damn great, would someone please explain to me why we continue to neglect the minds of its children?

***

Read more “Papamoka Straight Talk:” LINK

An old email

Around midnight on 27 July 2004, I sent out a brief email to all in my address book. I’ve never forgotten its message.

Last night I spent two hours using the fantastic search engine google has provided for locating personal computer files. Finally, after scanning a dozen or so CDs holding my computer documents of nine years, I located the old email and wrote a post around it.

Then, I got an error message: “run-time error,” which zapped the post.

I must preface what follows by explaining that I am totally dependent on Microsoft Word. I can see nothing in my AOL inbox and cannot read emails or even determine who they are from until I copy and paste them into Microsoft Word where the messages open up to me in 18-point bold font, white on a black background. The screen before me is now the only thing on God’s green earth I can see. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy this medium so much.

I opened up a new Microsoft Word file to begin again only to be met with a message box I couldn’t read, headed “File Recovery Something Or Other.” I am the Pearl Pureheart of freaking computer situations. Every time I opened a new Word file, there was that damn box, rendering Word unsusable. Finally, after another two hours of clicking on this or that, the annoying messge box disappeared into the computer’s nether niches.

The occasion of the old email was moments after Barack Obama’s keynote address – “The Audacity of Hope” – at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, once an incubator for an infant nation.

The subject line of the email is: “PREDICTION.”

I wrote:

“Barack Obama. Keep an eye on this guy. His political star will rise. BJ”

I confess I find the meteoric speed unsettling, but the prediction came true, made official last night.

Like all journalists, I thrill at observing history in the making.

Such moments in time are often fraught with tragedy. Many bring injustice. Others are filled with prmise.

A miracle is needed to deliver as much as has been promised.

Time will tell.

***

THE 2004 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

From Hillary's viewpoint

" ‘If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there's shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.’

“And, even in the darkest moments, that is what Americans have done. We have found the faith to keep going.”

As she evoked Harriet Tubman’s rescue of slaves escaping to freedom along the Underground Railroad, it was clear to me that Hillary Rodham Clinton had just described her public life before and during her run for the presidency.

In her address last night to Democrats gathered in Denver, Senator Clinton, with these words, evoked for me so many memories of a pack of media mad dogs at her heels.

Incredulously, the rabid right was joined in the pursuit by Simon Legrees of the left.

No matter what her critics dished out, she maintained her dignity. And, she never let me down.

In my inbox this morning:

Dear B. J.,

Standing on that stage tonight in front of 20,000 Democrats unified behind Senator Obama, I saw a bright future for America. I saw millions of people across the country working as one to elect the next Democratic President. I saw a new President and a new Congress giving a voice to the voiceless. I saw America, the land of endless potential, regaining its role as a leader in the world.

I couldn't be prouder of our party, of our nominee, and of all the work you and I have done together over the course of this campaign on behalf of the American people.

I knew that as I stood in front of that podium, I wasn't alone. I had you, and everyone who has supported me, standing right up there with me. And that means the world to me.

Thank you again for everything you've done. Now, let's get to work helping elect Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and all of our great Democratic candidates!

Sincerely,

Hillary

Many times as a blogger I attempted to extol the merits of this great American only to be met with comments such as:

“Now, for some fun, the next time you see Mrs. Clinton prancing around a stage, wireless microphone in hand, turn down the sound and begin to sing ‘The hills are alive. . .’ "

At the outset of the Democratic primaries, I wrote that my support of Hillary had nothing to do with gender or race, but was a decision made after many years of following this amazing woman’s life choices.

Last night as she exited the convention stage, Hillary passed through a room full of Obama staffers who rose in unison and gave her a standing ovation.

Obama supporters want Hillary’s faithful to come into his camp. I hope, in turn, they will come to realize this woman has something neither money nor votes can buy – class.