God Bless America, and God Save Us
If you know me, you know that I'm heavily invested in this year's political campaigns. I've been interested in who is running and who is winning where ever since the debates for each party. I am increasingly frustrated with the nonsense I keep hearing from the McCain/Palin campaign. I make no effort to be nonpartisan in the oncoming rant, so don't think this is any sort of journalism.
I will be voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden this November. Want to know why? Read on, my friends.
Let me start with this - John McCain and Sarah Palin lie through their teeth every single day. Even impartial reporting agencies continually debunk the statements made by both of these candidates on a daily basis. Political spin is one thing, dishonesty is another. Let's explore this thought...
Palin "said thanks, but no thanks to the Bridge to Nowhere." LIE. She pulled her support only after Congress pulled the funding for the specific Ketchikan project. They offered the funding to Alaska, and Palin continued to support building the bridge. Only after a public outcry did she pull the plug.
McCain and Palin have asserted that Palin never accepted earmarks. McCain was challenged on the talk show "The View" about such a matter, and when confronted with the assertion that Palin accepted earmarks, his response was, "Not as a governor, no she did not." WHAT? She has employed lobbyists for years, and has requested over $200 million in earmarks for the upcoming year. McCain focuses on how she vetoed $500 million in earmarks, which may indeed be true, but to say that, as governor, she never accepted an earmark, is categorically false.
John McCain has more flip-flops than a Florida beach in July. First he was for the decision of Roe v. Wade, now he is against it. This is documented on video in interviews with the media. He was against the Bush tax cuts, now he says he will maintain them...also on video. I could go on. What a gutless, spineless coward. If you claim to be a reformer, reform something, don't give in to the Republican machine!
That brings me to my next point. McCain and Palin are promising sweeping reforms for Washington, but they have yet to say what they will do. Barack Obama got nailed by the Republicans and the media for not being explicit with his plans, yet they have been spelled out on his website since he began his primary season campaign. He has now spoken about all the major issues in public forums, including how he plans to balance the federal budget, provide economic relief, and cut wasteful spending. McCain and Palin are full of hot air and catchy one-liners.
Pit bull, or bullshit?
McCain and Palin's response to all of this? We're going to reform Washington! How? By reforming it, because we're reformers who reform things that need to be reformed!
Seriously, who buys this tripe?
Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience? She can see Russia from Alaska. Oh yeah, and she looked at Iraq from the safety of a Kuwaiti military base. Barack Obama and Joe Biden have met with world leaders, addressed citizens of foreign countries, and consulted military leaders on the ground in Iraq. Sarah Palin? Yeah, she saw some desert somewhere...Isn't that the kind of crap that McCain hammered Obama on just a few months ago? Double standard much?
Oh wait, if we ask questions, we're sexist.
It's the same repugnant campaign that panders to those who lack information. Now I realize that not everyone has access to the Internet, to check out sites like politifact.com and factcheck.org, or to read political analysis by people who actually know what they're talking about when it comes to politics.
If the American populous again votes based on "who'd they'd rather have a beer with," I'm gonna need a lot of drinks to get through the next four years. At that point, I'll probably be looking for a real job.
I just have to pray that the economy is not in the gutter by that point, even moreso than it already is.
According to John McCain, the "fundamentals of the economy are sound." The Dow Jones disagreed, tanking 501 points today, the single largest fall since 9/11.
God save us all.
posted by Justin @ 9:40 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
"I will be voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden this November. Want to know why?"
I'm still wanting to know why you're voting for Obama/Biden. You stated why you detest McCain/Palin. Now, let's hear why you support Barrack and Joe.
Valid point, and I'm happy to tell you why.
1. Tax relief. I don't make much money (about $25K a year, before taxes). Under Obama's plan, I stand to get a refund of roughly $480, about $450 more than what McCain would give me.
That's not to say they're buying my vote. The middle class tax relief is essential for reviving the economy. The Republican belief of "trickle-down" economics hasn't worked. McCain's tax policies (i.e., those of the Bush administration) haven't worked for 8 years, so I doubt they will suddenly be effective.
Furthermore, McCain and Palin have stated that Obama's plan for small businesses will inhibit their growth. Unfortunately, they miss the point about additional tax breaks for small business owners. And as a final bit of economic stimulus, Obama/Biden have advocated tax breaks for businesses that do not outsource their labor, keeping jobs here in the US.
