An Arab Can't Be A Good Family Man?
In no way am I suggesting that John McCain is qualified to be president of the United States. By temperament and policy, he is clearly not able to lead us in foreign affairs or domestic policy. He is mired in the cold war policies of the past. His aggressiveness is likely to provoke another useless war...
But in defending Barack Obama this week, McCain did a good thing.
A woman in a rabid right wing rally said, "We can't trust Obama... He's an Arab."
McCain answered "No ma'am. That's not true... He is a good family man."
As if the two were mutually exclusive.
If McCain were smarter, he could have seized the Lincolnesque moment and have knocked it out of the park...He would have won political points among independents -- who hate negative campaigning. He could have gone on a riff about how Arabs can be loyal Americans, etc.
Even now McCain could insure an enduring place in history, and perhaps help himself in the campaign. .....by delivering a major speech on these themes. Or maybe he could interject such ideas into Wednesday's debate.
"My friends, a woman at a rally told me that my rival, Senator Obama, was suspect because he was an Arab.
"I want to say this once and for all. He is not an Arab. He is not a Muslim. He is a Christian and a loyal American..
"But even if he were an Arab or a Muslim, this would not preclude him from being President... There are millions of hard working Arab Americans and Muslim Americans who are loyal to this country and are to be honored.
"This kind of blind prejudice against Arabs or Muslims or black people or Jews or women is frankly un-American and traitorous to everything we stand for.
"Bigotry and hate speech must be stamped out and exposed whenever we see it.
"Voters -- even my supporters -- who give in to prejudice and racism are subverting everything that is good and special and noble about this great country of ours.
"The principles of our great, unprejudiced America are what I went to war to defend... this is precisely what our brave soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are fighting for.
"The bigots and hate mongers are the real traitors to what our country stands for. To what makes us so great."
At this point McCain doesn't have much to lose and he might have much to gain...
But Nah, he won't do it. Not bright enough, not brave enough. Not Presidential enough.
Which is why he is going to lose.
write to: jfleetwood@aol.com
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Your point of view is most kind and completely Rational and sensible. Obviously you care about American continuing to function as the most flexible, adaptable, and diverse Democracy on Earth. Thing is, I fear John McCain's surrogates might actually read your point of view and steal it for the next debate, as it makes complete sense. Let them sink in their own toxic juices. On the other hand, xenophobia, racism, religious bigotry of any kind is extremely dangerous and none of us Rational types want to see anyone suffer at the hands of a mob. Let's hope the Obama Biden team wins and American can continue to be proud of its diversity and its' bright light, as a Shining Beacon on the Hill.
At first I thought "Wow, he's actually doing the right thing." then "Oh my God, what did he just say?"
As has been pointed out, if even 1% of the billion Muslims in the world were terrorists, we would be toast. That would be 10,000,0000 terrorists. Since we're all muddling through our lives and not either dead or living under sharia law, the number must be an infinitesimal fraction of 1%.
He might if those people didn't make up a good portion of his "base"...
All i can say is THANK YOU!!!! for saying that which needed to be said for A LONG, LONG TIME.
I have had enough of the fear mongering for a whole culture of people, we should not allow any bit of it.
Mccain would not have had to defend Senator O
if he had not goaded these people into thinking
that anything goes when they come to his rallies.
He didn't do anything noble. He did what was right.
All of this race bating and getting these racist
hate mongers all worked up is very dangerous and
he should stop it. He knows what he is doing .It's
nothing less than dividing this country , if there
ever was a time when we need to stick together it is
now. What is wrong with Arabs anyway.???
dont forget this is a Senator who was against...
Senator you was in a prison camp...and you remind us everyday..
"But Nah, he won't do it. Not bright enough, not brave enough. Not Presidential enough."
And frankly, I don't think he believes it himself.
Yes it would be great if he was capable of that kind of thinking. But he's not. He's glad his crowds are now rabbles. It makes him feel powerful. And that's what he needs more than anything in the world. To feel powerful.
exactly...
Finally someone said what I have been feeling! Thank you!
AMEN.
McCain's ambition to be the president is ruthless. His ambition has gotten him in and out of some serious charges in the past. He has shown, in his career, that he doesn't care about America or Americans, he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I think he lives in his own world, where he is God. And McCain IS racist, that's why he can't portray the authenticity needed to pull off successfully hiding the way he genuinely thinks. Ask any white retiree in Arizona ( their vote is disproportional to the population) why they hate paying taxes. It's because they don't want to pay for public schools because public schools educate illegals. They hate seeing the blacks who are lazy welfare moms, spending their tax dollars.
Arizona won the dumbest state status of 2006-2007. Right after Alaska. We also have the lowest min. wage next to Alaska. We have the largest disparity of poor vs. rich. Ask the retiree in Arizona about why they don't want to pay their taxes. They'll tell you straight out, they don't see anything wrong. Institutional racism. Unabashed.
Thank-you! I was wondering when someone would point that out! Not a single other person in the media made this connection and yet it jumped out at me as soon as I heard McCain say it. Prejudice against Arabs is still one of the permissible hatreds in America, evidently.
Actually, as you wrote this, I was watching CNN with Wolf Blitzer et al; he himself mentioned the fact that neither John or Barack have formally made a statement stating the fact that even he was muslim or arab, that shouldn't really be an issue. Both candidates just need to take that one step further; if either made such a statement, in the same tone as Barack's race speech in Feb., that has the potential to tip the campaign in either's favor.
the best thing about this strategy, is that if you say "Obama is not a muslim or an arab", then go one to say "and what would be wrong if he was?", you leave the lingering impression that maybe he indeed is an arab or a muslim, and you are just to open minded to care, without saying anything that is clearly prejudicial or misleading. So McCain could have his cake, and eat it.
Sort iof like if Obama said "I would like to reject any claim that McCain is too old or too erratic to hold the office of President. There are many people who are even older than him, and don't display any erratic behaviour, and many who manage to lead full lives, wtih physical problems even worse than his.
Good post.
And how will we ever expect to normalize relations with any nation in the Middle East if we treat Muslim like a four letter word.
Most Muslims don't run planes into our nations skyscrapers. It was George Bush and co. whose failure to make the distinction following 911 which solidified this rift. If this country doesn't make a distinction between insane zealotry, and one of the world's largest religious faiths, why should they ever care about the doctrine of democracy we try to sell them ( for their oil no less. )
That's what you get when you elect folks who think just "muddling through" is a good enough plan for our future!
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