The Obamaphobe mind at work, part 3
The last (for now, anyway) in my series of posts about what is motivating the anti-Obama vote:
I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. Some of it is pure recitation of commonly accepted facts, and I can’t argue with that. But the blogger also throws in a bunch of opinion, exaggeration, and unsubstantiated accusations. I worry that people are thinking “some of this is obviously true; therefore, the rest of it is probably true as well.”
As with the previous site, it’s hard to know how to respond when someone says “I’m not voting for Obama, and here’s why … just look at this web site.” The graphics at the top of the page — including two photos of Obama in a turban and a morphing of “Obama-Biden” into “Osama Bin Laden” — provoke an instinctive reaction to say “can’t you see that whoever maintains this web site is a bigoted, paranoid lunatic?” But the site contains just enough actual video footage, quotations from mainstream media, and other “real” information that if you simply dismiss the entire site your opponents will accuse you of ignoring the facts, and they’ll have half a case. (OK, maybe less than half a case, but you get the point.)
Conclusion:
Look, I’m not saying a vote for McCain is the definition of insanity. If you believe that abortion is murder, that the Federal government should provide only the services specifically laid out in the Constitution, or the top income earners are already paying too much in taxes, then I don’t expect you to vote for Obama. But if you’re voting against Obama not because you disagree with what he stands for but because of what you’ve heard others say about him, then please, for yourselves and for your country, take the time to consider the sources of your information and your sources’ sources. Question what you read. Ask for proof. Ask whether even John McCain believes these things. Ask if it really matters, even if it is true (like the size of the flag on the side of a plane or a slip of the tongue). Don’t vote for the guy you’d rather have a beer with, or the guy you’d trust to watch your house for the weekend. Vote for the guy who can lead the country in the direction you want it to go.
