E-Mail Debates Or, Why I'm Voting for "That One"

A friend of mine recently sent a link to her family and friends about the Keating Five scandal. In response, her dad has been sending vitriolic e-mails in which he bashes Barack Obama, those voting for him, and even his own daughter.

This is the latest round of e-mails, and since I hope it will be the last, and I've put a lot of time into this one, I decided it was blog-worthy. Thanks for reading.


Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:41:52 -0700
From: a friend of mine's father
Subject: What About Reality?
To: My friend (his daughter)
CC: many of her friends, including me, her step-daughter, her mother, her husband, and other friends of hers from various facets of her life

Being almost sixty-six years of age, and, while possessed of both a stratospheric IQ and one hell of an education, obviously a stupid idiot who just doesn’t get it, I have questions, which I am positive the Enlightened Generation (you) will have no trouble answering. At least, it is my fervent hope you won’t, because I seem to be running out of resources, and in my desperation for answers, have turned to you, who have all the answers, and don’t want to be bothered by questions that are designed to – well, QUESTION your answers.



I struggle to internalize the willingness of so many obviously bright – and well educated – at great expense from those of my generation – children, to be unable to come to terms with the fact that it is physically impossible to pick up a turd by the clean end. Yet, it would appear that, in Obama’s case, that is exactly what you are trying to do.



Why is no one from the left willing to answer the many questions raised about this person? (I hesitate to call him a man – he just doesn’t meet the definition my generation puts forth regarding manhood!) Do you seriously NOT think they are important?



Frankly, I’m puzzled. What positive values exist that can lead a person to accept a candidate with so many secrets? Now, I don’t seek a debate over George Bush, or anyone else, for that matter, and any attempt to bring another person into this discussion is obviously a very blatant attempt to obfuscate. The subject is Barack Hussein Obama, and no one else. If you want to discuss another person, write separately, please. And don’t give me that tired old crap about comparing qualifications, I’m just not interested, at this point.



This man has no leadership experience, no balance in his social outlook, and very obviously, no belief in fundamental American values – those that are based on morals and our historical documents – the Declaration, the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Monroe Doctrine, and the Emancipation Proclimation.



How many presidential candidates in the History of the United States, have the equivalent of all of the problems the liberal media is not willing to allow to be brought forward? I mean, major problems, that no one from the left will even admit exist, let alone challenge? College education enshrouded in secrecy? Hate-mongers opening doors for this twit? (“God wants you to cut off their noses, cut off their ears, take flesh out of their body; don’t worry, GoooOOOD . . . wants you to do that!” And you think the Christian right is some kind of extreme? My STARS!) Jeremiah Wright. Rules for Radicals. “Community Organizer – don’t tell me you really believe that hornswoggle! Louis Farrahkan (sp? Is that even his NAME?) The Weather Underground, and their Declaration of War against the United States.



Look, folks, it would be easy to come up with a list of talking points based around how none of this could be proven in a court of law, or something, but if you have to go to that extreme to justify why you’d vote for this twit, what's wrong with this picture?



I suggest if you want to vote for him, go ahead, but do two things I won't have to do, because by the time you have to, I'll be gone:



1. Learn Arabic.

2. Study the Koran.



Best,

Chuck


From: Ninja nun
Sent: Mon 11/03/08 10:51 PM
To: Friend's Dad
Cc: Everyone he CC'd

Charles,

Seriously, if you want to REALLY know why I'm voting for Obama (actually, I already HAVE voted for Obama), perhaps you shouldn't refer to him as a "turd," a "twit" and less than a man. Your phrasing of the question does not deserve a polite response. Really? Reality? Did you write this yourself? Because it seems quite the departure from your usual style of writing in tone, word choice, sentence structure, etc. I truly hope that you did not write this yourself, but even just passing it along shows you agree with the viewpoint and don't care about offending others.

Nonetheless, I hold on to the thin hope that, if you at least cannot see beyond your own biases, those you CC in your e-mails will at least see what kind of person you, and the candidate you endorse, truly are by the tactics you employ.

Clearly, you've fallen prey to the Right Wing Fear Machine that has caused yet another knee-jerk reaction so strong that you've again resorted to name-calling, sarcasm, fear-mongering, and bullying of those whom you know disagree with you. I find it hard to believe that you even want an honest answer to your question, as you seem incapable of phrasing the question in a way that shows you respect others' opinions.

