Progressive World Review

Now that Barak Obama has the Democratic nomination all but wrapped up we can expect the right-wing-noise-machine to gear up and start attacking Obama in full force.  Robert Novak’s op-ed column today in The Washington Post accurately assessed what’s in store for us,

When one of the Democratic Party’s most astute strategists criticized John McCain this week for attacking Barack Obama’s desire to engage Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, I asked what the Republican presidential candidate ought to talk about in this campaign. “Health care and the economy,” he replied. That is a sure formula for a Democratic victory, but it is one that McCain’s campaign rejects.

McCain is not about to disarm. His campaign has no intention of fighting this battle on Democratic turf. During the more than five months until Election Day, Republicans will explore the mind-set of this young man who is a stranger to most Americans. That includes his association with the Chicago leftist William Ayers, who has remained unrepentant about his violent role as a 1960s radical. It will not be popular with McCain’s erstwhile admirers in the mainstream media, but America will hear more about Ayers in this campaign. (emphasis added)

Could it be any clearer?  Don’t look for the Republicans to spend much time discussing the issues that actually affect Americans like “[h]ealth care and the economy,” but I’m sure we’ll hear plenty about William Ayers, and I’m guessing that Jeremiah Wright’s name will pop up as well.  Of course this will all be so that we can carry out the important job of “explor[ing] the mind-set of this young man who is a stranger to most Americans.”  We could explore Obama’s mind-set by examining his stance on the important issues facing us but it’s so much more fun, and not to mention rewarding, if instead you can link him, no matter how weakly, to certain dubious characters.

This has been the Republican game plan for decades.  It has been extremely effective and there’s no reason to think it will stop now.  The Swift Boating of John Kerry bought us four more years of war, a failing economy and a government that considers itself above the law.  Now, more than ever, we need to keep our eye on the ball and not let the smoke and mirrors tricks of the Republicans fool us again.

–Paul Wilden

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