Oh Brave New World…
Kasia September 26th, 2008
Watch this clip. Fast, before Obama realizes how this is playing in Paducah and it disappears. Curtsy to the Digital Hairshirt, btw. And I‘m going to have transcribed it.
My objections to this are several:
1) As Digi correctly observes, if Obama thinks he’s being misrepresented to the point of slander or libel, he can seek redress in court. That is the appropriate forum for such efforts. Not forming some kind of “Truth Squad” to go over every McCain ad with a fine-toothed comb and prosecute anything that Obama finds “misleading”.
2) There’s no mention of the “Truth Squad” reviewing any of the Obama campaign’s or anyone’s “soft money” ads on behalf of Obama and against McCain. So not only is the government getting involved in what I would deem a highly suspect manner, they appear to be only doing it on behalf of one candidate. Someone tell me how that is supposed to encourage truthfulness?
3) Obama keeps pulling this high-horse stuff (usually while there is plenty of mud coming from his side, but we’ll leave that to Point 2) and calling foul on politics. Look. Ask anyone who knows me. I passionately hate election season, the accompanying mudslinging, and the misleading ads. I would love to see them disappear. But this looks to me like a kid who wants to play with the big kids but cries for the grown-ups every time something doesn’t go his way. And if that’s what you want in a president, well, good for you.
I don’t. I don’t want a president who’s going to give Ahmadinejad his “disappointed” face. I don’t want a president who’s going to tsk-tsk over a terror attack. And above all, I don’t want a president who’s going to call for “Truth Squads” when he faces domestic dissent (which, by the way, is inevitable no matter who is elected).
Now, please spare me the “but you don’t mind when Bush does X” crap. I’m no fan of Bush, and I have very little patience for most of his policies. Kindly don’t assume that you know me, or my politics, based on the fact that I’m for McCain and against Obama.
I guess the irony is a just a little too painful when the people who have been freely calling Bush a “fascist” for the past eight years are ardently supporting a man who’s asking for “Truth Squads”.
That is seriously scary.
Wow. Just wow. It sounds like something out of 1984.
TBS
You know what this is, Kasia? This is a Chicago-style politician forgetting that the rest of the country doesn’t dig the heavy-handed politics. We also don’t like when dead people vote.
My father doesn’t think Obama will win because “People in this country aren’t that stupid.” I just made a $5 bet with him that Obama would win. I prefer that he doesn’t, but if he does, I can afford a couple consolation beers.
Hi Kasia.
I think President Bush is a truly great President. For the record!
He’s had a firestorm of criticism over the eight years. So much so that some in his own party are shying away from any association with him.
He’s still the President who led us through Nine Eleven and beyond.
The turncoats of CBS, NBC, ABC, CBS, Time Magazine, Newsweek, the Washington Compost, and the New York Times, gave succour to the Jihadi’s with their continuous attempts to derail the war on terror.
That’s a lot of turncoats.
And sometimes it’s easier for people in President Bush’s own party to curry favour with those same turncoats rather than standing strong with the President.
You know, every Muslim terrorist worth his suicide vest took hope on seeing how the liberal media was attempting to put President Bush on trial.
But I don’t want to cast no aspersions.
Best wishes to you and your blog.
James (in Ireland)
PS: You’ve a lovely name.
Hi James,
Thank you for your comment and the compliment!
I seem to be a rare breed right now in that I neither love nor hate President Bush. I don’t think he’s evil, I don’t think he’s the worst president we’ve ever had, etc. etc.
At the same time, I do think he’s made some stunningly bad decisions, and if you made up a chart of his stances vs. mine, we would fall pretty widely apart in a lot of areas.
Ultimately I think history will judge him more kindly than his contemporaries have, but unlike some friends of mine I don’t think he’s going to be counted among the foremost of our presidents. I think you’re right that it’s taken a lot of nerve for him to stand firm when just about everyone was against him.
The main reason I brought him up at all is that when I have complained about Obama before, I have been accused of overlooking similar offenses by Bush because I supposedly agree with him about more policy questions. Which irks me, particularly in light of the fact that policy-wise, Bush and I are remarkably dissimilar.