I wonder what Republican filter you get all your news from, that you think Obama is some kind of Muslim socialist terrorist? Do you think that's true just because Sarah Palin and the Right-Wing Pundits repeat it ad nauseum? Are you familiar with confirmation bias?

Confirmation Bias


Obviously, you believe the myth about the liberal media--fed to you repeatedly by such Republican Filters and Hate-Mongers as Rush Limbaugh, Faux News, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, and Bill O'Reilly. It works to their advantage, per your own biases, to think the media is biased against you and other conservatives, so you can dismiss anything that rubs up against your beliefs and, when it reinforces them, you can say, "see? Even that damn liberal media thinks so!"

But, as you yourself pointed out with the snopes hoax, discrediting reliable sources often works to the favor of unreliable sources, and those too lazy to do the research themselves; reinforcing their beliefs and never being challenged.

The Myth of the "Liberal" Media: (if you are man enough to read it and have your biases challenged):

Consortium News

The Myth of the Liberal Media

Liberal Media?

Oh dear. It seems we can't rely on that good ol' "liberal media bias" to explain why Republicans are continually caught with their hand in the cookie jar, doing back-room deals, and unethically pressuring their employees to fire ex-relatives. It would seem that in spite of the fact that the media is *not* really that liberal, the Republicans do a bang-up job of making themselves look bad with their own illegal activities, temper tantrums, and unpopular policies.

Oh, and let's not forget voter suppression! If you can't beat 'em honestly in this election, cheat:

Voter Suppression

You make fun of us younger generation, claiming you can't understand why, with all of our education, we'd vote for, as you called him, a "twit."

To quote you:

"This man has no leadership experience, no balance in his social outlook, and very obviously, no belief in fundamental American values – those that are based on morals and our historical documents – the Declaration, the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Monroe Doctrine, and the Emancipation Proclimation.[sic]



How many presidential candidates in the History of the United States, have the equivalent of all of the problems the liberal media is not willing to allow to be brought forward? I mean, major problems, that no one from the left will even admit exist, let alone challenge? College education enshrouded in secrecy? Hate-mongers opening doors for this twit? (“God wants you to cut off their noses, cut off their ears, take flesh out of their body; don’t worry, GoooOOOD . . . wants you to do that!” And you think the Christian right is some kind of extreme? My STARS!) Jeremiah Wright. Rules for Radicals. “Community Organizer – don’t tell me you really believe that hornswoggle! Louis Farrahkan (sp? Is that even his NAME?) The Weather Underground, and their Declaration of War against the United States."


My education (two degrees--one from the very conservative Oklahoma Baptist University, in the very buckle of the Bible Belt, thank you very much) taught me to not trust opinions just because they were repeated ad nauseum without some actual EVIDENCE and FACTS to back them up, such as the entire paragraph of yours I just quoted above. My education also taught me to use LOGIC and REASON rather than be swayed by common debate tactics (employed repeatedly by Right-Wing Pundits) such as circular logic, guilt by association, hearsay, and other logical fallacies. Obama's college education shrouded in mystery? Says who? Not Wikipedia. Not Columbia and Yale, which have his enrollment on public record for anyone to look up. "Hate-mongers opening doors for "this twit?" Says who? you? Rush Limbaugh? Not any credible news source. "This man has no leadership experience, no balance in his social outlook, and very obviously, no belief in fundamental American values – those that are based on morals and our historical documents – the Declaration, the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Monroe Doctrine, and the Emancipation Proclimation[sic]" Um, source please? Quotes? Anything to give credit to this statement beyond your own unfounded opinion? Pardon me while I ppppbbbbbt! I've read those historical documents (yes--all of them--I was almost a poli sci major and took a few classes beyond my general education in U.S. Gov.) and don't see any evidence that what Obama has said, or his policies, go against the lofty intentions of liberty and justice that our Founding Fathers espoused. Give me some Facts (not right-wing talking points and pundits braying endlessly to scare us) and we can have a civilized, honest debate. Stop wasting our time with this unsupported drivel. I guess it's the standard M.O. for Republicans these days, since the truth hurts them more than helps them. Really, the BEST you can do is whine about his lack of experience and claim his education is shrouded in mystery and he knows some extreme characters (guilty by association--that darn logical fallacy republicans use the most--until it hurts them, that is)? That's it? No affairs? No bipartisan committees finding him guilty of ethics violations or poor judgment? No real estate scandals? No shopping sprees at Neiman Marcus?

