Ronald Reagan’s Ambassador to Moscow Endorses Obama

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http://nuclearrisk.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/ronald-reagans-ambassador-to-moscow-endorses-obama/

Ronald Reagan’s Ambassador to Moscow Endorses Obama

Posted on October 27, 2012

Ronald Reagan’s Ambassador to Moscow, Jack Matlock, just wrote: “It should be crystal clear that any vote for Romney and most of the Republicans now running for national office is … a vote against the future of America.” To see why a Reagan confidante would say that, read the whole post. Even if you support Romney, Matlock makes some important points that deserve greater attention, but get hidden in the fluff surrounding the election. His blog is well worth adding to your RSS subscriptions.

http://jackmatlock.com/2012/10/the-upcoming-presidential-election-should-not-be-close/

THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SHOULD NOT BE CLOSE
Posted on October 27, 2012 by Jack

The polls and pundits assure us that the presidential election November 6 will be close. Some even speak of a virtual tie. They are probably right, and if they are, this raises serious questions about the rationality of large segments of the American public. It will be interesting, and important, to try to understand why so many Americans seem determined to vote against their personal interests and against their country’s future as a vibrant, prosperous, creative society. It should be crystal clear that any vote for Romney and most of the Republicans now running for national office is precisely that—a vote against the future of America and also against the personal interests of the vast majority of its citizens.

It is characteristic of the “right-wing” talk show babblers to react to criticism with epithets such as “idiot!” or “moron!” In fact, their critics are intelligent and more respectful of truth and facts than those who engage in reactionary rant rather than reasonable debate. The use of such epithets only exposes the poverty of the speaker’s reasoning and the scarcity of fact to support it.

Observing the recent gridlock in Congress, thoughtful foreigners have begun to wonder about the intelligence, or even sanity, of the American voters who send the uncompromising ideologues to Congress. Their habit of “standing firm” on utterly discredited theories, refusing compromise, willfully ignoring what happened in the recent past, and—when push comes to shove—simply lying in order to make a president Americans elected “fail” would not seem to be a winning electoral platform to a rational electorate. Nevertheless, despite the appearance to foreigners, the American people, including those who support “Tea Party” candidates, are not stupid. We need to seek other reasons for what appears to be the willingness of many patriotic Americans to vote against what reasonable, well-informed people would consider the best interests of their country.

This is an important topic, but not the one I have set for myself today. (I may write about it later.) Today I want to explain why I think it is important for the nation’s future to re-elect President Obama.

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[UTUSN]

1. R#3 & K for, I'll *take* it!1 n/t