humanities.philosophy.objectivism

On Mar 25, 2:05 pm, Ray wrote:
> You haven't really made an electability case for him.

Um, I didn't try to make an elect-ABILITY case for him at all. As far
as I can tell, the very concept of electability is bound up with a
prior commitment to seeing a particular party win. My preference, all
else being equal, is for the Republicans to win. But all else is not
equal because the Republicans are not running the kind of person that
I go to the Republicans for. I think there's an argument for McCain to
be made too. I just can't see an argument for Hillary.

> You're smitten with Obama.

I've given a reason for voting for him. I'm not interested in having
sex with him.

The only difference between
> him and the other two is that he's black.

I'm glad you noticed that. He is. And that's key to the argument in
part because I think it explains a great deal of his popularity
*abroad*. Did the whole "tactical voting" concept not get across?

> You seem to think electing him will finally clear our
> collective white racial guilt feelings.

Wow! OK, I'm thinking of a number betwen one and a hundred. Or, in
other words, "cite please"? Donde esta la discussion of race por
favor?

Electing him president
> will be the ultimate in affirmative action but it will not be
> the end of affirmative action programs.

OK, we could talk about that. I think there's a very interesting
discussion to be had there, but I'm reluctant to initiate it, seeing
as no one has said one single savvy insightful thing on the subject
yet (I have some thoughts, but I've been keeping them to myself until
I find a worthy interlocutor). Yes, he seems to have had an
interesting effect on a certain kind of voter. Not me personally, but
on some, sure. Did you want to get into that? It's an interesting
topic. He also has an effect on me, but I was very careful to think
that through and out before I came to the conclusion that he was
someone I wanted to see nominated. And no, you got the source of that
bias, which I think I have well under control, completely wrong. It's
an age and regional bias. I also have a soft spot for people smarter
than me.

But your way of putting it suggests (I don't want to put words in your
mouth) that he's underqualified. Well, he's a US senator. That or a
governor seems to be a threshold, beyond that we're just talkin'
politics, that is, bullshit. Before he was a senator, he was a state
senator. He did have an unusually easy time becoming a US senator, and
you know who's to blame for that? George Effing Dubya Bush, who told
the very nice *Republican* incumbent that, because he criticized the
administration too freely, no more party machine support. And then the
party had the good sense to try to replace Hon. Peter Fitzgerald, a
man I happen to have a great deal of respect for, with a documented
pervert married to a Star Trek actress, who melted. *That's* how Barry
became a senator. Sorry to break it to you. If Charles' hero had the
capacity to cope with criticism and diversity of political opinion
within his own party, Barry'd still be in Springfield. Chalk up
another one to whitehouse wonderboy.

Obama got into Harvard Law on affirmative action, probably. He
graduated magna cum laude. Law school exams are damned difficult, and
graded blind. That means he's smarter than you and I put together.
Sorry.

> He and his wife are anti-American, period.

I find that just a meaningless statement.

> Spending 20 years attending a black Madrass church will do
> that to you.

The only intelligent thing said on this subject so far was Hitchens'
piece (with Dick Morris running a close second). I was wondering when
someone was going to say what needs to be said here, but instead we
have fantasies about white liberal guilt and, natch, blackness. Are
all the *Objectivists* like *dead* here or something? Fred? You awake?
OK, I'll help you all out. Here's how you do this. You notice that
venomous religious muck is bad, that political pandering to venomous
religious muck is cowardly, pathetic, hypocritical and shows that
Barry is no better or worse than 99% of all American politicians. For
example, no better that Hillary "Doug Coe" Clinton or John "John
Hagee" McCain. And you leave "blackness" out of it. You write *this*:

http://www.slate.com//id/2187277/pagenum/all

C'mon guys. You can do it. Yes. You. Can.