As I said earlier, John McCain supporters make me sad. I think it’s disappointing that people think it’s a good idea to vote for a candidate who:
- Doesn’t admonish supporters who shout “Kill him” in reference to Barack Obama.
- Refuses to call on his supporters to stop the whisper campaigns perpetuating the lie that Obama is a Muslim
- Leads voters to believe that criticizing a war is unpatriotic or grounds for treason
- Repeatedly spreads lies by claiming that Obama “pals around with terrorists”
- Approves of campaign representatives repeatedly referring to Obama with his middle name. McCain’s not even being subtle anymore about trying to scare voters out of voting for Obama.
I’m not saying that McCain is responsible for the hateful words coming out of his supporters mouths. Clearly, he’s not. However, he is responsible for setting the tone of the campaign. The tone McCain set has led to these kinds of remarks.
Since McCain has no real economic plan, I think it’s safe to assume that many of his supporters either believe he’s a maverick who will take on the system or support his social stances. Let’s get one thing clear: He’s no maverick. Everything — from his limited policy ideas … to the kind of campaign he’s waging — is reminiscent of George W. Bush. And, as for social issues: Is that really what’s most important to the country as a whole? Or, is it more important to select a leader who wants to bring people together — despite religious or other differences? Someone who recognizes and respects the fact that people share different values? Why do voters think it’s a good idea to support a candidate who clearly doesn’t care how he gets to the White House — even if that means insinuating that his oppoenent is racist, unpatriotic, Muslim, in cahoots with Kenyan leaders, just for starters – as long as he gets there?
I’m not articulating this as well as I’d like. But, the point is this: The notion that someone honestly looks at the type of person John McCain is and still decides to cast their vote for him is shameful and sad. What does that say about voters and how we choose our leaders?
Update: The New York Times comments on this as well.
Update 2: My brother just called to discuss this post, which only reinforced that I didn’t communicate what I meant very well. I don’t mean to imply that people who agree with McCain’s policies should be ashamed to vote for him. I don’t agree with those policies, but I certainly believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. All I meant by this post is that I think it’s sad that McCain has given up on offering real policies and ideas that will help move our country forward and is instead trying to scare people into voting for him. I know he can’t control what comes out of people’s mouths, but he’s not doing anything to remedy the situation. Start by telling his “introducers” to stop using Obama’s middle name. Tell Palin to drop the line about palling around with terrorists. Stop using fear to win an election and start using policies and actual ideas for once. Perhaps the title of this post should have more accurately reflected that current undecided voters who pull the lever for McCain because they are scared of Obama (Is he a terrorist? Is he Muslim?) are sad. They are not basing thier decision on policy — there have been relatively few massive policy changes from either candidate recently. Instead, they aren’t smart enough to see past McCain’s political tricks.
