Politiganda

A lot is always said during Presidential elections about what candidates and/or their spouses "believe"...or what they have been quoted as saying. Usually this drives me nuts, because no quote is ever given in full context.

If I hear the Obama camp say one more time that "McCain would have us in Iraq for 100 more years..." or that McCain "thinks the fundamentals of our economy are strong" I think I might scream. Those quotes have been explained by McCain and his surrogates over and over...and yet the truth and context of those quotes don't matter. The "scary" idea or emotional response that those words ellicit is worth the intellectual dishonesty involved in repeating them as a mantra on the campaign trail.

Now, to be fair, plenty of ugliness has been thrown Obama's way too...and I begged people to set down the "undercover muslim out to overthrow our Judeo-Christian nation from the inside" idea long enough to take a serious look at something of substance here in Illinois: his record. There is enough objectionable stuff that Obama has been involved with or stood behind here in Illinois (the most corrupt political system in the world, I'm convinced), that is a MUCH better argument for why one might not want to vote for him. But an "undercover muslim"? Putting his hand on the quran (this one is just not true, people) at his swearing in? And all the pictures of him among his family....with the caption: "Is this the next first family"? What is that supposed to mean? Obviously, it's an attempt to call on the worst in people who are white...ugly stuff.

The news media seem to draw their own conclusions and then pass those off as news...OR, no real journalism takes place to challenge or illuminate the claims and narratives that either campaign is putting out before the public. So, in my searching the web today, I was reminded of the "scandal" of Michelle Obama's Princeton thesis. I did a quick search and found it in it's entirety. Reading through it proved two things to me: nothing is more boring than a college thesis, and going to an original source on an issue like this was a worthwhile endeavor.

If someone other than me is EVER interested in reading it, here you go: (recommended for insomniacs like me) :)

Michelle Obama's Princeton Thesis:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2305083/PrincetonEducated-Blacks-and-the-Black-Community