Double Standard Squared

Thanks for bringing this up.
I appreciate efforts like yours to highlight the good and inclusive rather than weak and divisive.
Are there places other than the Moderate Voice where one can find a constructive tone?

I'm still trying to figure out what hateful comments Wright made. As far as I can figure, the only nutty comment he made had to do with HIV/AIDS being invented by the government. If you take the Tuskegee Experiment into account, that doesn't even seem crazy.

I think its time for another Obama rumor. He's secretly a senior member of the Black Panthers and his association with an obviously fanatic anti-american black leader shows it. Not only was the Rev.'s comments completely representative of his every action and belief, Obama writes most of his sermons for him. Soon after taking office Obama will spearhead a violent overthrow of his own adminstration. And he's a muslim again.

This is the follow up.

This reminds me of the time that I saw an ad urging the government to do more about global poverty and it was filled with tons of major Hollywood players and then Pat Robertson. I was impressed that Robertson agreed to appear in the ad with all the flaming Hollywood liberals...while I knew he cared about poverty deeply it was still something he didn't have to do.

I have been following the Jeremiah Wright story closely. Only recently did I realize that we have been misled about what he actually said. His comments were taken completely out of context. Read my blog with the YouTube videos to prove it. Amazing.

http://edspoliticalforum.blogspot.com/2008/03/i...

enh124 said: "His comments were taken completely out of context. "

One of the heartening things about the whole Obama-Wright affair is the newfound emphasis among liberals about the need to consider comments in their full context.

I look forward to similar expressions from liberals of the need to consider context the next time a comment of McCain's delivered offhand in one of his endless press interviews is blown up into a scandal to illustrate:
(1) his stupidity; (2) his evilness; (3) his corruption; (4) his senility; (5) the "fact" that he really isn't a war hero, which was all really a myth concocted by the servile media and chickenhawks.

Of course, I will not be holding my breath.

Most liberals, at least the ones I hang out with, don't question for a second McCain's status as a bona fide war veteran who went thru imprisonment and torture with a bravery most of hope we'll never need. Doesn't mean we can't disagree with his policies or shake our heads in frustration when it appears he doesn't know the difference between Shia militias, Al-Queda, and Sunni militias.

dear marlowecan; thank you and welcome to TMV> and yes you Are likely to find 'context' for Senator McCain here at TMV. I wrote just such an article in Nov 07 regarding the nonsense the media made out of his reaction to being t-boned by a woman at a gathering who said "how do we beat the bitch?" Much media reported that he joined in and laughed. That's not what happened. You can read the article here http://themoderatevoice.com/media/news/16119/jo...

nice job on 'double standard squared' Pete. Gentle amen.

dr.e

Marlowecan, as a Libertarian and Independent, I am not well placed to know whether liberals will indeed treat McCain with the respect he deserves. But, irrespective of the candidate, we should always remember to look for the whole story because the American media are just plain sloppy in their analysis. We can't take anything they say at face value whether it be about George W, Bush, Barack Obama, John McCain or whomever.

Thanks Pete for the article. It's a reminder that I can use- even though I try to avoid from jumping to conclusions, it's easy enough to do. Sometimes after readong a "hot" piece it's best to take a deep breath and say to ourselves, "Now hold on, what if this was said about my candidate- how would I react?" That generally puts my in the right frame of mind.

Unless it's about Bush and the 4,000 soldiers who have been killed so far in Iraq.... there's nothing right about that wrong.

It's one of those cases of defending those who share your viewpoint and bashing those who don't, I guess. It is an unfortunate thing, and I'm no angel in that regard.

It's kind of like how a lot of Democrats demonize Lieberman because he's with the Republicans on the war and a couple other things. Meanwhile, John McCain gets demonized by the right because of his stance on torture and campaign finance reform, etc. My maternal grandparents (or at least my grandfather) falls into the first group. Yet, I don't see it that way.

I think this whole Wright affair has also gotten me to think about the issue of what's shown by the pastors versus what their entire career is.

Slamfu said: "Most liberals, at least the ones I hang out with, don't question for a second McCain's status as a bona fide war veteran..."

You are totally right. Liberals can legitimately attack McCain's policies etc. without necessarily going down that road. However, as Gloria Steinem's mocking of McCain's years as a POW to a laughing audience (last week, I believe) of Clinton supporters suggests, a significant number do not share your civilized perspective.

enh124...Your point about context is, of course, true and well-taken. Your reference to your beliefs is illustrative of the fact one does not have to be an adherent of one side or another to indicate the need for fair treatment.

Dymero makes a good point about McCain being "demonized by the right". It is sort of bizarre to see someone - who was, at one point, actually booed by the GOP caucus - being represented as an arch Republican. Democrats have likewise done a fair share of the smearing of Obama and Clinton.

Archangel...thanks for the welcome...although, truth be told, I was very active here at TMV for a year or so until late last spring when I had to go back home because of a death in the family (thankfully, in a country with state-supported health care - an issue that I think should be central in this election...altho oddly is not...and with the Wright business and the endless clips of Wright I am sure we will be seeing for the next months... health care probably won't be).

Yes, TMV appears to be one of the few sites of moderation. Interesting too, how it seems to have been picking up more "refugees" lately as the nastiness heats up.

Sadly, I expect smears and out-of-context misrepresentations to be the order of the day this year. It promises to be an interesting ride, though :)

thank you Marlowecan, I am sorry to hear of the person in your family who passed away. I am glad you were able to go home to be there, that's likely the most important thing. I am glad you are back here again.

And you are correct about discussion of matters that are affecting all of us: the new cagle cartoon at the top of the page says it all: a devastated and polluted economy; loss of homes, jobs, lack of places to turn for timely help for anything of consequence, money poured into the pockets of those who have already mis-spent their money most

This is the topic in my little circle daily, not the elections, but the media's perseverations, as though some outlets have become not so secret helping arms of one campaign or the other, rather than reporting on ALL the aspects of the campaigns, rather than msm acting as 'prickers' (dont laugh) who are supposed to put the hard questions out again and again.

I hold hope nonetheless. THere are good journalists of conscience in this world: in msm, the prob is often getting the work past editors who dont.

Thank you for your comments to everyone; good example of dialogue.

dr.e