Many of McCain’s ads have contained outright lies (e.g. Obama sex ed for kindergardners, Obama will raise taxes on the middle class). Obama’s recent negative ads take complex issues and simplify them by stretching the truth (e.g., All of everybody’s social security will be in the stock market, rather than some of some people’s social security will be in the stock market). Unfortunately, such simplification is the ONLY way to reach the remaining “undecided” voters, whose mental challenges prevent them from apprehending any but the simplest arguments.

It would be foolish and counterproductive to attempt to chastise the Obama campagn for attempting to reach the remaining undecided voters using the only tools with any hope of reaching them.

There’s a reason the man has spent $400mn and is either behind or within the margin of error on every poll. Position statements on the website do not equal policy direction, and what scares me is that he has no legislative accomplishments he can point to.

FYI: I ain’t voting McCain either, so I’m irrelevant!

I was more pissed when obama greeted every mccain distortion with displays of incredulity.

the high road doesn’t win presidential elections. playing to the largely distracted mass market with 6 o’clock news sound bite wars do.

mccain has been kicking obama’s ass in the 6 o’clock news sound bite war for WEEKS.

jeeze.

So the grass roots are now of the opinion that it is time to use a two by four to get the mules attention. It is the less involved core Democrats that were still going to vote Obama.

Sincerley,
bb

I do believe that the bottom needs to remind the campaign that we expect more from them. I get concerned when people take it to the next level and say that because the ‘bottom-up’ campaign is not looking as idealistic as it used to, let’s go vote Libertarian or not vote.

I have my eyes on the prize. And I don’t think I’m being self-righteous here. Instead I am looking at the whole campaign, in which millions of individuals are highly involved.

Is this campaign as bottom-up as we like to think it is? Or is it as top-down as every other one? And even if it’s the latter, should the bottom be silent when the top stoops to conquer?

I’m not sure. Just asking.

We are talking supreme court justices. We are talking radical christianist agendas. We are talking about Palin for pity sakes. At some point Obama has to ask the question: do the ends justify the means? And so do I. Can this country – or the world for that matter – take another Bush – only probably worse? I think not.

If you see the election as simply an election and want to apply standards of purity to the process to raise the bar, that is fine. I see the election as the entry point to our future. This future is much more important than the purity of the process. There is a major difference between the ability of the 4 candidates to govern! We have to keep our eyes on the prize and not sit back self-righteously evaluating each tactic.

It’s time for a second American Revolution, and if the present financial manipulations lead to the hyperinflation that many predict, the mood of the country will support it. The challenge then will be to avoid more corruption than we already have!