Wow...

Like most Americans, I really wish elections were based more on issues and substance, rather than ridiculous discussions of candidates' personalities and other nonsense. I also wish the media's coverage of elections, which is pretty much abysmal, was based more on issues than such trivialities. It's the candidates' positions on issues and their record on issues that truly matter, in my humble opinion. As a result, even if McCain/Palin had run an incredibly clean, principled, and substantive campaign, I would still, without a doubt, urge people who live in swing states to vote for Obama/Biden. If you happen to hail from a deep blue state like myself or a deep red state like my best friend in the whole wide world, certainly feel free to cast your votes for truly progressive candidates like Nader or McKinney, but regardless of your decision, issues ought to be up front and center.

Given that I feel this way, I am reluctant to pay too much attention to the daily campaign drama and back and forth attacks which receive so much media attention. Although to be honest, inevitably I end up paying a lot of attention to this stuff. When I do so, it makes me feel guilty that I enjoy it. You know, similar to the feeling I get when I catch my self reading the covers of celebrity tabloids in the supermarket. Nonetheless, the McCain campaign has been so incredibly dirty, so willing to lie and exploit xenophobia, racism, regionalism and any and every force which potentially divides us, that I have to delve into the murky waters of process stories and say something.

Many Obama supporters likely got this email this morning. When I read it, my reaction was just, wow...I simply cannot believe these people. Apparently the RNC sent out a mailer last week that looks like this:

Image courtesy of Huffington Post

This attack reaches new heights of dishonesty, as well as fear and hate mongering. There are more problems with it than I could possibly list, not the least of which is the implication that negotiating with our perceived enemies in the Middle East will make us less safe. In reality, it is a demonstrable fact that the naked imperialism of the Bush administration has not minimized but drastically increased the threat of terrorism worldwide.

McCain/Palin and the GOP are evil, plain and simple.