I love how you claim that the idea of the uncritically supportive Obama supporter is Pure Myth, and then write a whole, long comment in which you say everything except something that is critical of Obama.

What do you think about his support for this bill?

I am thrilled that you responded to me, but I think you are better than this. Tell me you can't see the flawed logic there: I am an uncritical Obama supporter unless I insert a criticism of him into every comment I make? I was addressing one particular issue I noticed. What I think about his support for the bill is exactly what you wrote, and because you said it so well, I didn't think it needed repeating. My whole point was that most Obama supporters would agree with you from the outset, and I have not seen anyone claiming that he is a saint or beyond reproach.

But look at some of the comments on here for examples of the tantrums I'm talking about. I'm not even talking about the tired "I'm voting for Nader" dreck, but the "I'm staying home," "Obama will nominate fascists to the Supreme Court," etc. None of these come even close to anything resembling a rational argument and ignore the fundamental reality that their actions contribute to McCain being elected. In addition I will repeat a point I've made earlier - such attitudes betray an underlying classism. The people saying this are the ones who likely will not be affected much by a McCain presidency on a material level. They most likely have professional-level jobs that will remain despite the economy, are well-off enough so that their children will not have to go to Iran/Iraq, and live in cities with decent transit systems so they will not be hit hard by the price of gas. To them, perhaps, "Democrats and Republicans are the same". Just remember that there is a whole mass of people for whom even 'small differences' like how many troops we keep in Iraq and the level of corporate involvement in healthcare can impact their entire lives.

I doubt you're reading these by now, but I figured that I should admit I was one of the people who made the mistake of thinking that telecom amnesty was the only significant problem with the new bill. I had gotten that impression from reading your recent posts, but that's my own fault. So I'll happily revise my position and agree with you in light of everything you point out here.

I do think my point about the 'Obamabot' myth still stands. Every campaign cycle there is a new meme that can be mindlessly invoked by uttering a catchy little word. We already saw this happen with 'appeasement'. 'Obamabot' is just another installment in this series, cooked up by bitter Hilary supporters and based on crude stereotypes about the young, urban, and educated. It's not so much that I think it will hurt his electability as that I think it cheapens our political discourse.

I've seen, in many venues, the McCain-Supreme-Court fear argument for getting Obama elected at all costs, and I'm sick of it. Is that what this quote represents?

You can be sick of it all you want, but that won't change the fact that it's true. I have yet to see someone respond directly and logically to this question: What does your not voting or voting for a third party accomplish, if not letting McCain win? What did it accomplish in 2000? All I hear is childish tantrums and evasive abstract rhetoric. The question is not whether you like the 'lesser of two evils' approach, it's 'what are you doing about it?'.

There are other ways to change this system. You can donate to PAC's that push the issues you want addressed. You can donate to local-level primary candidates that are closer to, say, someone like Kucinich. You can try to push for referendums on electoral reform. But don't delude yourself into thinking that you're making any kind of positive difference by staying home on Election Day or supporting a single-digit candidate. Swallow your goddamn pride and think about the effect a McCain presidency would have on the country as a whole rather than focusing on making your own futile little statement. Or at least admit that you're staying home because you don't want to miss the latest Project Runway and stop trying to parlay into a principled stance.