Being a POW doesn't make you a hero, but refusing special treatment as a flag officer's son and refusing early release from the POW camp in order to put political pressure on the North Vietnamese to release ALL his comrades all the while enduring torture DOES make him a hero. The reason why I say this is as a reminder to stay on target. Being a HERO doesn't mean you can make executive decisions as the President of the United States. His character in uniform does not translate to his character as a family man and that DOES need to be highlighted, especially since the Republicans consider themselves the party of "family values". That hippocrisy is something most people know nothing about. His judgement is something that needs to be called into question. There's enough ammunition there to go on without belittling his character in uniform. Arguing that he is not a hero will not show reason to anyone who is on the fence about the election; it sounds like disrespect for what he endured.
Incidentally, since I work with a lot of military and DoD, I had the opportunity to get a feel for who has and hasn't drunk the Kool-aide. What I find is that even those who haven't drunk the Kool-aid, those that question the war, question spending, question a lot of policies, they still would vote Republican for one reason: They feel the Republicans are the reason they are employed and they don't like to bite the hand that feeds them.
Here's the plain truth. If Obama wins, there's a greater chance that I will be out of a job (as a contractor) than if McCain wins. However, I feel our problems in this country are so large and this election so important to the future of this nation, that I am still voting for Obama. That being said, I can understand why very intelligent people would vote for McCain especially those who work with the DoD (though, I'm still baffled how any intelligent person would think that Palin would make a good president. I can't be friends with you if you believe that. That's a deal breaker). When I debate with someone about politics or any topic, I try to find out WHY they think their position is the correct one and then negate it by showing how that position is not what's best for THEM, not just me or the general society. If you can put into THEIR context why something should be important to them, you're halfway there. If you can't try to see the point of view of the other side, we're all lost and divided we fall.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-10-27 10:12 pm (UTC)Incidentally, since I work with a lot of military and DoD, I had the opportunity to get a feel for who has and hasn't drunk the Kool-aide. What I find is that even those who haven't drunk the Kool-aid, those that question the war, question spending, question a lot of policies, they still would vote Republican for one reason: They feel the Republicans are the reason they are employed and they don't like to bite the hand that feeds them.
Here's the plain truth. If Obama wins, there's a greater chance that I will be out of a job (as a contractor) than if McCain wins. However, I feel our problems in this country are so large and this election so important to the future of this nation, that I am still voting for Obama. That being said, I can understand why very intelligent people would vote for McCain especially those who work with the DoD (though, I'm still baffled how any intelligent person would think that Palin would make a good president. I can't be friends with you if you believe that. That's a deal breaker). When I debate with someone about politics or any topic, I try to find out WHY they think their position is the correct one and then negate it by showing how that position is not what's best for THEM, not just me or the general society. If you can put into THEIR context why something should be important to them, you're halfway there. If you can't try to see the point of view of the other side, we're all lost and divided we fall.