|
 |
||
|
Latest Stories
Recent blog posts
|
October 9, 2008 - 12:18pm.
I live in West Virginia. Fortunately my town, Shepherdstown, is relatively progressive, due to the presence of the Shepherd University Community and a large quantity of artists and theatre people (we are the home of the Contemporary American Theater Festival every year, drawing thousands from around the country each year for a month of new plays). West Virginia, however, despite having a Democratic Governor and two Democratic Senators, scores very red in the Presidential Polls (50% McCain to 44% Obama in the current Rasmussen reading), due, I think, to our really close to poverty populace... at best lower-middle-class... and all the conservative fears that go with it. I work in Hagerstown, Maryland, about 14 miles away, in that Democratic state's heaviest Republican area - Washington County. As I cross the bridge over the Potomac each day to head from WV to MD, I go through Sharpsburg through endless displays of McCain/Palin signs. There are 2 or 3 very small towns I go through as well, often stopping for coffee at small establishments on the way. I hear a lot of talk. Listening to call-in shows on the car radio, I'm hearing endless local comments that Obama was brought up as a muslim, that he favors Al Qu'ida, that he has the most liberal voting record in the Senate (in reality, he is seventh in line of others who are much more liberal), that he votes against the troops, that he pals around with William Ayers - a terrorist!, that he is involved with criminals, the mafia, Tony Rezco, etc. etc. These are not people who read my blog, I know. Nor do they watch television other than Fox, apparently. They cannot be spoken to (I've tried on several frustrating occasions - but backing up truth with proof is utterly meaningless.) And, underneath, there is certainly a racial element affecting all of the arguments. This scares me the most, not because I am of a minority race, I'm not, but because of where such feelings can lead in the future. The recent Sean Hannity show, with anti-Jewish statements which were thrown back in Sean's face by Obama's Communications Director, Robert Gibbs, is a case in point. If we use racial reasons for backing or attacking candidates, why not use religious or cultural reasons? Why not cop America up into separate components that can't work together, can't appreciate each other and, finally, can't live in peace with each other? My wife is a secular Jew, my son is, therefore, half Jewish. I am an atheist... does this mean I can't get along with the tremendous volume of born-again Christians who are waiting here in WV for the Second Coming? What people say, devoid of reason, can indeed make one crazy... it keeps me awake at night, thinking about the voices on the radio and the people yelling "Kill Him" and "Terrorist" and "Traitor" at Sarah Palin rallies. It makes me crazy to hear the things both Palin and McCain say at these rallies, or in interviews with the seemingly anti-semitic Sean Hannity, yet cannot say directly into Obama's or Biden's faces at their televised debates. Such cowardice is something to be afraid of, since cowards are folks who shoot in the back, as I recall from growing up with western movies and folk songs (like "That dirty little coward/who shot Mr.Howard/ and laid poor Jesse in his grave".) With 26 days to go, I'm expecting it to get much, much worse.
Capitol Hill Blue's columnists, blogs and reader comments Capitol Hill Blue is an independent, non-partisan news site that belongs to no political party and subscribes to no political or philosophical point-of-view. Our columnists are welcome to their opinions but readers should understand that their views do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies of this web site. We also welcome comments to selected opinion columns and in our popular ReaderRant discussion forum. Please remember, however, that we believe in civility on this web site and comments may be reviewed, moderated or removed if we feel they contain obscenities, racism, bigotry, anti-Semitic remarks or attack other posters. Our goal is reasoned discussion on issues facing this nation and we do not feel that goal is served by personal attacks and by seeing how many cute adjectives you can attach to an elected official or politician's name. Copyright © 2008 Capitol Hill Blue
|
Syndicate  User login
 |
Technorati Tags:
I live in Charleston. The
Submitted by sherry on October 9, 2008 - 1:11pm.I live in Charleston. The people with whom I speak share my sentiments regarding the primaries. They are still pretty angry.
Hillary carried the state by 41%. Obama did not carry a single county, not even in progressive Shepardstown.
Rockefeller, Byrd et al endorsed Obama.
When Hillary lost, she ran a bad campaign. When she won the electorate was racist.
The superdelegates of this state completely ignored the will of the people.
Therefore, you can paint me whatever you like, I am finished with the DNC and their ilk. Shame. It was once a great party.
I don't know who you've been
Submitted by RealityBytes on October 9, 2008 - 1:48pm.I don't know who you've been listening to, but no one I read or heard said Hillary, or even her supporters, were racist. Sure, some questions were raised as to how strong the underlying racial bias might be (both for and against), as well as a sexist bias (both for and against), but I never heard any conclusory statements regarding either (except on the fringe - which I tend to ignore). And in the end, I suspect both canceled each other out.
Well, except for one... Bill Clinton, in South Carolina, quite clearly ascribed Hillary's loss there to racism - her *loss* not her *win*. I think it was at that point that the tide really turned on her... so much so, that I and most of the people I know were left shaking our heads, "What was he thinking??"... some suggested he was trying to torpedo her run (perhaps subconsciously?), with that statement. I don't know... but if not for that, I am pretty sure she would have won the nomination.
We can all feel angry about something, but what our reaction is, is what's more important... do we respond with an action that furthers our goal, or not? For those that supported Clinton's goals, who now will best carry those out?
