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Two Presidential Candidates Compared

As we move deeper into the national election cycle we shall hear more and more extremism and exaggeration from candidates, from supporters, and from the media.  Sorting all that out and making informed decisions will require moving beyond the black and white that is usually offered to looking deeper into the complexity of issues and the complexity of the candidates themselves.

One good example of that kind of reflection comes from Garry Wills in a New York Review piece where he compares the Illinois senator with an Illinois senator from the 1850's who was also running for president.  At first blush you might find a comparison between Obama and Lincoln to bizarre and construed.  However, if one takes the time to think about they dynamics and contexts around the two speeches that Wills reviews, then I think that one comes to a different light.

I want to make clear that I have no idea who I will vote for in November.  However, I do hope for and will work for  reasoned and thoughtful dialogue.    Thank you Gary. 

Posted on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 06:54PM by Registered CommenterCarson Reed in | Comments2 Comments

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Reader Comments (2)

Reasoned and thoughtful dialogue is a tall order. Along those lines this op-ed piece by Dan Schnur points out some of places where politics trumps reason and thought:

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/right-fight-wrong-word/index.html?th&emc=th
April 16, 2008 | Unregistered Commentercarson
By all means, let's parse the statements in great detail while ignoring the forum where they were spoken: a fatcat private fundraiser, one of the key tools for candidates of both parties for years. Let's talk about someone being "elitist" for their remarks and ignore the elitism of the big donor, $1,000+ plate dinners that both parties rely on so they can afford massive TV ad budgets for simplistic drivel to sway the electorate masses. The biggest elitist vs. common man chasm in this country isn't rooted in guns or religion or values, but in money.

But let's talk about huntin' and prayin' instead - we don't want the common folk to catch on to what "elite" really means in our politics.
April 20, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterJim Neal

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