So today, Jake Tapper wrote an article entitled "And Obama Wept" falsely claiming that Obama supporters are basically nothing more than a bunch of cult followers. Here's a flavor of the bullshit spouted by Tapper in this "article:
It's as if Tom Daschle descended from on high saying, "Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of Chicago a Savior, who is Barack the Democrat."
The article goes on to claim that Obama supporters are acting like cult members. In support of this ridiculous claim, he quotes Joe Klien, who falsely claims that Obama's campaign has no substance " other than an amorphous desire for change.
While I do find Obama's ability to give a great speech refreshing after seven years of listening to a bumbling idiot, that is not the primary reason I am voting for him. I am voting for him because I agree with him on the issues. The most important issue for me is the fact that he had the judgment to oppose the Iraq war from the very beginning. Hillary Clinton did not!
However, the Iraq war is not the only policy that I have considered either. Obama's leadership on getting reducing the influence of lobbyists in Washington is of particular importance to me. And this issue is yet another key substantive policy difference between he and Hillary Clinton, who makes no bones about taking more money from lobbyists than any other candidates in the race, including the Republicans. Finally, I also like the fact that he was a Constitutional law professor, whose knowledge on Constitutional law is remarkable. We need someone who truly understands the Constitution in the White House after the seven years of a President who has done everything in his power to shred the Constitution. There are many other issues that I have considered as well, and KidOakland has done an excellent series of diaries explaining Obama's positions on various issues of critical importance to our nation as we move forward.
The bottom line is that my vote for Obama has very little to do with his charisma or charm, and it has everything to do with his message and the substance of his proposed policy changes. I am certain that this is true for the vast majority of his supporters as well. These false claims that Obama's campaign has no substance and that his voters are cult followers are not only offensive, but they are also potentially damaging if we don't effectively respond. We can not allow either the Clinton operatives or the MSM to brand Obama's campaign as a campaign lacking any substance or his supporters as cult followers. Obama must do his part by pointing out the absurdity of Tapper's claim that his supporters are cult members! And we must also do our part by letting shameless journalists and talking heads like Jake Tapper know that we are offended by false claims such as this one.