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It's time to unite and fight back.
'The whole Democratic Party is a bunch of liberal crazy people who aren't capable of being in charge of anything...let alone the Presidency.'
That's the caricature. That's what the other side wants voters to believe. That's what is happening right now to our Democratic Party, and it doesn't matter whether you support Obama or Clinton...or whether you are still hoping for a rescue by Gore, Edwards, Kerry or some other Democrat...you should not only realize this, you need to start doing something NOW to stop it.
I attended a wonderful event at Pepperdine University in 2006. Senator John Kerry was there to speak about "Faith and Politics." At the time, there was hope among some that he would run again in 2008...and there was also anger with some about 2004. It was a great speech. He discussed issues we are now facing in the current election and took questions from students there on a variety of issues, from immigration to right to life issues. (It's online at pepperdine.edu for anyone who wants to watch.)
In that speech, John Kerry spoke about caricature. He said:
"There will always be those bent on corrupting our political discourse, particularly where religion is involved. But I learned how important it is to make certain people have a deeper understanding of the values that shape me and the faith that sustains me. Despite this New Englanders’ past reticence of talking publicly about my faith, I learned that if I didn’t fill in the picture myself, others would draw the caricature for me. I will never let that happen again—and neither should you, because no matter your party, your ideology, or your faith, we are all done a disservice when the debate is reduced to ugly and untrue caricatures."
"...I learned that if I didn't fill in the picture myself, others would draw the caricature for me."
Amazing words...and an important lesson for Democrats. I hope we...not just John Kerry...have learned this lesson. Our political discourse is definitely being corrupted right now. Many of us are frustrated because we want to discuss issues...and we can't, because we are defending against a caricature. The other side is filling in the picture for us.
Obama supporters know the truth of who Obama is...but the caricature is also pretty clear: We should fear his presidency because of his 'shady' religious connections and possible lack of patriotism. But there is a caricature for Clinton, too: She's cold and calculating, and only wants power.
The problem is, there is a third caricature: Neither (or none) of the Democratic candidates are as presidential as a 'John McCain.' They don't have a policy. They can't decide on a candidate. The whole party is split and a joke. What kind of voter are you if you would vote for ANY ONE OF THEM?
'The whole Democratic Party is a bunch of liberal crazy people who aren't capable of being in charge of anything, let alone the Presidency.'
John Kerry said (paraphrasing) that he would never let that happen again. And he said, "...and neither should you, because no matter your party, your ideology, or your faith, we are all done a disservice when the debate is reduced to ugly and untrue caricatures."
There is a caricature currently being drawn of ALL of us. We Democrats cannot allow that to happen. As Barack Obama said on Tuesday, "Not this time." It's time we Democrats unite to fight back.
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