This is some story, one that the netroots needs to get into.
A shadowy Israeli/neocon operation (in cooperation with a Jewish proselytizing outfit) is distributing 28 million racist videos about Muslims and Islam in advance of the US election. The video -- which is a nasty screed -- has been kicking around in far right circles for awhile. But the mass distribution now is intended to defeat Barack Obama.
What a crock! Senator McCain is suspending his campaign to deal with the economic crisis.
He's not President. He's a senator. One of 100 and one who admits to no economic expertise.
Incumbent Presidents Lincoln and FDR both campaigned in the midst of war as commander-in-chief. Neither ever suggested halting the Presidential election, perhaps because democracy is supposedly what America is all about.
Incredible. One bad Washington Post poll and McCain surrenders. He has disqualified himself
According to ABC/Washington Post, a seismic shift has occurred. Obama is now at 52% with McSame at 43. The ABC/Post says that neither Gore nor Kerry ever rose above 50% at any point in 2000 or 2004.
Of course, all the other variables are still in play. Obama should be much higher than this BUT with the economy looking like 1932, it could well be that so will the election returns.
How does "Happy Days Are Here Again" go?
This is an essay I wish I had written. It's by Prof. Tim Wise who is an expert on American racism and how it works.
Wise spells out what I've been feeling all year: that once again, in 2008, we are discovering that it is not so much guns or religion that millions of Americans cling to but racial superiority, white privilege.
Wise makes the case here. Bottom line: the one thing Obama has going against him is his race and the only thing McCain-Palin has going for them is theirs.
Check it out. Also watch Wise giving a lecture on the subject. He is effing good!
I've been wondering if it is possible for Obama to outsmart expectations and win.
I am not sure he can. .
The reason is simple. The McCain camp uses Obama's verbal dexterity and intelligence against him. The whole point of portraying him as "uppity" or "The One" or "the messiah" is to turn his strongest attributes into negatives. This is not unique to Obama. Jews, women, Asians, gays, African-Americans and other "minorities" are often ridiculed for being "articulate" or "smooth" or "good talkers." In a country that now celebrities mediocrity, the worst sin is to be seen as part of an elite. Hence, the Palin phenomenon. Her mediocrity is her biggest (only) strength.
We have four days to help inoculate Obama against this phenomenon. I'm not sure how we do it. I am sure however that the Obama team has a plan. I just hope it understands that Obama really has two things going against him on Friday. One, he is very bright. Two, John McCain clearly isn't.
Israel has joined the rest of the world and is now supporting Obama. I say that based on the conversations I had over the past week with all kinds of people, across the political spectrum here in Jerusalem.
Two reasons. The first is Palin. Israelis think she's a moron. One put it to me this way. "Look, we have crazy rightwingers too. Many. But the rightwingers who get involved in politics are not stupid. They are articulate and wrong. She seems stupid and that we don't elect here. Mc Cain chose her and that made Israelis think that he is not qualified to be your President."