2. Roe v. Wade. I personally oppose abortion, but I do not believe that it is the government's job to tell women what they can and can't do with their bodies. Biden put it best - his religious views dictate that abortion is wrong, but he will not impose those views upon those whose personal belief systems are different. America is pretty diverse, after all.
3. Regulation of the economy. Even though John McCain has recently come out in favor of regulating Wall Street, it is a recent shift in position. Obama has always supported reasonable regulation.
4. The timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. The Iraqi government favors a withdrawal of combat troops within roughly two years, which is what Obama has been supporting since the primary season. McCain seems to favor a militaristic approach, based on public statements.
5. Diplomacy as the core of foreign policy. McCain has criticized Obama for being willing to meet with combative foreign leaders without preconditions. Be mindful that the Cold War was won without one shot fired. Diplomacy and non-violence can be effective in ameliorating tense situations. Let's have an open and honest discussion with those who are against us, instead of escalating tensions.
Hope that helps. I will hopefully expound upon my opinions in future posts, especially after the debates.
Thanks for the comment.
Have you read the new legislation that Palin just passed? It's amazing. In order to be able to say that she has passed legislation supporting the drilling of oil in Alaska, it has been passed... but unfortunately their are so many legal loopholes in the fine print of the laws that it would never happen without a miracle. Way to consider public opinion...
That's definitely one of the things that scares me the most about McCain/Palin ticket. They've shown a willingness to say or do anything to win, regardless of what is right or honest.
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One last thing - never trust any source that says they are impartial and "just the facts".
I dealt with political beat reporters. None of them have policy background and the stories you read in the New York Times and Washington Post are literally stories based on campaign talking points. I saw hack reporters writing stories this way with my own eyes.
Ok, this time one last thing.
I know the notion that Obama isn't offering any tax cuts is hard to believe, but trust me it's true. I had to go through all the fine print.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
An excellent litany of counter arguments. I would expect nothing less from you, Matt :) Apologies for the delay in my response; research and traveling to conferences has kept me busy. Just for the sake of a bit of conversation and debate (of which I'm always a fan), I'll post some responses to what you've proposed.
About tax cuts. This one gets hairy, I realize, and I think both sides have gone back and forth with who will see what type of tax relief. I use the term "cut" too loosely, and I understand the rebate argument to be true. What I question is whether or not the folks who don't pay income taxes will get these checks; Obama's side has argued they won't, only working families who pay income taxes will get the rebate. Whether or not that comes to pass remains to be seen, and will influence my future voting. Be aware that I've always considered myself first and foremost a political skeptic, and if indeed Jindal (or whoever may be the nominee in 2012) impresses me enough, he'll have my vote.
Economically, I was just opposed to the fundamental ideas McCain was shooting out there - maintaining the Bush tax policies which have amounted to a large disparity of wealth across the nation, and his history as a deregulator. I know both Obama and McCain voted similarly on several economic measures, but McCain had the dirtier hands, in my eyes. That, and the whole "socialism" thing didn't resonate with me. The government is already buying up assets in the financial market through the government bailout, which both McCain and Obama voted for.
"Be mindful that the Cold War was won without one shot fired." - You've got me there. I was again too loose with my history and presentation. Special military ops are going to be part of our history and future. I guess what I was really after was public perception and the lack of a full-out war against the Soviet Union. Yes, we fought by proxy. But (many historians will argue) that it was Reagan's efforts that put the nail in the Soviet coffin, so to speak. He did it through diplomacy. I didn't trust McCain's temperament to act similarly. I think Obama is smarter, and can handle more complex situations.
Here's what I don't really get about the notion of "preconditions." What do you want? Obama will only meet with Ahmedinejad if he gives up nuclear technology, or agrees to democracy? I see no reasonable sacrifice that that moron would agree to. Yes, I think A-jad is a horrendous dictator and an absolute propagandist, but the whole posturing thing doesn't work with him; he's too hard-headed. What do we stand to lose from direct negotiations? They would certainly not take place on Iranian soil, rather some place neutral, but I also again side with Obama's presence of mind over McCain's ramblings, fighting back his famous temper.
About FactCheck: OK, so it was founded by Annenberg. Big deal, I'll counter with this:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/9/8831/72947
Similar stories can be found everywhere, and were reported frequently on the news for a couple of days.
The fact is (no pun intended), FactCheck tore apart both sides, especially towards the end of the campaign when it got increasingly negative. I just think the evaluations of McCain's statements found them to be the biggest stretches and outright lies. I like Politifact even better.
