No, I don’t like either presidential front-runner. But I do respect the basic idea that one of them will be the president for awhile.
I cannot understand this constant willingness–make that eagerness–to tear down the various candidates and taint them with scandal. What purpose does that serve the good of the country?
See, to a bunch of you it’s a game. You want your guy to win so you play by whatever playbook has worked in the past. Where this differs from a football game (aside from elections being slightly longer and much more expensive) is that whoever wins a football game is just the “winner”. They may get a trophy. They may get a ring. They may go to Disney World.
Whoever wins the election is the most noticable American leader for the next 4-8 years. That person is our representative of who we are and what we are. To all parts of our country and all parts of the world.
Now I haven’t been thrilled with Bush’s spend-all-we-can-and-just-print-more presidency. But I was thoroughly disgusted with that damned “we’re sorry we didn’t vote for him” thing that went on where all the smug and self-righteous emo kids stood around with signs or painted “sorry” on their boobs or whatnot. It was disrespectful to the rest of the country who DID vote for him and disrespectful to the office of the president.
I think it’s just as distasteful to make the opposition candidate look as bad as possible. The rest of the world won’t say “oh never mind, it was just the election process” and then respect that president in a way that is beneficial for our country. I see a lot of pro-McCain people doing their level best to make Obama appear to be an adulterating terrorist who grows pot and poppies in his backyard. That disgusts me as much as the “we’re sorry” thing because in its own way it, too, is sorry. Damned sorry.
Just Another Pretty Farce 
I’m torn. Should I vote for the tax and spend liberal or the tax and spend conservative?
Kat, do you really believe that the rest of the world didn’t already have a pretty dim view of W? The entire rest of the world shook their collective heads when he was re-elected.
Its one thing to disagree about taxes or spending priorities, and yes, both sides seem to adopt a scorched earth attitude about winning, but this administration has diminished us around the planet.
I remember seeing that video after the 04 election. It made me feel a little better.
You know that I’m no hyper-partisan, but I consider myself an amateur student of presidential political history.
This campaign has been one of the most benign ever. Mostly because events have overtaken it, but also because the leader of one side is self-censoring in the name of honor, very much to the chagrin of his supporters.
This campaign doesn’t even make the top ten of vitriol or negativity. Heck, our country’s THIRD presidential election had more juice than this one.
Preach it Slartibarfast. I have seen almost nothing from the McCain camp. I live in Indiana. I have seen 3,829 Obama commercials. They all attack McCain and end with vote for Change Obama. Never tells what he will do or his program, other than he will make it better by spending your money. Obama knows how to spend your money, better than McCain will spend your money.
The Republican National Committee is attacking Obama as the should from the commercials — I have seen from Obama. I have not seen 1 McCain commercial– so maybe he is doing it in other states.
Is attacking telling the truth about Obama’s Socialist stand?
Oh, Kat, I thought you’d enjoy this quote by John Hood at the Corner this morning:
“Politics has no ultimate victor. It has no final, decisive battle. It just goes on and on, like soap operas and Law and Order.”
>the leader of one side is self-censoring in the name of honor,
>very much to the chagrin of his supporters.
True, a lot of Obama supporters would like to see him fight the slime from the McCain campaign with the same sort of lies and smears, but luckily he does have more honor.
Pitiful. Just pitiful.
My 10 year old has already outgrown “I know you are, but what am I?”
Are there any grownups left in America?
Say something stupid and offensive, what sort of response do you expect?
If y’all would just take a deep breath* and reread the last paragraph of Kat’s post….
*If y’all would take deep breaths? If each of y’all would take a deep breath? My inner grammar nerd is not too happy with any of these locutions.
nm, I believe you’re looking for “all y’all.” 😉
Slarti, you had better bring your A game to spar with Jon. It really was a ridiculous statement.
We expect our politicians to make the best of bad choices. Hold your nose and pick the best of bad choices!
Rachel, thanks, I think you’re right, but do all y’all take a deep breath, or do all y’all take deep breaths?
My instinct is to say that “all y’all” take “a deep breath,” but some people might need more than one. 🙂
I guess I should know better than to post something all het up and then leave for the day.
Mack, I had no idea I was posting an argument to be responded to. It was a statement about where the 2008 campaign as an enterprise fits historically as a negative campaign.
Jon, who sees everything through the partisan lens, responded in a juvenile fashion. And you seemed pleased with that., even though he was responding to a non-partisan statement with vitriol – you used to have no patience for jackassery.
I see my decision to boycot political sites was a wise one.
THere are parts of this campaign that interest me, and Kat is one of the few I can have dispassionate discussions with about it.
But the freakin’ partisans have to pee in everybody’s cornflakes. They have to drag us down into their muck.
Fine. If I want to discuss something intelligently with Kat, I’ll send her an email.
Ya know, I think that during a political race which has been characterized on all parts by negative campaigning (some negative about ideas, some negative about character), the claim that one of the candidates hasn’t been engaging in negative campaigning is hardly non-partisan. I’m just saying.
For those who can’t/won’t see the obvious reality that McCain is holding back, just perform this simple thought exercise: what would the GOP ads look like if Lee Atwater were running the show?
Think we’d see the photos of Bill Ayers tromping on the American flag?
Think we’d see babies who survived abortion attempts left to die in a closet thanks to BAIPA?
Think we’d see “God damn America” Jeremiah Wright?
Think we’d see Barney Frank’s lover who worked for Fannie Mae?
Think we’d see Obama’s self-described Communist child-rapist mentor Frank Davis?
Think we’d see that photo of Obama in Kenyan garb that Hillary’s people actually used?
Think we’d see Michelle’s “proud of America for the first time” speech?
Think we’d see the Joyce Foundation’s anti-gun ownership links?
Instead McCain keeps running ads that say Obama isn’t ready to lead. Negative? Maybe, but compared to what a real negative campaign would look like…not so much.
Nah, Atwater never had his candidate do those things directly. He had his candidate’s surrogates do those things, which is exactly what’s going on here.