Not Only Democrats
It seems even some Republicans are sick of the Politics of Smear. You can read the story of one Republican, soon to be (if not already) a newly registered Democrat after having seen Palin's vitriolic RNC speech, over at the DailyKos. Already disturbed by the lack of policy discussion and the abundance of insults and character assassination on conservative talk radio, this fellow was pushed over the edge by Palin's speech. Here's the meat of the post:
Last night, Sarah Palin gave a speech that was in theory meant to get people like me excited about the Republican ticket. This was one that should have gotten me back on board and excited about the McCain/Palin platform. Instead, it sickened me in a very deep and personal way. I could go through some of the quotes that made my stomach turn, but many others have already done a great analysis of the speech. All I heard was a long stream of extremely bitter attacks against Barack Obama, none of which go even the slightest step towards solving the problems of this country. When I tuned in, Rudy Giuliani was firing off some attacks, but I expected that - every convention has some room for criticism of the opposition. But Palin's speech was obviously meant to be the centerpiece, the real statement about the direction of the Republican party. And I heard absolutely nothing about their plans for the future. All I heard was a long, long stream of pointless attacks against Barack Obama, the Democratic Party in general, and the media. No solutions. No real content. No anything. There was one line at the end that really twisted things for me. "Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's worried that someone won't read them their rights?" Every single human being has the right to a fair trial and to be treated humanely by their captors. John McCain, of all people, should understand this. He was a prisoner of war. On the one fundamental issue that his entire campaign is centered around - the character-building experience of his POW stint - he gets it wrong. America cannot be a shining beacon of light in the world when we condone policies of treating our enemies with the same standards as the Viet Cong treated their enemies. Every criminal, no matter how heinous their crimes, deserves humane treatment and a fair and expedient trial. Period. That is a fundamental human right. When you're giving the central speech of your party's convention, to make a joke out of it makes a joke out of me. Not just as a (former) Republican, but as an American. This morning, I donated $250 to Barack Obama's campaign. Tomorrow, I'm stopping by the voter registration office to change my party affiliation to Democrat. Saturday, I hope to plant an Obama-Biden sign in my front yard. This lack of respect for your political opponents, this denial of basic human rights to those who oppose us, this complete emptiness of policy - it ends. Right here, right now.Amen! Here's hoping Sarah Palin and John McCain continue this tired, old, Republican policy of hatred and stupidity. It really does appear to be working in the Democrats' favor this time around. And here's another:
When you've lost my mother, you've lost America. ---- Note to Sarah Palin: You managed to do in 45 minutes what I've been unable to accomplish in 27 years...my many thanks.