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What Needs to Be Said

Posted by Eric Rosenfield on Sat, 2008-10-11 19:17
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From John Scalzi:

An author and former campaigner for John McCain says in the Baltimore Sun what actually does need to be said, out loud, in public:

John McCain: If your campaign does not stop equating Sen. Barack Obama with terrorism, questioning his patriotism and portraying Mr. Obama as “not one of us,” I accuse you of deliberately feeding the most unhinged elements of our society the red meat of hate, and therefore of potentially instigating violence… you are playing with fire, and you know it. You are unleashing the monster of American hatred and prejudice, to the peril of all of us. You are doing this in wartime. You are doing this as our economy collapses. You are doing this in a country with a history of assassinations.

I wonder if McCain is actually thinking about the consequences of what he’s doing at his campaign stops right now, and the unease it give the people who do think about consequences, both on the right and the left. I don’t want John McCain to win the election, but I also don’t want him to actually lose his soul, either.

When people start shouting "Kill Obama," as they have been at certain McCain/Palin rallies, you know something deeply troubling is going on, and McCain, a man whose integrity I once admired, doesn't seem willing to do anything about it.

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Comments

Eric, do you really believe

Submitted by Tim (not verified) on Tue, 2008-10-14 06:16.

Eric, do you really believe this nonsense that you are posting? I seem to REMEMBER quite clearly that there have been MILLIONS of unhinged and violent reactions to conservatives from socialist. It happens constantly. Don't sit on your eggs and pretend that everyone that believes in the same socialist policies you do are these meek and docile creatures totally incapable of doing anyone harm - because you and I both know that to be categorically and undeniably incorrect.
There are just as many idiotic left wing thugs in the world as their are right wing and if history is any guide it seems that socialism has a pretty god damn high body count by this current and dismal day.

You know, as I sit here dwelling on this, I have just come to realize that you DO believe what you are posting. Never mind then. Move along. Nothing to see here.

Of course I really believe

Submitted by Eric Rosenfield on Tue, 2008-10-14 17:40.

Of course I really believe what I posted, Tim.

And I don't know what "socialist" policies you're talking about.

Of course you don't Eric. You

Submitted by Tim (not verified) on Tue, 2008-10-14 20:02.

Of course you don't Eric. You are right, nothing you believe in is socialist. It's all just happy fun time show. No socialist policy I can think of. As a matter of fact, what it is must really be the politics of nothing because no one will admit to what they are about. Sort of like your hero Obama.

I am sure if I was to bring up anything bad about him that would make me a racist. So I wouldn't want to do that.

Anyway, I look forward to many many years of legal plunder where people can get home loans they can't afford and then get re-adjusted by the oh so kind and caring government of the USSA. I can't wait to live in a system where if you are just criminal minded enough you can find ANY loophole to make your American dream of eternal sloth come true.

I look forward to waiting in huge lines for a medical checkup. I look forward to increasing the taxation on me upwards to 50%. I dream of an America where small business is defined as under 250,000 dollars a year - that's just small enough to drive just about every business that can right the fuck out of this country. Who cares where they end up at, we don't deserve any wealth here, only people who "understand the people" and "know how to bring about hope and change" deserve that.

I find it quite simply delicious that you guys seem to finally have all your dreams coming true. Just remember to be careful what you wish for.

Hurray for the NEW MONARCHY! Now we can finally brag we are just like Europe! Bismark would be so proud.

Frankly, Tim, if you weren't

Submitted by Eric Rosenfield on Tue, 2008-10-14 21:24.

Frankly, Tim, if you weren't a friend of mine I would ignore your comment because you're ranting on like a crazy person. Saying Obama is a socialist is like saying McCain is a fascist. It's silly, it's hyperbolic, and it has no place in a rational discussion between adults.

Do you really think that an administration that promises more deregulation and more government out of our hair is what's good for us when deregulation and lower taxes were exactly what got us into this mess in the first place?

You know, I was reading an editorial recently from a high up in the Republican Party. He was lamenting that the Republicans had control of the Presidency and both houses of Congress. They could have been fiscally responsible. They could have balanced the budget, brought down spending and shrunk government. And they didn't. At all. The size of both the government and the deficit has ballooned to unheard of proportions.

So please, spare me your "socialist" nonsense. The Republicans have failed at doing what they've always promised they would do. It's time to put a Democrat in office.

You are correct, they did

Submitted by Tim (not verified) on Tue, 2008-10-14 22:01.

You are correct, they did fail. And the first failure was electing GW. As I said so many years ago that I thought the man was "evil". If for little more reason than who his father was and how that would influence him.
The main problem with the "housing bubble" sits squarely in the camp of the democrats. Barney Frank among others consistently slapped down any bill or serious conversation about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae at every turn. Several republicans, including GW himself tried several times to get something past their committee to no avail.
The policy itself was a new sort of socialism that fits hand in glove with the corporate welfare that is going on with the exception that this one was supposedly to "benefit the poor working class" that couldn't afford "decent" housing. The end result is the insane market we have right now and let's be serious and admit that not only did Barack support this sort of thing, he still takes advice from the main perps on how our national economy should run.
You are aware that I am pretty hard core libertarian so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that I see socialism in more places than you do - as a democrat you don't understand that social security is socialism. You do not see it as legal plunder. I do.

So yeah, I even opposed the Republican brand of socialism. And I always will. Legal plunder is wrong. It only succeeds in destruction. It may take a few generations to manifest itself but eventually it will cause widespread poverty. I mean isn't it a little odd to you that TRILLIONS of dollars just magically appear to solve all of our problems? Doesn't it seem odd for our federal government to force banks into lending practices they do not want to make and then promise them that it's "ok because fannie mae has your back"?

Don't you find anything a little odd about ACORN's voter registration practices and the fact that Obama was on retainer for them?

I can go on and on. And I probably will.

The problem with

Submitted by Eric Rosenfield on Wed, 2008-10-15 04:42.

The problem with Libertarianism is this quasi-religious, fundamentalist belief that free market to solve all of our problems, beyond all possible notions of reason and common sense.. Sometimes the government really needs to step in and help people because corporations are greedy machines that exist to make money for their shareholders and not to look out for the public welfare. If you want to call that "socialism" you can, but I call it being sensible. And I'd say corporations running wild without regulation and oversight from the government resulting in an economic disaster is exactly the case and point.

How is it, exactly, that the Democrats kept something from getting out of committee when the Republicans controlled both houses and therefore the heads and make-up of all the committees? Are you seriously blaming Barney Frank for the housing crisis? That's absurd.