What's in it for you? What will you gain from a McCain/Palin administration? Do you think you'll become wealthier if they're in power? Do you think there's less chance you or one of your children will have to go to war if McCain/Palin win? Do you think that you'll just feel better somehow? Did you think the Bush/Cheney administration was successful? I'm really curious why you are so hostile here, and why you seem so totally on board with McCain/Palin.

Oh Poloxxx, You're wrong. I'm not hostile. I welcome you into the family. You'll be able to relax more here. You'll actually enjoying being a liberal once you let yourself go! You'll get a kick out of all the ways we can be idiosyncratic and full of life!

Well done Hank007!

Are you already doing neighborhood or phone connecting for Obama's campaign? If not, it would seem you're well qualified!

What an eloquent, profound, deeply moving essay about white privilege in the specific context of this election. Have you published this anywhere else? It's a treasure--definitely worth circulating.

Rayon Fog: Maybe Mike Montfort IS Tim Wise?

So Cal: Great job with your two additional white privilege statements!

I am familiar with Tim Wise in name (I'm on an anti-racist list-serve), but I have to confess that I didn't associate his name with any particular essay I've read... until you attributed the one posted here to him. I agree that attributions are important. Good for you for catching that.

It's a very moving essay, and I'm glad it landed here, one way or another.

I agree with just about everything in this article, and I know it's important to "know your enemy," but I am tired of thinking/fretting about Palin.

I want an admnistration that brings its citizens national health care insurance and that does its darn best to keep us out of war and debt.

In my humble, non-elitist opinion, you are both right on, and I appreciate very much that you are willing to voice your clear perspectives.

The very fact that so many trolls have already made a point of posting their "liberals are so elitist" rhetoric in response to this article underlines the point of the article: the culture wars are hardly gone. The trolls and other angry, liberal-hating Republicans, are caught up in Limbaugh's worldview--the Limbaugh Doctrine, if you will. If Limbaugh doesn't represent the old culture wars, I don't know who does.

What, I want to ask the trolls/angry Republicans, makes liberals so much more elitist than the neo-cons or the social-cons? Don't the various conservatives have their gurus (educated or spiritual) much like we have ours? Don't they have their precious values much like we have ours? I want to argue, as I know so many Christians have already, that the Jesus of the New Testament would embrace liberal tenets like the benefits of sharing resources, protecting the earth and loving our neighbors, and turn the tables on their Pharisee-like elitism... But I know there's no winning once you engage them in a you-do-this vs. we-do-this contest.

I agree that we (liberals) should call a spade a spade, write and read our own thoughtful analyses of our world, focus on the issues we care about, and keep expressing our voices loudly/without shame. Trolls and angry Republicans don't have to like us, but maybe, who knows, if they stay long enough, they'll see we're actually very interesting, courageous and caring--in addition to being pretty smart about a lot of stuff.

For what it's worth, I also think AJCalhoun makes good points (and, not to be cynical, I genuinely appreciate that he had the intelligence to monitor his own narcissism to connect to readers).

We're never going to take it over the top if we keep failing to learn the simple lesson that people want to feel respected and as though they have something in common with the candidate.

It's not just a lesson to learn intellectually. It's about being human and real.

Please tell us how you can defend this following response of Palin's to Couric's question about the contrast between the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The logistics that we are already suggesting here, not having enough troops in the area right now," Palin said. "The... things like the terrain even in Afghanistan and that border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where, you know, we believe that-- Bin Laden is-- is hiding out right now and... and is still such a leader of this terrorist movement. There... there are many more challenges there. So, again, I believe that... a surge in Afghanistan also will lead us to victory there as it has proven to have done in Iraq. And as I say, Katie, that we cannot afford to retreat, to withdraw in Iraq. That's not gonna get us any better off in Afghanistan either. And as our leaders are telling us in our military, we do need to ramp it up in Afghanistan, counting on our friends and allies to assist with us there because these terrorists who hate America, they hate what we stand for with the... the freedoms, the democracy, the... the women's rights, the tolerance, they hate what it is that we represent and our allies, too, and our friends, what they represent. If we were... were to allow a stronghold to be captured by these terrorists then the world is in even greater peril than it is today. We cannot afford to lose in Afghanistan."