Party Platform Differences For Dummies 2

 

Chapter 2: Social Issues

Abortion Rights

McCain has been less strident in the past than most of the right on this issue, but in order to appeal to his base, he is now 100% against allowing a woman to decide whether she wants, or needs to terminate a pregnancy. Palin, who barely believes in gravity, follows the evangelical totalitarian view that “life” is “sacred”. Except for civilians in countries we invade, criminals on death row, any wildlife she chooses to blast from her helicopter, and women who need to terminate a pregnancy which threatens her life. McCain swears that there is no litmus test which a candidate for SCOTUS must pass. Yet somehow, conservatives seem to find Judges who want to repeal Roe v Wade (and the Bill of Rights, e.g. habeas corpus, etc.). Why they (Bush and other neoconservatives) do not consider their conservative appointees to be legislating from the bench is beyond me. This opinion rings hollow when promoted by President Bush who sought to consolidate power in the executive branch with his signing statements, and through the agenda of VP Dick Cheney. They seem to disdain the notion of checks and balances that our Founding Fathers found so important, and which is crucial to the American form of true democracy.

Obama will defend a woman’s right to choose. He will also appoint Justices who will not legislate from the bench; i.e. they won’t conform to an almost theocratic notion of governance as the appointments of a McCain-Palin administration would surely do. As a former student of constitutional law, and a former editor of Harvard Law Review, Obama understands the precepts on which our great nation was founded.

Marriage Equality

McCain-Palin are against any form of marriage between members of same-sex couples. Apparently their interpretation of the constitution does not protect homosexuals in their pursuit of happiness. Again, Palin belongs to a theocratic cult which tries to “cure” homosexuals. She feels that she is on a mission from God, which normal religious people consider to be filled with hubris, and is mean spirited toward those who are different. They will abdicate responsibility once again, in the name of Federalism, to the states. Sounds more like con-federalism to me.

Obama-Biden will try to encourage fair and equal treatment to same-sex couples. They will act responsibly as executives on the Federal level to defend these rights. They will allow the states to consider issues which are, constitutionally in their domain. They will not promote a constitutional amendment to deny these rights. Obama-Biden, in deference to the opinions of most Americans, will not redefine marriage, but they will allow civil unions in which the partners have hospital visitation rights, and all of the other rights that are available to married couples.

National Service: Both candidates have spoken about voluntary service, but only Obama has a clear plan. he is also more likely to inspire people to participate, in my opinion.

See Obama’s ideas on national Service in helping our country to rebuild our infrastructure, offer help to the homeless, perform tutoring or mentoring, etc.

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/service/

Palin Attacks Obama’s Tax Plan, Again

 

Why do neoconservatives call a Republican tax reduction ‘genius’, but a Democratic tax reduction, a cut for all of us who write these posts, is considered ’stealing’, or socialism?

Obama will let the tax cuts effected by Bush expire for the rich; i.e. those whose NET, ADJUSTED, TAXABLE (AFTER EXEMPTIONS)INCOME IS $250K. He will repeal those cuts. The average Joe (or is it Samuel?), plumbing license or not, will KEEP the Bush tax cuts. Going from protecting the greedy, to a more equitable (fairer, for non-elitists) plan. It is we who see our hundreds of thousands of sons and daughters go to war, usually to protect us…or to protect Bushies and other oil-greedy, power hungry, trickle-downers. It is we who fill the offices, factories, plants, small businesses, and farms of this country by the million to get the jobs done. It is we who have seen our earnings stagnate during the last eight years while the rich got richer. And it is we who are bailing out the avaricious (greedy) fools who brought our economy to its knees.

I am a small business man for Obama-Biden. Without a prosperous economy, my business stinks. During the Clinton years, I made a ton of money and gladly paid my taxes, and was able to invest my savings. The money I made in the stock market more than offset any taxes I had paid; but I was still making under $250K/year. The Democratic fiscal policy under Bill Clinton allowed me to open 2 new stores, creating around 10 new jobs. Since Bush and Katrina, everything has gone to hell.

 

 

Palin Attacks Biden’s Remarks About Crisis in 6 Months

 

Yes, the woman is an idiot. Or she thinks the voters are…or both.

Power abusing, $150K clothes-spending, charge-for-my-kid’s-trips, Tina Fey wannabe, Sarah Palin is an expert at straw-man arguments.

The rhetorical flourish…um, I mean hyperbole…um, I mean (what is it that you non-elite, barely literates call it? I will look for a neo conservative Thesaurus). The statement that Joe Biden made had everything to do with the times in which we live. He was simply expressing confidence in Obama’s steady hand and thoughtful skill, with which Senator Obama is very capable of handling any crises that face our great nation.

 

 

To John McCain: How Many Times Can You Think Twice?

The Making (and remaking, and remaking) of McCain

By ROBERT DRAPER

Published: October 26, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/magazine/26mccain-t.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

 

It’s the Stupid Economy!

