Grace vs. Contempt on display in the debate

[RazBerryBeret]

I think Michael Seitzman summed up my feelings very well in his latest blog:

We haven't seen a lot of grace from our government over the past eight years. We haven't had a lot of it in our society in general and we certainly haven't seen much grace in the various campaigns. We're all guilty of it. I'm guilty of it too. But what we saw in the first debate between Barack Obama and John McCain was nothing less than the rebirth of such grace. Unfortunately it was fully embodied by only one candidate, while at the same time we witnessed the sad and profound gracelessness in the decaying integrity of the other.

John McCain displayed himself for all to see as a deeply angry, petty man, locked in a blood-war somewhere deep in the rice paddies of his frustrated and confused mind. He personalizes every conflict to the point that he can't even look at his opponent, as if by ignoring him he might be able to deny the man his dignity. What McCain doesn't realize is that the only person who surrendered his dignity was the one who shamefully displayed contempt in a forum designed to promote civil discourse on the most important issues of the day. And those issues are far too important to all of us to be obfuscated by the kind of pettiness we hope to never see in our leaders. Those who aspire to lead us are supposed to be the best among us. They are supposed to transcend and rise above those they would hope to lead. McCain's is the kind of behavior that wouldn't even be acceptable in a high school debate, let alone one between candidates for the highest office in the land.

Ironically, the very thing the McCain campaign is now crowing about as an example of McCain's victory -- the fact that Obama granted his opponent the courtesy of pointing out the places where they agree -- is the very quality of leadership that McCain continues to falsely claim as his own. "I have a record of reaching across the aisle," is the repeated line. He claims to have made a career of putting "Country First," yet we only see him engage in behavior that has divided this country for far too long, effectively putting country second and putting McCain First. If he truly endeavors to unify us, then the first thing he needs to do is to stop turning every disagreement into a battle between heroes and villains.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-seitzman/barack-obama-and-the-retu_b_129838.html

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. k&r...(nt)

[ladjf]

2. If your description of McCain is true, and I believe that it is,

McCain is totally unfit for any public office. He might have also been unfit for a being a pilot in the Navy.

[Kajsa]

3. Grace/Civility vs. Rudeness/Condescension

Obama held his own very well last night.

McSame was extremely arrogant and condescending to
Obama,

" Senator Obama just doesn't get it( smirk, smirk, smirk)"

:puke:


He gets it a hell of a lot better than you do, John!

[RazBerryBeret]

4. You are right...

And if McCain is implying that he "gets it" then what the hell has he been doing in the Senate for the last 30 years? it's not really going so well, and several of the things he's been responsible for have turned to shit.

[Kajsa]

6. Absolutely!

You hit the nail on the head,RazBerry!

:)

[ailsagirl]

5. Yes, the last 8 years have been fraught with bullying, rudeness,

inconsideration, hatred, crudeness, lying, and general loutishness.

And I hated it. It made us a lesser country. I never forget The Golden Rule.

I loved the first paragraph-- summed it up perfectly:

"We haven't seen a lot of grace from our government over the past eight years. We haven't had a lot of it in our society in general and we certainly haven't seen much grace in the various campaigns. We're all guilty of it. I'm guilty of it too. But what we saw in the first debate between Barack Obama and John McCain was nothing less than the rebirth of such grace. Unfortunately it was fully embodied by only one candidate, while at the same time we witnessed the sad and profound gracelessness in the decaying integrity of the other..."


Bravo Michael Seitzman