Go point by point with statements of fact and sources for those facts.

She was just repeating what petty bigot and smalltown gossip, Gary Welsh, regularly blogs about...

I got this one from my brother in Texas yesterday:

Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30, I celebrate my independence day and on July 4 I celebrate America 's. This year is special because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

On June 30, 1968 , I escaped Communist Cuba and a few months later I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.

I've thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950's, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said "Praise the Lord". And when the young leader said, "I wil be for change and I'll bring you change, everyone yelled, "Viva Fidel!"

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.

Luckily, we would never fall in America for a left leaning young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America ?

Would we?

Don't you love how they try to use Cuba as the boogeyman in this one? Let's push the "brown person who wants to hurt America" meme a little more, shall we?

Absolutely ridiculous. The more my brother sounds like Wilson's friend, the more embarrassed I become.

It's killing the candidate through a thousand small rumors. It's not that any of these things - or this email - are deal-breakers, but taken on the whole, people are left with the idea that he has something to hide.

But I especially like the one about him not having "productive" work outside of the government... He was a community organizer before working for the government. Is that not "productive" because he didn't make a lot of money?

Besides the fact that McCain has only worked for the government, his entire life....

Trash talk in a presidential campaign? Assuming epic proportions and fed by official party organs? Making a mockery of democracy?

Horrors! Please, say it isn’t so.

Actually, tossing fecal bombs at each other is as common as dirt. It allows both parties to exploit bigotry and ignorance and avoid focusing on disquieting political issues like war, the lack of socialized medicine, ballooning oil profiteering and imminent economic failure.

Republicans are intent on widening the racist fissures opened by Bill and Hillary Clinton and supporters like Ferraro. Democrats are concentrating their fire on key issues like McCain’s age , lack of computer skills and malicious marital attitudes.

What they’re fighting for - power and money – are as crude as the their tactics. Obama, a pol from Chicago, is a hustler on the make. And he's not shy about it. He wants to up the ante with ‘faith based’ (read superstitious fueled cults) ‘charities’ (read new luxocar and bigger mansion for swine like the Rev. Donnie McClurkin and pigs like the Rev Pat Robertson). He wants his own collection of pulpit pimps to rival Karl Roves collection. Hallelujah! Dosey Do as bama’s does the “Allemande Right”.

McCain, who was tortured for participating in the bombing of Vietnamese civilians want payback in the form of more genocide, and if he can’t kill Vietnamese he’ll settle for Iraqis, Iranians and Afghans. McCain’s dance is La Danse Macabre.

Although their supporters are in denial both parties toss these fecal bombs to distract voters from the fact that they’re owned lock, stock and barrel by the ruling rich. The rich and their management toadies are the only real threat to the well being of the American people. Relying on them to change themselves is ridiculous. We won’t advance until we build movements and parties to politically obliterate them.

Robert, if you "have to believe" that Obama and the Democrats are 'a step in a new and correct direction' then I have to ask why.

Does "new and correct" encompass gutting ENDA? Junking the carcass of ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill? Is it because they kept Bill Clintons bigoted DADT and DOMA on the books? Is it because they’re going to continue the genocide in Iraq? Is it because they’re for NAFTA and other union busting measures? Do you like them because they passed a degrading minimum wage of $6.25 an hour instead of the $25.00, full union benefits and socialized medicine that working people need to survive? Was it because Obama and the Democrats gutted the Fourth Amendment (they're really into gutting whatevers good for us, aren't they) to save big business spies from being sued?

The only “new’ item Obama's come up with is his rash, almost demented plan to attack Pakistan, a nuclear power. The rest he has in common with McCain and that rightwing garbage can hardly be called correct. I can see why greedy scum like the Walton litter admire the McCain-Obama program of continued genocide, bigotry and a plunging standard of living for working people but why would anyone else like it?

"He could destroy us from within" is an example of the racist and islamophobic (another form of racism) garbage first used by the Clintons and Ferraro. The Republicans latched on to the Clinton/Ferraro precedent and will run as far as they can with it. How much that will fuel the Bradley Effect in this election is anyone’s guess. It usually deducts 5-10% from the actual vrs. polled support for non-Euro candidates. If Obama pulls way ahead and the race doesn't narrow at the end it may not be the deciding factor. If it works then Hillary's plans to run again sound a little more reasonable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_effect

Robert, if you "have to believe" that Obama and the Democrats are 'a step in a new and correct direction' then I have to ask why.

Does "new and correct" encompass gutting ENDA? Junking the carcass of ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill? Is it because they kept Bill Clintons bigoted DADT and DOMA on the books? Is it because they’re going to continue the genocide in Iraq? Is it because they’re for NAFTA and other union busting measures? Do you like them because they passed a degrading minimum wage of $6.25 an hour instead of the $25.00, full union benefits and socialized medicine that working people need to survive? Was it because Obama and the Democrats gutted the Fourth Amendment (they're really into gutting whatevers good for us, aren't they) to save big business spies from being sued?

The only “new’ item Obama's come up with is his rash, almost demented plan to attack Pakistan, a nuclear power. The rest he has in common with McCain and that rightwing garbage can hardly be called correct. I can see why greedy scum like the Walton litter admire the McCain-Obama program of continued genocide, bigotry and a plunging standard of living for working people but why would anyone else like it?

