Arguing against Obama - when Ad Hominem is justified. Part 1 of 2

In this age of political correctness, it has been made diffucult (and purposefully so!) to organize a cogent discussion around the merits of political candidates given that on their face, you are attacking the person, their experience, their ideas and often their very legitimacy as a candidate or speaker.

Since the 1950's institutes of higher learning have advocated that we place ourselves into camps that identify with their makeup more than with their own moral judgements. For example people say they are Latino, or African American, or female, or gay or disabled or any other number of identifiers before they identify themselves as a unique, thoughtful, moral, enterprising human being - and you have to ask yourself why. In a perverse way - Martin Luther King would be shocked that in this day and age we still, and forcefully so, still - judge people by the "color of their skin" rather than the content of their character.

How does it work? Easy. By banding into identifiable groups, any attack on the REASONING of the individual is turned into an attack on the group, and that attack is condemned as whatever "ist" you want it to be.

I think Barack Obama's policies are ineffiective, ill-conceinved and poorly implemented.
Response - "you are a racist".

I think that marriage should be between a man and a woman because I believe that children brought up in a male/female environment do better in the real world.
Response - "you are a homophobe"

I think the rule of law should be enforced, and that people breaking laws should be sanctioned for their actions.
Response - "you are an anti-Latino racist".

These arguments of logic at their core are deemed to be "ad hominem" attacks against an individual, but incorrectly so. Doug Watson is his 2008 book  Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach. Cambridge University Press discussed at length that if the premise of the argument IS based on their personal makeup, beliefs experiences, characteristics etc. - then an "ad hominem" attack is justified.

And what of it my friends? Aha - within the next article lies the keys to defeating one Barack Hussein Barry Sotaero Obama in 2012. Stay tuned.