Open letter: The Guilt By Association Game -- Okay McCain, let's play.

This is an edited response to the desperate hate-mongering and lies and guilt-by-association game that McCain/Palin are trying to gin-up.  I wanted to have a nice list of McCain/Palin's associations.  Of course, Guilt by association isn't.  So I am not arguing that their associations make them guilty -- just that there are lots of associations to go around if you want to play that game.  But if you're going to play, you've got to show your cards as well.


Guilt by association isn't (guilt).  I want you to consider --
just consider -- that Obama is not really the anti-christ.  If you are
interested in how this can be so -- how he can actually be a good guy,
I can help you understand why I think he's a great man.  But if you
want to cling to your belief that he is some corrupt horrible
individual, then I can't help you.  Again, you can rightly disagree
with him on value and policy issues, but it's another thing altogether
to demonize him as a man -- and unfairly.



And to consider that while you are busy criticizing Obama, you are not
applying the same scrutiny to your own guy's character.  Seriously,
have you looked at your guy McCain and Palin?

• Have you not noticed the hate-filled campaign of McCain?  How
  does that show "character"?  "This past week, by ginning up an anger
  and resentment on the campaign
  trail that should leave all with a cold chill running through their
  bodies, McCain has shown neither presidential temperament nor
  character.
  "
• How does this show character?  "McCain-Palin supporters screaming inflammatory words at the very
  mention of Obama's name. Words like "terrorist" and "Kill him!" and
  "treason." And at no point has McCain or Palin called on those folks
  and others who would imitate them to stop." 
  
  
• How about Palin being shown guilty of abusing her power in Alaska and violating the Open Records Act:  http://lnmc.crooksandliars.com/jamie/sarah-palins-email-crime-used-expose-crime
  http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24479770-661,00.html
  
  
• How about McCain's ties to G. Gordon Liddy, the convicted
  Watergate burglar?  Se
  http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/10/mccains_chilling_dance_with_th.html
  and also http://mediamatters.org/items/200810040004
• How about McCain's role in the Keating Savings & Loan
  disaster (he was one of the Keating 5).  Watch the new video on this
  (fact-checked by CNN):  http://www.keatingeconomics.com/  McCain
  associated _directly_ with Charles Keating (convicted) and of the other
  Keating 5, "had the closest personal friendship with Charles Keating". 
  John McCain was cleared of any criminal impropriety, but the Senate
  Ethics committee criticized him for poor judgment for when he met with
  regulators on behalf of Charles Keating. In 2002, John McCain said
  these two meetings were "the worst mistake of my life."
• How about McCain's pastor Hagee:  "Pastor hagee-on african americans-“Hagee,
  pastor of the 16,000-member Cornerstone Church, last week had announced
  a ’slave sale’ to raise funds for high school seniors in his church
  bulletin, ‘The Cluster.’  Hagee, pastor of the
  16,000-member Cornerstone Church, last week had announced a ’slave
  sale’ to raise funds for high school seniors in his church bulletin,
  ‘The Cluster.’  “The item was introduced with the sentence
  ‘Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone” and ended with “Make
  plans to come and go home with a slave."  http://mediamatters.org/items/200802280018
  
  
• How about Palin's
  husband being a member of the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP)?  A
  party started by a guy named Joe Vogler who said, "
  The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the
  American government...and I won't be buried under their damn flag...
  I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her
  damned institutions."  This party wants to secede from the united
  states.  Palin spoke at their conference _earlier this year_.  There is
  video on the Internet:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI 
  Palin said at this speech, " Keep up the good work, and God bless
  you."  Hmm. 
  
  
• How about McCain's own advisers and campaign staffers being
  former lobbyists, especially a former Fannie/Freddie lobbyist: 
  http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/09/9663_mccain_fannie_freddie.html
  
  

The Ayers stuff is really stretching the bounds of credulity.  Here's what Obama said on the matter:

"This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who is a professor of
English in Chicago, who I know, and who I have not received some
official endorsement from. He is not someone I exchange ideas (with) on
a regular basis."

Obama went on to say Ayers "engaged in
despicable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old," and to suggest
that "that reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense." 
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95442902, also
look at this debunking of the lie and distortion in McCain's
advertisement:  http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/790/

You better learn to love Obama because by all projections he is going
to be our next president.  He is close to winning a landslide of
electoral votes too (351, with 375 as a landslide).  http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/