"He could destroy us from within" is an example of the racist and islamophobic (another form of racism) garbage first used by the Clintons and Ferraro. The Republicans latched on to the Clinton/Ferraro precedent and will run as far as they can with it. How much that will fuel the Bradley Effect in this election is anyone’s guess. It usually deducts 5-10% from the actual vrs. polled support for non-Euro candidates. If Obama pulls way ahead and the race doesn't narrow at the end it may not be the deciding factor. If it works then Hillary's plans to run again sound a little more reasonable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_effect

Good answer, Robert.

The last time I visited Chicago I did notice that the streets were in need of repair and I’m glad that a crusading reformer is courageously tackling the Pothole Question. We’ll all sleep better.

However my questions were about other sorts of problems. Questions you don't seem to want to comment on.

For instance look at the question of looming economic disaster. As you well know that’s fueled exclusively by the greed of the uberrich and their toadies. I don’t know of any Democrats, Obama included, who’ve consistently voted against tax breaks for the rich, who support socialized medicine and who favor a $25.00 an hour minimum wage.

The Crash of 1929 and subsequent 12 year depression was caused by gigantic levels of income inequality. The same levels of disparities were reported in the Wall Street Journal two days ago. The WSJ story, based on new IRS reports says “In a new sign of increasing inequality in the U.S., the richest 1% of Americans in 2006 garnered the highest share of the nation's adjusted gross income for two decades, and possibly the highest since 1929. Meanwhile, the average tax rate of the wealthiest 1% fell to its lowest level in at least 18 years. The group's share of the tax burden has risen, though not as quickly as its share of income."

Robert, do you think they should be taxed to pay for the social services we lost so their wealth could become obscenely bloated?

Obama announced that he will continue the war for at least 18 months, which is down from his previous pledge to keep troops there until 2013. The war is about stealing oil. Is 18 more months or mauled GIs coming home in coffins, genocidal levels of civilian causalities and US armed death squads tracking down and butchering our GLBT brothers and sisters worth a higher profit level for Halliburton and Texaco. Obama may even do away with DADT to get desperaely needed cannon fodder.

Robert, why do Democrats support a candidate who'll continue the war?

Obama is a pigheaded opponent of same sex marriage. He wants to use our tax dollars to bribe depraved cult leaders in exchange for votes. The DNC is a hotbed of homophobia led by pentecostal minister Daughtry.

Is that to your liking Robert?

Thanks, Ganshorn. It's as I suspected. You're like many Democrats who dismiss the war, the death of GI's and the US policies of arming and abetting the anti-GLBT jihadist death squads as seconday to the partisan goal of electing a president. And you're a perfect spokesperson for the big business policies that are driving our standard of living into the ditch.

I agree with some of you criticisms of marriage, even though they're secondary to the real question of it's use to support a reactionary patriarchal and class system. However I hope you don't abandon the struggle for same sex marriage rights just because McCain and Obama have bigoted views.

Defeating Prop. 8 is our most important task. If we lose it'll be a national loss and not just for those who think marriage is important. It'll be a demoralizing body blow to the GLBT commnities and at the same time a huge invigorating win for the theocrats. That fight is vastly more important than electing another pigheaded opponent of same sex marriage like Obama or McCain. Weren't Clinton and Bush bad enough? Do we really deserve four-eight more years of rule by religious right-centrists like McCAin and Obama?

McCain is a rancid right-winger with the Rev. Pat Robertson attached at the hip.

Obama is Bill Clinton (DOMA, DADT, NAFTA) in drag with the Rev. Donnie McClurkin attached at the hip.

Robert, sorry it took me so long to reply to you latest tirade but I’ve been busy.

You ask "A 25.00 minimum wage? Is that without high school? Is that what the kid in the store would be making bagging groceries?" How could anyone be so ignorant? Most people on minimum wage are working class adult women, many with children. People trapped in poverty don't have nearly enough to live on and they only go to ER's when they or their children at are deaths door. How can you be so cynical and callous? Oh, I forgot. You're against ”a narrowing of individual choices" for businesspeople and the rich, but not for working people.

Do you believe everything in those mailings from the Chamber of Commerce?

You say "I hardly dismiss the war or the sacrifices of Americans and Iraqi civilians." How can you say that? They're not making sacrifices, they're being sacrificed for your precious corporations like Blackwater, Halliburton and Chevron. No wonder you're pro-war.

You say "if Sara Whitman's theory is right you will eventually call me a Nazi :)" No Robert, I won't. But I have to say that it must be rough to be a gay man trapped in Dan Quayle’s brain. Wasn’t he the one who said “Republicans have been accused of abandoning the poor. It's the other way around. They never vote for us.” Substitute Democrat (sic) for Republican and the politics are exactly the same. And, oddly, isn’t he from Indiana too?

Apparently you didn't learn anything in Seattle or since. I’ve asked a few of the people I knew then if they remember you and they don’t have a clue either. Were you the guy with the smoke bomb?

You wonder "how many ways can you keep attaching people at the hip in drag?" As long as Tweedledee equals Tweedledum. Check out the number of non-voters to get an idea of how many tens of millions of people refuse to get hoodwinked by John Obama and Barak McCain. (And before you say it, they’re NOT lazy, they’re sick and tired of Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Why do bosses always think everyone is lazy?)