I write this as national polls show John McCain moving ahead of Obama by a couple of points. (Please pass the Tums.) Sure, it could be a convention/Palin bounce that fades, but it seems clear that this will be a horse race now till Nov 4. We need new state polls to figure out what the true current state of affairs is, but safe to say we’ve not even begun to see the GOP smear campaign against Obama. Classic Republican strategy–appeal to people’s gut rather than reason. It worked in 2000, and it worked in 2004. I can only hope to god the energy behind this year’s Democratic candidate and his whip-smart team will make the difference, knocking down the immoral, divisive politics of the right-wing GOP for once and for all. We’ve got to find a way to effectively counter their blows, to slice through the distractions and get to the real issues that should freak a lot of those undecideds out about the McCain-Palin ticket. Just a reminder of some of the GOP’s very special platform points (sent to me by a friend, pulled from somewhere in 538.com comments):
The Republican Party Platform is now online, and it’s an interesting little document. Among other positions, it:
* bypasses Congress to give the President full authority in all decisions related to war
* supports the right of every health-care provider, from pharmacist to surgeon, to refuse any service or function that violates his/her personal morality or conscience
*upholds party opposition to all abortion without exception
(and for some comic relief..)
* declares that inflation should not be a factor in determining federal budget projections (take THAT, numbers guys!)
Let your voice be heard! Particularly those who can speak from a moderate Republican or Independent POV, as the GOP has nothing but sneer & derision for Dems as out-of touch-elitists etc etc (not that Dems can’t counterpunch that nonsense; I encourage you to! They just LOVE to perpetuate the idea that there’s no such thing as a working class Democrat. PuhLEASE). Hat tip to Smitty of the Mudflats commentariat for the following contact info:
campbell.brown@cnn.com, 60m@cbsnews.com, anderson.cooper@cnn.com, letters@cnn.com, editor@latimes.com, editor@washingtonpost.com, letters@msnbc.com, countdown@msnbc.com, phil.griffin@nbc.com, abrams@msnbc.com, akmuckraker@yahoo.com, scoop@huffingtonpost.com, letters@latimes.com, nightline@abcnews.com, ftn@cbsnews.com, nightly@nbc.com, newshour@pbs.org, letters@washpost.com, letters@newsweek.com, letters@time.com, renata.luczak@comedycentral.com, tips@upi.com, fair@fair.org
