STORY #1: The unexceptional Coffman
I look forward to the day when I can say, in all sincerity, that politicians have evolved beyond attacking each other’s patriotism and perpetuating birtherism. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) did both. While he did backtrack on the statement that carried a pungent whiff of birtherism, he wasn’t all that sorry for the other thing he said about President Obama: “. . . I don’t believe the President shares my belief in American Exceptionalism. His policies reflect a philosophy that America is but one nation among many equals.”
If you think his policies reflect a bad philosophy, go ahead and say so. But watch your mouth if your idea of said bad philosophy is anything less than love of country. Some of you may think love of country has nothing to do with exceptionalism, but in the U.S., it always does. Accusing another politician of lacking it all but eliminates the possibility of a truly substantive discussion of differences.
STORY #2: We’re not that elusive
Reasons we “elusive independents” would never have fallen for this crap:
- We never bought that Obama agreed with anything Reverend Jeremiah Wright had to say about America. He certainly has never given us any reason to believe so.
- We would have recognized the standard-issue attack ad techniques immediately.
- We understand Obamacare enough to know that it’s not actually “government-run health care.” You want that, go to the UK.
- Many of us actually don’t like Obama as much as these morons think we do; we just have more sophisticated opinions of that worldview than this.
- We’re allergic to the word “PAC.”
- Anyone who needs five minutes of airtime for this sort of thing probably has nothing of value to say.
- Two of your staffers worked with former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK). Checkmate.
STORY #3: Refudiated, BITCH
And, at last, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) beats back someone who claims to be working in his best interests but isn’t. Sadly, that beat-back couldn’t have sounded more stiff than if he’d dunked it in liquid nitrogen and sprinkled it with cornstarch. Just say “Sorry, I don’t accept endorsements from idiots” and get it over with! (By the way, for anyone who asks, I am using the term “refudiate” ironically and I am well aware that it’s a Palin-brand malapropism.)