I agree with you entirely about the WP and NYT, hence why I don't read them too much, aside from the occasional glance through the sports page when I'm home. They're overtly liberal, a fact I've recognized since we sat together in high school.
Bottom line - I think McCain failed to resonate well with voters, and Sarah Palin scared the every-loving crap out of me to think that she would ever be in national power. What is your honest opinion of that pick? I'd be really curious to know.
In any case, thanks for the comments. I do enjoy it when my posts stir up some discussion, even better when it's all-out debate. I guess my vote was victorious this time, but I'm always open-minded for the future. We'll see how it goes the next few years and in 2012.
Take care, I hope life is treating well.
In the end I think Palin was a wash. She did turn off a lot of voters Republicans need now and in the future (young, educated people), but she also brought in millions of dollars from the base. When you're running a 7-1 money deficit that can't be underestimated.
I never thought she was dumb, simply green. And I think many of the mistakes made illustrated how poorly the McCain camp gets technology.
Take, for example, the embarrassingly bad Katie Couric interview. Why in the world would you send an untested candidate in an uncontrolled interview in front of America? It was a stupid decision. What would have been better is if every two to three days Palin released a 4-5 minute YouTube video outlining a policy targeted towards women and independents. It would have dominated the news cycle. No one is demanding to see the candidate in a particular format, they just want to see the candidate.
So bottom line: I think Sarah Palin was a necessary "hail mary" pick, and I think the poor PR decisions made reflect the thinking of the dinosaurs running the McCain campaign. YouTube people!
I don't think she is the future of the Republican party, though, because I haven't seen any economic conservatism from her.
But I think in the end what really killed McCain was he simply could not articulate even simple economic issues. He couldn't even refute Obama's accusation that his $5,000 health care tax credit would go "straight to the insurance companies". Of course it is! That's what it's designed for! That's like saying Obama's $4,000 college tuition credit will go straight to "big University". Oh well, I can't do McCain's job for him and that's why he lost.
The preconditions with Iran I would want are this: stop killing American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, freeze nuclear production, and the President will only meet with the Guardian Council, not A-jad. What's most important to me is Iran is not running around changing the facts on the ground every day during a summit. The makes for futile - and counterproductive - negotiations. The same thing happened with the second Camp David talks (which led to the second intifada), and the FARC-Pastrana talks I wrote about earlier. Over and over again in recent history you see talking for the sake of talking always plays into the belligerents hands. (By the way: I think Obama is insane for picking Hillary as Sec State).
With the tax thing: Obama's people argue even people who don't pay income taxes pay payroll taxes - which is true. But the money for all of Obama's rebates is not coming out of payroll revenue - which funds social security so taking money away from that pile would be a disaster - but rather income tax revenue, which is a different pile of money. It's an argument about piles of money, and what it means to take from one pile and not another.
Seriously, Google Bobby Jindal. I've never seen anything like this guy. The number of different demographic groups he naturally appeals to is stupefying, even compared to Obama. First generation Indian-American, Rhodes scholar, devout Catholic who is completely at ease with Evangelicals, background in healthcare and education. A decade younger than Obama. When you see him on TV you expect to hear Apu but instead you get a mix of Billy Bob and policy wonk.
Remember this: he will be president on year, I just don't know when.
And I agree the Ayers thing was tenuous. Bad move by McCain's part. But holding back on Wright because it was too racially charged just made no sense to me.
I'm doing well, I'm thinking about applying for OCS (officer candidate school). I want to get into politics sometime down the road (and this time for myself, not for some dude who is going to mess it up) so I'll need some experience apart from being a partisan hack. Plus Republicans are in a recession right now.
Hope all is well with you.
Ok one last thing: I expect Obama and Jindal to become like a modern day Disraeli and Gladstone. An African-American and an Indian running American politics will cause so many head to explode. It will be great.
Glad to hear back from you. I think you've got a great angle on things, especially having been so involved with the campaign.
I do like what I've seen from Jindal, seems like a really smart guy. I don't know too much about his opinions on a lot of policy issues, but 2008 turned me into an even bigger news/political nut than I've ever been, so I do have an interest in keeping tabs on what's going on. And I completely agree that 2012 would be a major watershed to see an Obama-Jindal matchup...and I do like to see heads explode.
Political career? I could see that for you. Good luck at OCS, if that's where you end up. I'll look for you in the political headlines one day. Despite my interest in politics and love of debate, my goals are non-governmental. I'm working on a Ph.D. at VT in Biochemistry, specifically Alzheimer's research. It's going pretty well, always busy and always learning something.
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