Patriotism or Idiotism
By David Glenn Cox
“How you, O Athenians, have been affected by my accusers, I cannot tell; but I know that they almost made me forget who I was – so persuasively did they speak; and yet they have hardly uttered a word of truth.” (Socrates)
The most recent New York Times CBS News Poll found that the public believes John McCain to be more patriotic than Barack Obama and by almost two-thirds. What a superficial and stupid question to ask, to take two United States Senators and stand them side by side and ask: which is more patriotic? Below the surface the question smacks of McCarthyism; perhaps we should make them swear loyalty oaths. Then we can watch real close for a stumble or a stammer, then we’ll know for sure!
The deeper we dig the more offensive the question becomes. Who then was more patriotic, George Washington or Thomas Jefferson? George Washington put his life on the line numerous times in deadly mortal combat. He suffered the cold deprivations of Valley Forge and the blazing heat of Monmouth while Jefferson did some writing for the government and served in the Continental Congress. So then the answer is clear, George Washington was clearly more patriotic than Jefferson. Why, side by side Jefferson was hardly patriotic at all, a petty bureaucrat issuing government pronouncements.
The question was a framed argument, a baited argument designed to deliver an obvious answer. McCain, a fighter pilot and former prisoner of war, would certainly win in that column, head to head. The question was asked: “Would you consider John McCain very patriotic, somewhat patriotic, or not very patriotic?” They left no room in the margin for stupid question. So let me ask, who is your favorite dictator, Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin or Pol Pot? Sorry, none of the above is not an answer.
The designed purpose of the poll was to determine the public's sentiments about the candidates, but the poll designers, by asking questions with unmeasurable metrics, are attempting to steer the poll. They did not, for example, ask: Which candidate has more experience crossing the racial divide? Or, which candidate has more experience in handling a divorce. There is no definitive answer, yet Obama, being an African American, would be assumed more knowledgeable on the question of race and McCain on the question of divorce.
Yet the patriotism results have been repeated ad nauseam by the mainstream networks. An MSNBC senior correspondent remarked, “Of course John McCain would be viewed as more patriotic; the candidate with the better military record would always be shown more favorably.” Oh really? What about the decorated war veteran who served two tours in combat versus that guy that just kind of disappeared from the National Guard?
The question was a cookie for John McCain, much the same way they keep slicing the electorate down to ever-thinner slices until they find a close race. Every national poll shows Obama ahead. He is ahead in the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida, yet NBC News argues, “If McCain wins any two of these battleground states, then Obama’s path to the White House becomes difficult.” The polls show he’s not winning any and might not even carry his home state of Arizona! It all depends on what your definition of spin is. The race is a statistical dead heat among independents, or as Fox News puts it, “Why is Obama having such trouble reaching independents?"
Remember back during the Democratic primaries when the media told us that white, blue-collar voters might not vote for Obama? In Pennsylvania Obama is ahead 46 to 42%, in Ohio 48 to 46%, Michigan 47 to 39%. Only in West Virginia is McCain ahead but the media warns us West Virginia might be pivotal because it went for Bush in '04 and thus denied Kerry the presidency. But oddly they even spin what are considered battleground states, since when were Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia considered battleground states?
Of the twenty-two media anointed battleground states, only three show a McCain lead. Only one of them, South Dakota, shows McCain with a lead beyond the margin of error. The media’s reporting of the poll results seems designed to hide the truth rather than expose it. To explain it away rather than just explain it. The same poll asked the question: If John McCain were elected President, do you think he would generally continue George W. Bush's economic policies, or not? They answered by a two-thirds majority that they believed his policies would mirror those of George Bush. But gee, why isn’t that the headline?
Asked: If John McCain were elected President, do you think he would generally continue George W. Bush's policies in Iraq, or not? Almost 80% of respondents again answered that he was no different than Bush and again this wasn’t a headline. Now who is more patriotic? There is an issue with meat on its bones!
Let’s talk about flip flops; the media loves to talk about flip flops. So far, do you think John McCain has changed his position on an important issue in order to get elected, or not? 55% said yes, 28% said no, but when asked, how does that affect your opinion, 61% said it didn’t change their opinion at all!
So far, do you think Barack Obama has changed his position on an important issue in order to get elected, or not? 53% said yes, 35% said no, but when asked how does that affect your opinion of the candidate, 61% said that it didn’t change their opinion at all. Exactly the same results for both candidates, yet the media hammers away all day long trying to build casus belli from pixie dust. Either the media doesn’t believe their own polls or the public is a lot smarter than they are. Because 7% of McCain respondents and 9% of Obama respondents answered that a change in their positions made them think better of the candidate!
Oh no, that won’t do at all, we mustn’t ever report that. Flip flops means lack of character, lack of character means trustworthiness and who is more trustworthy? Why, the more patriotic candidate, of course! And when The New York Times CBS News poll asked, would you consider Barack Obama very patriotic, somewhat patriotic, or not very patriotic? The answer was 47% very patriotic, 37% somewhat patriotic and 11% not very, but then Jefferson wasn’t very patriotic either.
“Socrates is an evildoer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the Earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear the better cause; and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to others.” In the ancient democracy of Athens, such was a crime punishable by death. Today in American democracy, it is merely mainstream journalism.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/politics/20080716_POLL.pdf
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