Pre-Debate Reading

I’m a little worked up heading into tonight’s debate, perhaps you’ve noticed? Whether an over-reaction to the phrase “lesser of two evils” or a somewhat kneejerk response to a comrade even mentioning possibility of voting for someone other than Obama, however well-reasoned; I think it’s fair to say that I’m fairly close to crossing over the emotional line and getting a little too involved.

Understand, I’ve seen negative campaigning before; my umbrage has been raised numerous times in the past, whether by the obvious race baiting behind the Willie Horton tactic, to the hypocrisy surrounding the Lewinski ferago, to Swift Boaters…For hell’s sake, I was in Colorado Springs at the beginning of Colorado’s Amendment 2 campaign, and that was before the Ted Haggards and the Focus on the Family were housed there.

All the same, this one feels a little closer to home, and if you’ll forgive me for pointing out the obvious, I do believe it is the extra pigment in my skin. I do try not to let that aspect of my person run roughshod over my writings here, but McCain/Palin and their ilk have now made that virtually impossible.

It has gotten to the point where I marvel at the restraint most of the women on The View have when it comes to that scion of “white privilege” Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Have you seen her recently? Makes me want to print out ten copies of Tim Wise’s recent lengthy screed and stuff it down her throat.
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All other opinions aside, I have to point out that Roosevelt’s New Deal wasn’t the New Deal until Roosevelt himself was elected. Until then, all it referred to was a then-recently published book that Roosevelt turned into a talking point, to use the modern parlance.
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Media wise:

- Joe Klein’s piece in Swampland, Time magazine’s blog, did a lot to calm me down, and echoes my thoughts perfectly on what has become of the John McCain name (all of which is regrettably reinforced by the Rolling Stone piece linked to earlier in the week). Tip of the hat to Swine.

- Only to have that calm disturbed again at the recent on-air shenanigans displayed by Tom Brokaw; which, when added to the revelations brought on by getting to know Steve Schmidt, the architect of McCain’s foray into Dada politics, had me reaching for the immodium. Thanks Los Angeles Times.

- Finally brought to reason again by reading Salon’s Gary Kamiya, who traces the current smear tactics back to their source, Barry Goldwater, the other extreme Republican conservative presidential candidate from Arizona.
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How about we finish on a couple of up notes?

Let’s start with Jerome Corsi, one of the original Swift Boaters for Truth, who recently traveled to Kenya in order to find Obama’s half brother so he could give him some money. Some kind of half-baked stunt the results of which I’m not too sure about. Anyway, he was arrested near Nairobi for not having a work permit. A bureaucratic snafu, no doubt; however, the notion does warm the cockles. UPDATE: The AP notes that Corsi has now been deported out of Kenya.

Lastly, here’s last night’s Keith Olbermann on Sarah Palin (tip of the hat to momentofchoice).