Sure, I'm angry too, with anyone who called Clinton supporters 'racist' just because they opposed Obama, or those who called Obama supporters 'sexist' just because they opposed Clinton. But, as much as I despise most of the current crop of spineless Democratic representatives in Washington, and as much as I would fear a Clinton presidency would be nearly as authoritarian as the Bush presidency has been, I would have voted for her if she had won, given the alternative.
And, a note on 'superdelegates'... the purpose of a superdelegate is NOT to represent the people; if they were, they would have been elected, by definition. Prior to 1968 there were NO elected delegates; they were ALL chosen by the party bosses... the 'superdelegates' were intended to maintain some presence against purely populist elections of representatives, so as to avoid scenarios like the McGovern nomination in 1972.
Yes, the superdelegates ignored the will of the people who voted in the primary; that was the job of the electors, not the superdelegates.
It was Peloisi and Donna
Submitted by sherry on October 9, 2008 - 2:22pm.It was Peloisi and Donna Brazille who said the SD should never overturn the will of the people.
Brazille threatened to leave the party.
When WV and KY won, the talking heads said they were racists. Especially BSNBC, which has lost my viewing habit forever until they lose Matthews and Olbermann.
Rockefeller, Byrd, et al said nothing to those comments. Rockefeller went to so far as to say, "it took them a while to warm up to me too" As if WV people were aliens from another planet.
He is also the one who said of McCain, "
Amazing they keep electing that pos who has done zip for WV.
Rockefeller said of McCain in the Charleston Gazette:
McCain was a fighter pilot, who dropped laser-guided missiles from 35,000 feet. He was long gone when they hit.
"What happened when they [the missiles] get to the ground? He doesn't know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues
Rockfeller did apologize. Apparently, smart guy didn't realize we didn't have laser guided missles in Vietnam.
Scary part is, he is on the Senate Intel Cmte.
It's a pretty sad state of
Submitted by griff on October 9, 2008 - 3:11pm.It's a pretty sad state of affairs when emotion takes the place of rationality - on both sides. All these are emotional responses to the media-driven hype that permeates the political atmosphere. Non-thinking automatons dressed up as rational beings.
Neither side wants to move beyond these bread-and-butter, polarizing issues. It's what gets them elected! It's what rallies and excites their followers. Besides, if they did get down to real issues, we would find that they aren't very different at all. That would tear down the tightly constructed, imaginary facade of opposing parties.
Neither side will undo what's already done. It's an unwritten rule in Washington. They will merely pile on more bureaucracy and steal more of your money while pretending it's for the common good. After all these years of such promises, the common good has never looked so bad.
While I despise both parties, I have yet to encounter an Obama supporter that can accurately define what he stands for, other than his last name isn't Bush. What will he change? He was cultivated under the same system of control that we've come to know as our political system, and I seriously doubt he's in this race to rock the boat. People have a way of drowning when they attempt such things, and I doubt Obama's that strong a swimmer.
Griff, thank you!!! I will
Submitted by sherry on October 9, 2008 - 4:05pm.Griff, thank you!!! I will be the first to admit McCain is a flawed character.
Obama has not shown the courage of his convictions in the past, i.e. FISA and Patriot Act. He said he was going to filibuster FISA. Not only did he not do that, he voted for it. Said he would fix it when he was POTUS. Pretty arrogant on one hand and absolutely insane to think he can recind telecom immunity.
He really has done nothing as a senator except a watered down ethics bill. He has co signed a lot of legislation, but nothing really his.
Any great speeches in the Senate? Nope. Lotta hype though.
Exactly. As I stated
Submitted by griff on October 9, 2008 - 8:29pm.Exactly. As I stated elsewhere, his vote was unnecessary. He could easily have voted nay and he would have been praised far and wide for it. But he didn't, and nary a peep about it from his loyal subjects. I think that speaks volumes not only on Obama's mendacity, but his frothing supporters as well.
I'm not sure why you are
Submitted by EffPee on October 9, 2008 - 8:49pm.I'm not sure why you are being driven crazy by what would seem to me to be exactly the kind of stupidity one would expect from the people of West Virginia, which loses it's best and brightest to Kentucky every year, if you get my meaning....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wroj0FLvzs
EffPee, your comment took my
Submitted by sherry on October 11, 2008 - 7:40am.EffPee, your comment took my breath away on so many levels. Offensive doesn't even begin to cover it.
I'll bet you think the Obamas live on chitterlings and watermelon, right?
That is an insulting, thoroughly uneducated comment on your part.
I'm finding a lot of this
Submitted by woody188 on October 10, 2008 - 9:09am.I'm finding a lot of this highly offensive. I'm a native Ohioan. I have family in Toledo, Akron, New Philadelphia, Columbus, and Circleville. I get around the state a lot with business and visiting relatives.
I also visit family in Blackberry, Kentucky quite frequently and we are in and out of West Virginia all along the river following the road. While many there do believe Obama is a muslim and a terrorist, it is more a failing of the Obama campaign to not directly confront those views.
Many small towns in Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina and all over the country have many more McCain/Palin signs than they do Obama/Biden. And it's many of the more affluent in these areas that are have the McCain/Palin signs, while the poorer areas have a few Obama/Biden signs, or no signs at all. All the while many of the larger cities are overwhelmingly more for Obama/Biden. Except again for the very rich in the suburbs of the cities.
Not that any of this matters anyhow. We'll get who the 1% have decided they want for President. Our votes are meaningless wastes of paper and electricity to be challenged, manipulated, purged, and flipped as they see fit.
Just like the bank bailouts, what we want doesn't matter to those in power.