From this poll analysis by CBS:
A majority of McCain voters - 56 percent - are “scared” of the prospect of an Obama presidency, while 45 percent of Obama voters are scared of a McCain presidency.
Let’s consider this. Evidence for an Obama presidency being scary? Lies and innuendo by the McCain campaign and their surrogates concerning the legitimacy of Obama’s citizenship, the African and Islamic associations of his unusual name, his childhood growing up overseas, the possibility of him being a crypto-Muslim (and simultaneously a disciple of Christian preacher Jeremiah Wright) or a terrorist or a socialist, that he might raise taxes (a so-called tax increase which would lower taxes for 95% of Americans) and their whisper-meme of “do you really know him”? That One being a man whose entire adult life is in the public record, an extensive legislative history which is decidedly centrist, and whose childhood is perfectly well documented. (As opposed to, say, a certain other candidate who spent five and half years out of the public view, subject to potentially endless psychological reprogramming.)
Evidence for a McCain presidency being scary? His 95% voting record in support of the Bush administration’s disastrously unpopular and failed policies, his stated support for a century of endless war in Iraq, his health plan which would put many people (including me personally) permanently outside the healthcare umbrella, his widely demonstrated nonexistent grasp of the economy, the leadership and insightful thinking displayed in his choice of Palin as a running mate, etc., etc., etc. ad nauseam.
So one group of voters is afraid of Obama for reasons of directly counterfactual rumor spread by McCain and his people, the other group is afraid of McCain for reasons of flatly factual statements and actions by McCain himself. Yet these are presented as balanced positions. That’s false equivalency in a nutshell, courtesy of Your Liberal Media and the right wing echo chamber.
Originally published at jlake.com. You can comment here or there.