Our guy Joe was great tonight.
Wars. Economy. Social Security. Medicare. Jobs.
They ran the gamut of topics, and for the most part, JoeB mopped the floor
with the smarmy Ryan.
But for me, the defining moment came near the end, when the moderator
dared to broach this topic: Abortion.
Ryan talked about how his Catholicism defined who he was blahblahblah,
doesn't understand how anyone who believes blahblahblah,
standing up for blahblahblah....
And then JoeB got his turn, and hit it out of the park:
His Catholicism has been the backbone of his public service, too. But!---
Just because these are his beliefs, he doesn't think he has a right to
...Impose His Own Beliefs on Others.
And that is what defines us, and distinguishes us from them.
For the gop--a group that pretends to care about Freedom! and Religious Freedom!
and The Constitution!, they really are a most narrow-minded and exclusive
group.
And as a woman, as a mother of a bunch of daughters, as someone who is old enough
to have seen this battle fought before and refuses to have to fight it again,
I believe this was the turning point in this debate, the one that will resonate with
Indies, and fire up the Democratic base.
When JoeB pointed up the difference between Our Team and theirs:
I don't think I have a right to impose my own beliefs on others.
Not having someone else impose their belief system on you:
That is the definition of Freedom.