I am writing this letter to you because you lost me, and I want to tell you why. I hope that one day when you’re “Googling” yourself, you’ll come across this and understand.
I started watching you a few years ago, and I admired how you stepped out of your comedian role to lament the events of September 11th. I thought it was a gutsy move, and still do.
However, during this election, your first as an American citizen, despite your promise to “make fun of both sides equally,” you’ve done nothing of the sort. I tried to take it in stride while you criticized and made fun of my choice for President. That’s what comedians do, right? Make fun of politicians? But you never made any jokes about Obama. Now, I invited you into my home, night after night, and a little respect would have been nice. And I would have tolerated the pokes at my candidate if you’d made just as many pokes at your own. Such was not the case.
You lost me completely though when you made the accusations of “mudslinging” against my candidates. You were referring to the references that Sarah Palin had made about Obama’s connections to Bill Ayers. “It was 40 years ago! It doesn’t matter today! Obama was 8 years old!” you cried. That offended me, Craig, for a few reasons.
First of all, it’s not “mudslinging” when it’s truth. And here’s why Obama’s association with Ayers matters.
Imagine if you will, the year is 2040, and we’re coming up on another Presidential election, and one of the candidates is close friends and associates with an Al-Qaeda terrorist who was involved in the horror of 9/11. Let’s say said friend has never apologized for the lives he took that day, expresses regret that he didn’t kill more Americans, wished he could have done more for his cause, that 3,000 dead Americans wasn’t enough to get his point across. But the candidate defends that relationship by stating that September 11th happened when he was just 8 years old. It was 40 years ago, for goodness sake!
Will it matter then, Craig? Will friends and associates of the potential President matter? Should we start putting 9/11 on the back page of history, along with the ones who caused it? Should we just forget then?
Obama wasn’t 8 when Ayers stated on, ironically, 9-11-2001 that he wished he could have bombed more. It wasn’t 40 years ago when Ayers said he was a Marxist and a “small c communist.” Ayers killed people, and tried to kill more by trying to bomb Fort Dix, only the bombing failed and killed other Weathermen Underground terrorists instead. Ayers hates America – today. THAT’S why it matters, Craig. Obama is friends today, with someone who hates America today, and you want to put this guy in the White House, as the leader of our nation, when he can’t even choose friends who love the country he wants to run?? He only has friends/mentors who express anti-American sentiment. Guilt by association? Or known by the company he keeps?
Both Ayers and bin Laden bombed the Pentagon. Think they just might have anything in common? Do you want the leader of America to be friends with anyone like that?
It matters, Craig.
October 31, 2008 at 8:14 pm
GET A LIFE!!!! Its people like you who make sure that things never change. Maybe you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself why you fear change so much. Craig, some of us see you for what you are & don’t put you up on such a pedistal. Same ones who can laugh at ourselves. Wow, what a concept! Don’t pay attention to those with sticks so far up their posteriors that it affects their reasoning.
October 31, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I find it somewhat ironic that in your political description, you quoted that the needs of many outweigh those of the few. I also believe that sentiment; however, the majority/”many” of us Americans happen to fall, economically, into the middle and lower class. The “few” among us happen to be those fortunate to run businesses and/or have inherited fortunes from other family members who have “succeeded” with similar corporate ventures. We can easily the determine the “haves”/rich, from the “have nots”/struggling and poor. While the wealthier among us seem quick to embrace the conservative label, the majority of our country (many of whom are also “conservative” in their beliefs) feel that Messrs. Obama and Biden are the best choice for “all” of us to progress in the future. And by progress, I do not expand that word to mean “progressive/liberal” as in “let’s be scary and subversive.” I use the word for what it means: to move ahead slowly, cautiously, and not backslide into more of the same morass and depression that we “enjoy” now. Best of luck to you on election day.
October 31, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Voice – Isn’t it ironic how you didn’t like what I said, so you decided to stop by and be insulting, but when I posted something about not liking what Ferguson said, I wasn’t insulting? Seems like I was the more reasonable one here. It would appear you have a double standard when it comes to free speech – good for you but not for me.
October 31, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Obamafan – First of all, thank you for stopping by. Secondly though, I’m curious, what does your comment have to do with what I was saying about Ayers and Ferguson’s references to him?
Last I saw, the race was pretty tight, so I’m not sure about this majority you mention. I disagree with you categorically that Obama/Biden will move us forward in any way productive. Obama is clearly a socialist, and socialism only can progress towards communism. That is not the American way. America was founded on the principle of individualism and restricted government. Obama’s plan of a larger, more controlling government while denying and restricting the rights of individuals is anti-American by all definitions.
November 1, 2008 at 1:12 am
At the time our Founding Fathers (along with their subordinate wives, children, and slaves) started this country, it was done to promote individual freedom ["life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"], yes. What was begun on this here land across the sea was unique and extremely progressive/controversial. “How DARE these upstarts go against the status-quo of the almighty king and his forces to start their own country?! The NERVE!” It takes this very type of daring innovation, this rattling of the cage of tyranny (yes, I consider the upper-class financial noose a type of tyranny), to cause a massive change for the better. Now, once more and better is achieved, are we supposed to sit still and let it stagnate? Heck, no! We are SUPPOSED to pick up the torch and continue to run with it. Have we? Lately, no. We have sat still and festered these past…oh, EIGHT?…years or better. We’ve really dropped the ball. I recall, back when Bill Clinton was President, that the country managed to have a balanced (as in ZERO) budget. No national debt. A wonder and a feat. Look at us today.
