Discussion: Has the campaign gone over the top?

 

An October 8 editorial in The New York Times, Politics of Attack, claims that “Senator John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have been running one of the most appalling campaigns we can remember.” 

Engage the Spectrum wants to know what you think. Has the Republican campaign reached a new level of negativity or is this just politics as usual? Click here to add your opinion.

Sarah Plain and Perilous

Lewis C. Miller

I really wanted to avoid making a full-length post about Sarah Palin. Really, I did. For the past few weeks I’ve contemplated whether or not to devote my energy to the topic – my colleague Kenneth can attest to that. However, with the convenient outlet that this new blog provides, I can no longer refrain from adding my own diatribe to the ever-growing list of anti-Palin polemics.

I understand that some may read this and label me elitist. Fine. I’m so over that equivocal branding at this point. As I explained in my previous posting, Failure Abounds, “I am not typically a demanding person; however, I do demand that anyone who seeks to run this country be a remarkable individual.” The reality is that Sen. McCain is 72 years old and has had multiple battles with a particularly vicious form of cancer. Such acknowledgement is not “playing the age card,” but rather the simple statement of a relevant fact. If the Republican ticket is elected, Gov. Palin will be closer than a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Characters

Lewis C. Miller

Following a long day at the office, I found my way to a nearby Capitol Hill bar. Upon entering, I noticed that in proper Washington, D.C. fashion, all of the television screens were transmitting the message that had reverberated around town that afternoon: Republican presidential candidate John McCain was suspending his campaign and calling for a postponement of Friday’s scheduled debate with Senator Barack Obama. With my own preliminary assessment of this latest development in mind, I decided to get the perspective of a few fellow patrons. Instead, what unfolded was a revealing, if slightly schizophrenic exercise aided by Pinot Noir.

Counterpoint: I’ll Take a Seat at the Table for Dessert, but not The Last Supper

In response to a Point made by Lewis C. Miller, Kenneth W. Chandler posits that if he had declined to participate in Rick Warren’s forum, Barack Obama may have actually amplified the divise role of religion in the presidential race

While, I believe in my co-contributor, Lewis Miller/Thomas Jefferson’s, premise for separation between church and state; I believe John McCain and Barack Obama both upheld this maxim by contributing to freedom of expression without compromising freedom of religion.

Point: No Seat at That Table, Thank You

Lewis C. Miller argues that the founding fathers would cringe at the presidential candidates’ voluntary participation in Rick Warren’s forum on faith and politics. Read Kenneth W. Chandler’s Counterpoint. 

Earlier this month, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama participated in Rick Warren’s forum on faith and politics at his Saddleback megachurch in California.

Admittedly, based on the nature and location of the event, the evening could easily devolved into something much worse than what actually transpired. For the most part, Mr. Warren made an effort to portray impartiality and refrained from dismissive and condescending remarks.