I had to get this out there.

So, I’m more independent when it comes to my political views meaning I don’t fall in lockstep with party dogma or vote along party lines. Consequently, I am open to hearing the arguments from both sides of the aisle before making a decision. This means I get the emails circulating about the candidates from ‘both barrels’ so to speak.

Today, I got this:

Article from Wall Street Journal:
Rev.Wright epitomizes the thoughts and actions that have prevented and continue to prevent black America from moving ahead and achieving their potential as a people. He suggests that this United States of America, made up of sons and daughters of immigrants (I’m talking of the millions of 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation immigrants in this country) of every race, creed, color and religion each and everyone of them who had nothing to do with slavery, somehow owe something to a group of people who have never been slaves. It’s amazing. It seems everyone is to blame for the shambles black society is in with its violence, drugs, high school drop out rates, misogyny, and a host of other real and virulent problems, except for the very people who engage in such behavior. Enough. As a society, culture or people, they should look within themselves and fix their problems. When did this man become the spokesman for the ‘black church?’ And of course his church is different, but that doesn't mean his message and philosophy is acceptable, or productive or non-offensive or not-racist or indicative of our greater cultural behaviors, values and norms as Americans. And yes, the link between this man and Obama really does matter. At a very minimum, it provides insight into the political and philosophical strain that Obama adheres to.

Comment by Bill Cosby

Now, I don’t know if this is actually from the Wall Street Journal. I don’t even know if this can in fact be attributed to Bill Cosby as the email says. The general inference I imagine though is because Bill Cosby is black, if he did in fact make these comments, they carry even more weight because of his color. Somehow, Barack Obama is being indicted by ‘one of his own,’ a member of the same ethnic group he is most readily identified with. Further, the inference is of guilt by association – Obama’s contact with the man tarnishing him.

Wow!

I mean, WTF!?

I wrote back to the sender and the response follows:

Again, there should be a separation of church and state.

Further, ask yourself this question: how many times have you been in a social setting or as a member of a part of a group where someone you know and perhaps like utters something that you find absolutely abhorrent? Something that makes you cringe. If you value the person, you choose to turn a blind eye to the offensive statement they have made because you believe the good outweighs the bad.

Now, let's take that a step further for a second... what if at some point in your life just because of your association with this person, those views were ascribed to you even though you disagreed? It wouldn't make sense, it would defy logic.

If we are going to move forward as a nation, we need to talk about what either of these men will do when they achieve the office of chief executive. Probably though the thing not to do is to try and scare people in any manner possible.

Let's take this a bit further... there are things in John McCain's past that could paint him as a corrupt and immoral politician:

McCain received $112,000 by 1987 from Keating and Keating’s relatives and employees to McCain’s Senate campaign, more than any of the other Senators. The Arizona Republic reported that in addition to campaign contributions, McCain’s wife and her father had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. The paper also reported that the McCains, sometimes accompanied by their daughter and baby-sitter, had made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard the American Continental Corporation (parent of Lincoln) jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain also did not pay Keating for some of the trips until years after they were taken, after he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln. [3] Lincoln Savings and Loan's collapse is said to have cost taxpayers $3.4 billion [4].

Now, these are facts and actions that are directly attributed to John McCain. Does that erase any of the good that he’s done over the course of his career? No. Does that lessen the strong convictions he has shown over his lifetime or the record of service he has to this country? No.

But, the thing is something like this would have to be given even more credence than the tract, "Politician A was present at a place where person B said this and so by association, Politician A is indicted."

I think we’d all be better off if we focus on the direction these men would take our country as opposed to making mountains out of molehills or trying to use scare tactics to sway people's opinions.

Now, that’s not going to stop this kind of stuff from going on. Probably won’t even make a dent in it but, I have to say I sure wish things were different.