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June 30, 2008

Don't Confuse Them with the Facts

Eli Saslow has written an excellent piece at MSNBC that looks at the rumor mill surrounding Barack Obama and its impact on voters' opinions in one town in Ohio. I have been on the receiving end of numerous chain emails about Obama, including all sorts of unfounded personal smears such as that he is a Muslim Manchurian candidate - and all from dear friends and family members, most of whom are "Christian." Saslow takes the reader on a visit to one patriotic town and shows why Obama is facing an uphill battle, even among many Democrats. I think the reason can be found in this paragraph from his report:

Gerri Kish, a 66-year-old born in Hawaii, read both of Obama's autobiographies. She has close friends, she said, who still refuse to believe her when she swears Obama is Christian. Then she hands them the books, and they refuse to read them. "They just want believe what they believe," she said. "Nothing gets through to them."

As I have written here several times before, this is a matter of willful ignorance. It is idiotic, fearful, and downright shameful. Many wonderful people whom I love have fallen for the nonsense spewed by the rumor mill in this election and simply will not be dissuaded. It is truly disappointing to me to learn at the ripe old age of 44 that my parents' generation does not wish to engage the brain power and personal initiative required to think logically and, therefore, is easily manipulated by this shrewd, unAmerican, hate-filled, racist propaganda campaign by power-hungry blood-suckers. It absolutely disgusts me. That is not to say I am 100% sold on an Obama presidency; I disagree with him on many issues and lean his way more out of hope for honest and inspired leadership than anything else.

So let me turn your attention to another editorial, this one about the character of John McCain. And I will state that as much as I have disagreed with McCain, particularly his evolution from a "maverick" to a right-wing Republican, I can still see much to be admired in his character. I think it is a travesty that this contest has descended into an ugly choice for many between two "evils" when we could actually be making a choice between two good men, either of whom could make us proud of our country. But I suppose that wouldn't be nearly as dramatic, would it?

Posted by Becky at June 30, 2008 09:30 AM