redblueamerica.com

I have precious little faith in the American political process.

In the last few presidential elections, we have seen hanging chads, Swift Boat sucker-punches, tainted voting machines, and a Supreme Court happy to choose our president for us.

But, last night’s debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama may have established a new low.

Sure, elections can get nasty. We have come to expect things like lies, sabotage, and back-stabbing from political machines. But when a major news network systematically goes about the business of attempting the political assassination of a single candidate… then we are treading on very dangerous ground.

Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos are guilty of the worst kind of hypocracy. Rather than serve as moderators or even as surrogates for the American people, they played the roles of right-wing pit bulls. Their performaces would have done Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter proud.

Rather than ask about the real issues affecting America, the war, the economy, the mortgage crisis, health-care or education, we had to hear questions like these:

* Do you think Reverend Wright loves America as much as you do?

* Is (Reverend Wright) as patriotic as you are?

* I want to know if you believe in the American flag. I am not questioning your patriotism, but all our servicemen, policemen and EMS wear the flag. I want to know why you don’t.

These were just some of the questions directed at Obama. Not only were the questions pointed and biased, the hostility toward Obama was palpable.

At the end of the debate, I expected to hear a voice-over from Hilliary: This debate paid for by Hillary Clinton for President and I approve this message.

Think about it, more time was spent on the discussion of why Obama chooses not to wear a lapel pin flag than was spent discussing the price of oil or the state of our schools. Of course, Obama’s response to the flag pin question was nothing short of brilliant:

“This is the kind of manufactured issue that our politics has become obsessed with and, once again, distracts us from what should be my job when I’m commander in chief, which is going to be figuring out how we get our troops out of Iraq and how we actually make our economy better for the American people.”

The questioning was designed to paint Barack Obama as a closeted radical who not only hates America and white people, but every acquaintance he’s ever had despises America.

The implication, of course, is that with a president like Barack Obama, white people would be wise to pack up their belongings and move to Canada.

The live audience was smart enough to ring down a chorus of boos on the hosts, especially Gibson.

Gibson’s reply: ”The crowd is turning on me. The crowd is turning on me.”

Of course, he was saying it was a huge smile on his face as if it were some kind of enormous joke.

In fact, that’s exactly what it was.

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