The worst financial mess since the Depression? Maybe so, but you know what? The country made it through the last one with great programs and massive effort, and we’ll do it again.
Now just what kind of major changes can take place when “we the people” put our minds to it? Women have fought for their freedom and rights and have progressed beyond the former expectations of their husbands and fathers. (Rock on, single moms!) People of other nations that come here, many not even of their own volition, have struggled and given their blood and lives for this country to move beyond/ OVERCOME the horrors visited on them in the past. Other than still being human, our citizenry does not remotely resemble those Pilgrims, Quakers, and Whigs that first invaded, and continued to steal, the land of Native Americans. Do we take advantage? Of course. We are very tolerant of quite a lot these days. Oh, and socialism being a step away from communism is bull. We have been advancing in social ways since our inception. The “Brotherhood of Man,” while being a sexist moniker, does somewhat accurately describe us. Communism being a step away from dictatorship…perhaps that is more accurate. Our country, this “great experiment,” has continued to thrive despite its “massive” government, which often consists of old-line cronies (a/k/a conservatives) who really like to spend their lives in paid, government office, often to the exclusion of everybody else. Our Constitution called for a government consisting of volunteer representatives that would refresh itself so as NOT to become stagnant. By the Constitution’s very purpose, it calls for the people to be more involved with our own governance. But not many people are involved….why IS that? Could it be because they are held back educationally, economically, and historically? “Sit here, be stupid, have a penny…oh, and you have this little dream of being President one day? How quaint.” Instead of us all actively teaching our kids how to become the next President (No Child Left Behind–gak!–no socialism there, just national standards, mind you), we hope they can manage to stay out of jail. Is there any wonder that we would want more and that “now” is as good a time as any to reach for it? Why not, when you have the prime example of a great team (Obama/Biden) taking us by the hand and showing us that the Promised Land really is HERE and OURS already?
November 1, 2008 at 2:02 am
Promised land? Um, Obama’s NOT a messiah. Government is not our savior.
But why not – let’s love on the guy that Al-Qaeda loves and hopes will win. Makes lots of sense to me.
Again, the post was about Craig Ferguson and the relationship between Obama and Ayers. I fail to see what any of this has to do with that.
And since you have so much to say, perhaps you might want to consider getting your own blog? http://www.wordpress.com.
November 1, 2008 at 10:40 am
As a rapid fan of Craig Ferguson, I agree with your assessment of his rant on Bill Ayers. I am from Illinois and I could write my own blog on his lack of attendance and lack of action in Illinois politics! He voted 130 times “present” on issues like partial birth abortion, increased jail time for gang members….I could go on and on. The press is in the tank for Obama. Late night jokes; 415 on McCain, 69 on Obama. Obama is a smoker-there’s a good lead for jokes!
I can just see him at the White House 35 feet from the door in the Rose Garden getting his puffs! Press doesn’t report that! I can’t even BEGIN to point out the lies and misreporting in Obamafan’s comments, so I won’t even try!As a retired public school teacher from Illinois, Obamafan has too many to count! Thank you DarcsFalcon. I’m with YOU! I still watch Craig. And I commend him for trying to remain “neutral” in this election. Dave Letterman is SO in the tank for Obama I never watch him anymore. Enjoy your Blog-Stay with it-We will need it even more if Obama pulls this thing off!
November 1, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Cheeke – Woo! A Craig fan! Thanks so much for the fresh air around here! Maybe together we can open Craig’s eyes? He seems like a reasonable man.
I was kind of disappointed that his neutrality wasn’t as neutral as he claimed it would be, and I know it can’t be easy to be fair and balanced, living and working in liberal-land. Conservatives tend to find themselves out of work there pretty quickly if they “come out.” Still, I was hoping for his Obama-bashing to be more equal to his McCain-bashing.
I’ll probably tune in again once the election is over, see how he’s doing. I miss him, but I don’t miss having my politics insulted!
I’m so glad you stopped by! Thanks for the support, and I hope to see you again.
BTW, did you teach high school?
November 2, 2008 at 2:37 am
No, I taught elementary music 13 years ( the most joyful time of my life
and then 24 years teaching 3rd grade. I loved it. I only quit because I wanted to do something else with my life. I love to travel and enjoy people so much! I’ve had a great last 2 years being retired. That’s how I discovered Craig. I couldn’t stay up late before and didn’t even know he existed. Such a talent-he really needs to bump ole Dave off his high horse and get his time slot. But Dave owns him, so I don’t see that happening soon. Thanks for the interest.
November 3, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Cheeke – Music! How fun!
I’m homeschooling my son, and right now we’re in 1st/2nd grade, but I can’t imagine spending 24 years with 8 year olds! You have my most heartfelt applause!
LOL, that’s funny you mention finding Craig after you retired. I found him while staying up late with my then-infant daughter. He hooked me with his humor, and that accent.