Queensbury Rules and Politics

  I wish we could all agree on certain rules in politics.  They could operate much the same way the Queensbury Rules do in boxing.  The seminal rule would be no hitting below the belt.  It’s basically a way to say, win with fair play and by solid punches to your opponent.

One thing I would like to put forward as below the belt is ranting on candidate military records.  This is especially true when the military ends those records with served honorably. Many good democrat vets were criticized by the Republican hate machine for honorable military service.  John Kerry, John Murtha and Max Cleland all were treated unfairly by the bloviators in the right wing echo chamber.  This is why it suprises me that the HuffPoop would allow the same treatment of John McCain. 

Jeffery Klein blogs today:

“McCain apparently was not surprised when his Vietnamese captors went relatively easy on him compared to his fellow POWs.”

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-klein/mccains-secret-questionab_b_107409.html

You would think that progressives would hold to some kind of principled standard where we realize it’s the apex of hypocrisy to do the same thing to others that we hated done to us and ours. 

Now, I don’t think Dubya’s national guard record was quite in the same vein.  He did receive special treatment during a draft time and there are questions if he even showed up for duty eventually.  John McCain, however many planes he crashed, showed up for duty.   I will never ever pretend that I could understand, criticize or hyperbloviate over time spent in Vietnam let alone time spent in a prison camp.  It was all honorable service to me.  I find plenty of his votes objectionable and if I criticize him, I will focus on that.

The second area which we could argue the use of some kind of Queensbury rule is on first ladies.  Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush have all been swiftboated in their own way.  Things that potential and sitting first ladies say as public figures are okay to criticize.  Michelle Obama’s  statement about the first time in her adult life she is really proud of her country is fair game.  However, I don’t want to see another strong career woman swiftboated just based on the fact she’s a strong, black, intelligent, outspoken woman.  

Again, Republicans, remember that Nancy Reagan was treated harshly.   Hillary endured endless critiques of her hair, her outfits, her cookie recipes, etc.  Cindy McCain is receiving similary treatment.  So democrats, what Cindy McCain wears and does with the permission of her Dermatologist should be kept on pages concerning beauty tips.  For political bashing, can we just stick to the content of their speeches please?  

Here’s a youtube that I think we can talk about under Queensbury rules.  Michelle made an outrageous statement.  Criticize away!  But please leave the rants about her hair, her dress, and those other sexist or racist statements back in the bathrooms of middle school where teachers can punish the stupid!

Michelle’s Hillary jab:  Inexcusable and Low

This is all I’m asking of fellow bloviators, can we agree on something akin to the Queensbury rules?

Now shake hands and come out fighting!