An email from a friend

An email from a friend:

Dear Friends,

Although I have exchanged emails with some of you about this Presidential election, this is the first and (and last) time I am sending an email to this large and politically varied group.  My goal isn't so much to try to change your mind  about who to vote for as it is to call your attention to a vicious new turn toward fear-based campaigning that happened over the weekend.  In just over two weeks, we're going to have a new leader, and we're all going to have to pull together to help solve the problems facing us.  Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, independent, Libertarian or other, I hope we can all agree that there should be no place in the American electoral system for this sort of activity.

First of all, in the interests of full disclosure, I am supporting Barak Obama in the upcoming election for many reasons which I won't elaborate upon here (if you really want to know, send me an email and I will be happy to share them with you). However, I do not consider myself a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, etc. I would support a candidate from any party if I thought they were the best candidate.  Please take the following comments in that context.

One reason I decided to send this email is that I have become deeply troubled by the McCain campaign's divisive fear-mongering smear approach, an approach taken in a desperate attempt to win this election.  It is deeply troubling because while McCain-Palin claim to the great American, their campaign, speeches (Palin's in particular) and ads attempt to play upon people's fears by telling half truths and outright lies in an attempt to persuade voters that Obama is somehow a terrorist and anti-American. Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama yesterday (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh_c5bbvmqc) as well as the "edgy-looking, heavily tattooed, 30ish white man" from Michigan City, IN (in the email below from my friend Collin) both share this point of view. 

And what really scares the hell out of me is the interview with Republican Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann from Minnesota ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bT01mC9xSA ). This is modern day McCarthysim. As Kartina Vanden Heuvel said in a follow-up interview, "I fear for my country. I think what we just heard was a Congresswoman channeling.  A politics of fear and loathing and demonization and division and distraction, not a single issue mentioned". Vanden Heuvel goes on to say, "I think it's very scary. This is a country that I love and this woman (Bachmann) had no sense of the history of this nation which is one of struggle, of trying to fulfill the great ideals of this nation, about movements that have brought about the civilizing advances of this country." Even Pat Robertson says he does not know any anti-American members of Congress (www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKgAuOANZr8). But this woman thinks we should launch an expose of members of congress to find out which ones are anti-American! Wow! Dust off your history books if you need a refresher as to where this could lead.

And let me make one last thing clear. I am VERY proud to be an American! But people like Bachmann and Palin who spew bile, hate and fear are not what I consider to be great Americans nor do they represent the characteristics that make our country great. They are dividers, not leaders. And yes, I too, like my friend Collin, will be making a donation of Michelle Bachmann's opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg -- http://www.tinklenberg08.com/home.html

My best to all!

Regards,

Frank