Reply #166: I don't think the Primary votes were rigged

[Tom Rinaldo]

which I won't say about the General Election. Voters made their decisions and we got Kerry as our nominee. That is the bottom line and I don't see anyone arguing against that basic baseline reality.

This is afterall a discussion board so talk about factors that influenced voters one way or another at a given moment is appropriate if anyone is interested in engaging in it.

What I will argue about are certain assertions of opinion sometimes presented as fact which I strongly disagree with. I do not accept assertions that Clark favored the war prior to becoming a candidate. I do not accept the assertion that Clark ran a poor campaign/ or overall was a poor campaigner. Clark ran an ultimately losing campaign that was far from perfect. I have no trouble accepting that. But I think the General Election should be a sufficient eye opener to any who somehow were not previously paying attention, that the media has an unhealthy and growing influence on how political debate is presented in this country and how opinions are molded. For that reason I am particularly sensitive when I see what I think is a media retread MEME about Democratics being accepted as fact without question on this board. I know that I just made a subjective statement, but it may explain where I am coming from.