Truth or Consequences?

A lot of media attention has been given to Barack Obama's recent comments regarding the working class people of America. Most of them have been negative and his opponents have jumped on Obama's comments with both feet. CNN tackled this issue yesterday and to my surprise, actually supported Obama's comments when put into context
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G8dRMofHNs.
A recent Huffington Post article by Catherine Crier entitled Punished for the Truth seem to suggest that Obama in fact was stating the truth and that he is being punished for it, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-crier/punished-for-the-truth_b_96358.html. Whatever spin you want to put on it, the truth of the matter is that Americans have suffered under the Clinton and Bush Administrations. America by all accounts is now in a recession and some of the economic downturn can be directly traced to foreign trade agreements put in force by these administrations.
One of the remaining democratic contenders was a part of the Clinton Administration and in fact claims that her participation in this Administration forms the basis of her alleged thirty-five (35) years of experience, which has to date back to her graduation from law school. In fact some have said that Hillary's attempt to characterize her earlier position on NAFTA as pretentious: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,350649,00.html. Clinton says she feels working America's pain and empathizes with them. Now how can a multimillionaire feel the pain of someone who is making less than $50,000.00 a year. The truth of the matter she can't because she has never experienced what it mean to be in want, what it mean to have to make tough decisions between health care or food? What it is like to be homeless and yes there are people who hold down a job everyday, yet have no place to call home. How could she? There is nothing in her background that would give her a point of reference.
The other presidential candidate, John McCain, says he is a conservative republican. Most conservative republicans believe in and are adamant supporters of right to bear arms and of religious freedoms and beliefs. How a conservative republican can in good conscience condemn someone that would understand how someone could be bitter and frustrated about their economic plight and turn to issues that are important to their core values is beyond me. But then again when you don't have a clue about the economics you have to grab at anything that could take the heat off you and your short comings. In the straight talking express it is war, see the opinion of Cynthia Tucker here:
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/tucker/stories/2008/04/11/tucked_0413.html.
Clinton and McCain might I remind you and the American people that the United States of America was founded on injustice, one of the injustices was the lack of freedom to exercise their religious beliefs. It is no coincidence that the freedom of religion is included in the First Amendment of the Constitution. It is there because of the importance it was and is to the American people. Likewise, it is no coincidence that the right to bear arms is included in the Second Amendment. Again it is because of the importance of the right to the American people.
History has shown that presidential campaigns have turned upon where the candidates have stood on these two very important rights. The issues that these rights embrace, abortion, pro-life, pro-choice, gay marriage, gay rights, are, to a lot of Americans, more important than the economy. Therefore, when they don't see any change in their financial conditions on the horizon, you can bet your bottom dollar they are going to make sure that the next presidential candidate will address these issues.
So America disregard all the spin or hype in this presidential race and ask yourself what is it that you want from your president and who will best deliver this of the remaining candidates in the race? Because the issues in this race are not being fully developed by the media, you owe it to yourself to find out where the candidates stand on these issues. If anything the media is determined to keep the democratic race going on and on, just like the energizer bunny, by making issues out of non-issues because of the revenue that it brings in. It is all about the bottom line and the truth or journalism has nothing to do with it.
So as you go through this campaign season don't listen to the spin, hype of the candidates and or pundits; but do your own research and ask your own questions regarding what is important to you in the next president and which of the candidates measures up. For example: Do you want a president that will bring about change or maintain the status quo? Do you want a president that lies about sniper fire in Bosnia to prove that she is strong, not once, not twice, not three times, not four times but as many times as she thinks she can get away with it or a man that admits his mistakes and moves on? Do you want a president that may keep America in a war that most Americans have a problem with, for up to 100 years or do you want a president that will get us out of a war that conventional wisdom say we can't win? Do you want four more years of a Bush or Clinton Administration or a fresh start?
Whatever you do in an effort to become an informed electorate, don't let someone tell you what they want you to hear to sway your vote for them, yet stand for something else. When someone does this to me, I get insulted because they are the ones that are truly insulting my intelligence and being condescending.
America has lived or is living with the consequences of presidential lies, half truths and innuendos, the Iraq War, foreign trade agreements that have taken away jobs from Americans, scandals upon scandals, just to name a few. If the truth be told some of us bought these lies, half truths and fear mongering, hook, line and sinker. This time let's go with the truth, even if it might not rub some of us the right way but in the end we want feel duped in the process.