Hypocrisy and Projection

Another common deception by the Right wing machine is through the use of projection.  From Wikipedia:

In psychology, psychological projection (or projection bias) is a defense mechanism in which one attributes one’s own unacceptable or unwanted thoughts or/and emotions to others.

There are several prime examples.   They say Obama "pals around" with unsavory characters.  His "friends" are "anti-american".  This is so simple to throw back in their faces but it brings the argument down to a lower level so I don't think mainstream media is as quick to report it, and certainly not as persistent as the rumor mill.

If Obama has Ayers, McCain has G. Gordon Liddy:

During the same period that Bill Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground, Gordon Liddy was making plans to firebomb a Washington think tank, assassinate a prominent journalist, undertake the Watergate burglary, break into the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, and kidnap anti-war protesters at the 1972 Republican convention. - from HuffPo

If Obama has Rev. Wright, Palin has her husband Todd, who was for 7 years a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a secessionist group whose founder said:

"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

If Obama has Rashid Khalidi and ACORN, then McCain has...Rashid Khalidi and ACORN (you can't make this stuff up).  First, a little about Khalidi:

“He is seen as a moderate in Palestinian circles, having decried suicide bombings against civilians as a ‘war crime’ and criticized the conduct of Hamas and other Palestinian leaders. Still, many of Khalidi's opinions are troubling to pro-Israel activists, such as his defense of Palestinians' right to resist Israeli occupation and his critique of U.S. policy as biased toward Israel.” - from LA Times

And the McCain connection:

But McCain has his own connection to Khalidi.

In 1993, McCain became chairman of the International Republican Institute. He still chairs that respected organization.

That same year, Khalidi helped found the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, self-described as “an independent academic research and policy analysis institution” created to meet “the need for active Palestinian scholarship on issues related to Palestine.” (Its archived Web site is HERE.)

Khalidi was on the board of trustees through 1999.

According to tax returns, the McCain-chaired IRI funded the organization Khalidi founded and served on to the tune of $448,873 in 1998 (click HERE to see the tax return)* as first reported by Seth Couter Walls at HuffPo. - from Jake Tapper at ABC News Blogs

Ans as for ACORN, well McCain rallied for them just a couple years ago in February 2006.  In an official statement by ACORN:

October 13, 2008, Miami, FL - U.S. Senator John McCain's recent attacks on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) are puzzling given his historic support for the organization and its efforts on behalf of immigrant Americans. As recently as February 20, 2006, Senator McCain was the keynote speaker at an ACORN-sponsored Immigration Rally in Miami, Florida at Miami Dade College – Wolfson Campus. 

The same goes for the emtpy cries of "Socialism" on the campaign trail as McCain, Palin, their staff, and all the right-wing bloggers try to discredit Obama and scare Americans away with unfamiliar terms that they've been led to believe are principally immoral and bad.  I think the truth is that most Americans couldn't define socialism if you gave them a dictionary.  But that doesn't stop them from understanding it's evil and un-American.  However these blanket statements of redistributing wealth, without taking into account or making note of the fact that ALL taxes re-distribute wealth in some way or another, paint the picture that Obama will take all of the average American's money before they even see it and give it out to whoever he thinks needs it most.  That is simply not true.  He's calling for changes that at worst represent a shift in the extreme unbalance of the classes, yes, but not total control of the population's wealth.  But I digress...

Just a few years ago in 2000 McCain made nearly identical claims as Obama, and even tacitly approved of the definition of socialism when he said that it's okay for those above a certain level to pay a little more:

Responding to a question from a girl who wants to know why her her father, a doctor, pays a higher tax rate than people who earn less:

McCain: "I think it's to some degree because we feel, obviously, that wealthy people can afford more."

Doctor's daughter: Aren't we getting closer and closer to, like, socialism and stuff?

McCain: "Here's what I really believe. When you are, reach a certain level of comfort, there is nothing wrong with paying somewhat more."

Finally, many anti-Obama bloggers claim he's very secretive and there are so many unknowns about him, yet ignore the Palins' own reluctance to appear by subpoena to discuss their violations of ethics in the Troopergate scandal.

Nobody's 100% out in the open.