Why am I voting for Barack Obama? Because he's not a Republican. And he's not John McCain. I used to have great respect for John McCain. I thought he was a true war hero and had an even temperament; able to reach across the aisles, so to speak, and work with other Republicans AND Democrats to get valuable things done in Washington DC. If he had won the primaries against Bush, I would have voted for him in a heartbeat against Al Gore (as it was, I now weep to admit I voted for George W. Bush in 2000--yes, I was a die-hard Republican before I learned to pay attention and think for myself). But the more I've seen how John McCain runs this election, and the more I've researched HIS background, the less respect I have for him. He got admitted to the naval academy due to his father (nepotism). He graduated in the BOTTOM FIVE of his graduating class. He crashed two planes (costing the taxpayers millions), which normally gets your wings taken away, but due to his father, he got to keep them and even train other pilots. He gave up military secrets in Vietman while other POW's in the same situation were tortured and didn't divulge information. He cheated on his first wife and left her for a younger woman. The father of his 2nd wife (the "other woman," Cindy McCain) funded lots of money to his campaign for U.S. Senator.

Make Believe Maverick: The Real John McCain

Finally, I am ashamed at the behavior of the Republicans, their misstatement of just about everything Obama has done; saying he's "palling around with terrorists" for instance, and inciting already-riled up crowds into hating a fellow American because of the color of his skin, his religious upbringing, and his ancestry. The racism has really become apparent among some Republicans--and I don't mean just b/c they're not voting for Obama--I mean by their own mouth; calling him a nigger and a "black asshole" and other unsavory racial slurs--

Republican Idiocy

And McCain has done too little too late to change their faulty thinking or convince them that Obama is a fellow American who is a political opponent with whom he disagrees; they think he is an enemy of the State!
I am ashamed how Republicans use logical fallacies (such as guilt by association), fear, and bullying, instead of LOGIC to sway voters. I am ashamed that Sarah Palin has been found guilty of ethics violations and abuses of power, yet is upheld as some kind of moral leader. I am ashamed she feels the need to distinguish between "real" America (those who vote for her and McCain) and "fake" America (those with whom she disagrees and votes for her opponents). I am ashamed that Republicans lynched Clinton in 1998 for having an affair, but say nothing about McCain's affairs--I guess this moral failing only matters when you're a Democrat. And I am ashamed that John McCain hired the same political advisers (Bush's) that smeared him and used misleading questions and implications about his adopted daughter during the 2000 primaries when he was running against Bush. Looks to me like he's sold his soul in order to gain the presidency.

I'm voting for Obama because he's led a (fairly) clean and much more gentlemanly campaign. In spite of the fact that there is LOTS of amunition (heh) against John McCain re: his affairs, his dishonorable conduct as a U.S. Marine, and his filthy campagin tactics, Obama has not stooped to the level McCain has. I give him credit for NOT bringing up the affairs, as truly, they do not determine how a president will conduct himself as a public official. It takes quite restraint to not bring up something that would potentially be so damaging to his Christian base. And you don't hear Obama saying someone is "unAmerican" or a "fake American" just because they're not voting for him. In short, he has not demonized his opponent the way John McCain and Sarah Palin have done to him. Christians, indeed. Obama has not used fear as a campaign tactic, but hope.

I'm voting for Obama because he's well-spoken, even-tempered, a TRUE gentleman, and he gives me hope that America is NOT about bipartisan politics, but about upholding values that ALL Americans hold dear. Colin Powell (a decorated general, Republican, and former Bush cabinet member) endorses him, and I've always respected Colin Powell. Lots of respected Republicans endorse Obama, actually (Republicans that are concerned about America, that is, instead of just themselves and their own political party winning) including Charles Fried, former endorser and advisor to John McCain! Obama is smart, diplomatic, and untainted by years of cynical and corrupt Washington DC politics. In these difficult times, he gives people HOPE instead of making them turn on their fellow Americans by spreading fear, hate, and lies.

Finally, I leave you with something my mother-in-law, a very homespun, down-to-earth woman from Arkansas sent me regarding the campaign. This is from a forum/blog she frequents (I think it's actually a quilting forum!):

If You Are Undecided, You're Not Paying Attention.

Best,
Ninjanun