Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Home Stretch

In past postings where there was a political theme. I spent most of the time bashing Sarah Palin (because she is such an easy target) and John McCain, than highlighting what I thought were positive aspects of Barack Obama, and why I feel he should be the next President of the United States.

I guess it's more entertaining to rail against than it is to rally for, definitely a trap I fell in. Is it to easier to drive the point home in a negative, rusty old land shark that's spewing foul exhaust, clunking through an alley than in a shiny, perky electric scooter-car, humming quietly down a tree-lined avenue?

That might have been an unintentional analogy, but anyway...

In political circles, I am sure that there is nary a one who has tread the political waters who hasn't sat in a room, or dealt with a group who at one time or another had less than shining reputations. That being the case, every politician probably is or was guilty of something at one time or another, if one wants to take the 'guilt by association' route. So, last night when McCain, without segue, threw out the Bill Ayers gauntlet, Obama took the gauntlet, examined it, and explained it for what it was. It was a simple glove. He then set it aside and went back to the issues.

But, such is life in political debates. Mob mentality dictates a Jerry Springer atmosphere, if the past rallies are any indication. They want to see the folding ladders and chairs thrown into the wrestling ring, because they know that is when the fight is really going to get bloody.

Last night, Barack Obama looked at the ladders and folding chairs and pointed out that they were made of light-weight aluminum. He cold have easily picked up the folding chair and hauled off with "The Keating Five", but he didn't. Instead he calmly, rationally spoke about what America is really interested in hearing...what are the problems, and how he believes his path is the one to take in fixing them.

2 comments:

  1. I wouldn't have been able to hold back. I would have rubbed The Keating Five in McCain's face.

    It's beginning to look like the nightmare's coming to an end.

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  2. I think Barack Obama is the classiest act we've had in politics since Jimmy Carter. My mother (also Lisa's mom) said once that Carter's only failing was that he was too moral to be a president and his detractors chewed him up and spit him out.

    I think Obama has the one thing Carter lacked, and that is grace without wimpiness. His response to McCain -- that bringing up Ayers again spoke more about the McCain campaign than about Obama himself -- was the perfect response. So was the smile he wore during the attacks last night, which showed faint pity toward McCain for stooping so low.

    This is the first election year in a long time that I didn't feel like I was voting for the lesser of two evils -- or, as someone wittier than I put it, "the evil of two lessers".

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