I don't get the joke and hope that you consider context more carefully in your future posts. I understand you have a way of showing that this was a friendly joke, but the fact that you would need to explain (to me, at least)why it is nice to call Joan a slut already highlight why I'd ask you to avoid such forms of communication.

Yes, Clinton's problems are the obvious ones!! That might be another reason Joan doesn't focus on them. But Barack, man, you've got to work pretty hard if you are a person who is enthusiastically ready to support him (as Joan says she is) and want to shed light on his problems. But Joan is showing us that it is possible to select out his weaknesses and focus tightly on them, making as many possible negative connections as possible. Once you do that for a while, you can really start to see that he is a person.

Joan is incredably aware that Barack is a person.

I think those are fine questions, but it’s important to know if you see a Barack victory as possible or not. If you don’t, I can’t imagine that it’s a very useful conversation. If, however, you can imagine and think of reasons why Barack could win the general election, then it is worth looking at each other’s reasons, I guess. To me it is not the most significant topic only because I can imagine ways both Barack and Hillary might when and how they each might lose. I am suspicious of anybody who says that either has it in the bag or that either is obviously better posistioned to win. What is the small percentage of those folks who always end up deciding the election? Is it like 5% who actually could really have voted either way? I think Barack would get more of that tiny vote that matters. But since I am of the opinion that both he and Hillary could win or lose in the general, my focus Barack is due to other reasons. But more importantly, do you think they each could win? Do you think one of them has an obvious advantage?

I think anybody who is fairly certain that only Clinton has a real shot would be silly not to be kicking and screaming. But it's not an easy arguement to make, considering that the "data" is...well...it can take oh so many shapes depending who is using it for what purposes...

what's your take?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080427/ap_on_el_pr/mccain

See, McCain might say something like that about Obama and there will certainly be those who are inclined to agree. What do we do about those who are inclined to see Barack as a bad person, or a stuck up person, or an ineffective person?

What could Barack do to make sure that people are not so inclined to say mean things about him? Maybe he could learn something from Hillary's experience in this regards. What does she do to make it that people don't think negatively of her? How does she pull that off?

I'm supporting Barack, but I have to admit that when I picture Hillary in the general election using her power that stops people from thinking negatively about her....it's tempting to switch. But maybe she will generously teach Barack how to make people only think decent and relatively true things about him.

I can only encourage you to pay more attention to whatever is getting you to constantly lean towards Barack than to sexist comments by people who say they support him. This is not to minimize your concern about sexist and vile language.

My suggestion is based on my belief that there is simply no evidence that Barack has more sexist supporters than Hillary. I know that might sound silly because we don't see examples online or in conversation in which a sexist Hillary supporter blurts out their support in sexist terms! But that is part of the problem. I know very well a few people who support Hillary who have rather old fashioned views of women. But they don't qualify in your reaction because you are not exposed to them in your discourse. That makes sense that you aren't exposed, but it doesn't make sense to come across those awful Barack supporters and elevate their meaning without justification. No, if there IS justification for believing that Barack has more sexist support, I'm ready to hear it. It will matter to me. But this is the sort of thing that isn't as easy as our personal stories (even mine about the sexist Hillary supporters I know of)....

But you say that you keep leaning towards Barack and I wonder what that is about.

I ask the same to those who think it is so clear that Obama is the better candidate: are you shocked that so many thoughtful and experienced people (who appreciate Hillary) are pulling for Obama? Or do you simply see their support for Barack as a lapse in their thoughtfulness?

Mostly it seems people are just going on types of feelings when they talk about these things that seem so "clear" and "obvious". This question is pointing back to your recent comment to Joan in which you are surprised Joan takes issue with Wright. In that comment you mentioned your support for Hillary and it sounded like, to you, it really is simply a question of applying thought/observation to each of the candidates. That's why I'd find it interesting to know what you think about thoughtful folks who go for Obama.