 

I’m a small businessman. I was flush with cash during the Clinton years. Eight years of Bush has almost ruined me. Did I mention that I live in New Orleans?…thanks for your Katrina response to nowhere, Bush.
I have 3 great stores that could easily produce 1.3 million dollars in revenues during the type of economy we enjoyed during Bill Clinton’s administration. For my net, adjusted, taxable income to rise above $250 thousand, I would need to be operating in the consumer driven economic expansion, the largest in 35 years, that we saw with Clinton in office. He also reduced the welfare rolls, the number of abortions, and the wealth of America’s largest sector; the middle-class. He exercised fiscal responsibility which left us with a healthy surplus. During that economic expansion, the country saw a significant increase in jobs, and a major increase in tax revenues because more people were working. Real wages increased and so the middle-class became more wealthy. During the last eight yeas, around a million Americans a year fell into poverty. This was due to a loss of jobs, which offset job growth during that period to dismally low numbers. (New jobs were added, but lay-offs and downsizing was too great). And I’m talking about the working poor, not the “lazy” people that Republicans (who are intellectually lazy) are always talking about.

I would love to help spread the wealth. If Obama wins this election, he will cut taxes for 95% of us, while allowing the tax breaks to the very rich, given under the Bush administration, to expire. I know i will pay less taxes under Obama, and will be able to once again afford health insurance. if his public works programs are implemented, they will help rebuild our infrastructure and produce a new, green energy sector while producing new jobs and encouraging innovation and competition. If my revenues go back to where they were headed under Clinton, then I will hire more people, perhaps open more stores, and gladly pay another 3% for the privilege of living in an intelligently run and prosperous country, once again.

Fear and Loathing in Bethlehem

 

The nastiness of the campaign escalated yesterday in Bethlehem, PA at a McCain-Palin rally. Governor Palin seems to be good at bringing out the worst in people, especially Republican Party activists. Shouts of “terrorist”, and even “kill him” were heard as compassionate, moralistic, church going, family values conservatives expressed their sanctimonious anger. One can’t put all the blame on them, though. They’re scared silly over all the buzz-words they were trained to respond to by the right wing, drooling fear like Pavlovian pit bulls.

Today, things just got uglier as the Republican ticket continues to circle the drain. Palin actually opened one of her rallies with a fog machine and a straight-talk express prop rolling right onto the stage. At McCain’s rallies today audiences were seething, shouting about socialists, and railing over every Democratic Party leader, calling them nincompoops.

The McCain campaign is degenerating by the minute, failing to raise valid points that are concerned with putting our country first and instead inciting hateful, even racist and murderous epithets. Repeatedly, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, and even the candidate himself, use phrases so close to the line of propriety, that they encourage the mob to cross that line. Obama is accused of being Muslim (insulting Muslims and all people of good will), by using his middle name over and over. They imply that he is a terrorist, and a socialist, by talking about Bill Ayers. They even imply that there is some sort of conspiracy that compels people to vote for Senator Obama. Even more insanely, some McCain supporters think that it is all part of “the end of days”; the Apocalypse or the Rapture.

And to all the people who think that Sarah Palin’s critics “just don’t get her”, I can only say that…well I really can’t say anything without resorting to the petulant insolence of the Republican base. Let’s just say that I think I “get” her just fine. But I wouldn’t allow her around my kids.

This is why they’re freaking out

The Joe Biden Show

permalink to:

 

The Joe Biden Show

By CHARLES M. BLOW

Published: October 4, 2008 The New York Times

While watching the vice-presidential debate with the New York Young Republican Club, I realized it was not The Sarah Palin Show, but The Joe Biden Show. And, it was good.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/opinion/04blow.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

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My comment to the article above “the Joe Biden Show”

If Palin were taking an oral exam at university, she would have failed miserably. Armed with intensive coaching on republican talking points and some notes, she still was unable or unwilling to directly answer many of the questions presented by Ifill. When she did answer, she used sentences which defied comprehension because they not only lacked a substantive response to the question posed, but also because many lacked some of the parts of speech necessary to form a grammatically correct English sentence.

Her “talent” seemed to be the ability to deflect. She did so by using the passive voice, or ignoring the question altogether to recapitulate something that she had already said on a different topic, or just spewing gibberish composed of fragments of the talking points which were crammed into her head. Her constant, calculated use of colloquialisms, winks and inappropriate smiles added to the impression that she was speaking to the Wasilla PTA, rather than to the nation and the world.

 

 

Sarah, You Betcha! Doggone It

So Palin had enough prepared notes to avoid sounding like a community college dropout on drugs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Unless you’re running for the second highest office in the land.

Let’s see what some journalists had to say.

She subverted the whole purpose of the exercise by merely repeating the key points of her running mate, Sen. John McCain and ignoring questions that called for more specific answers.

…Palin’s answers in the debate were more about herself than about the policies of McCain or George W. Bush or even the country’s current economic crisis.

MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow, one of the fastest-rising and most enigmatic personalities in talk television, listened patiently to Buchanan’s praise for Palin’s presentation and responded, “Boring but right versus exciting and wrong — that’s America’s choice?” Commentators on many of the networks marveled at Palin’s insistence on avoiding substantial comment on issues and on simply ignoring questions she couldn’t answer convincingly.

Palin basically stated early in the debate that this would be her strategy. She said she wasn’t necessarily going to respond to the questions of the moderator or charges from Biden, but instead, “I’m gonna talk right to the American people.” Since this was billed as a debate, not a speech, her remark came across as arrogant, and as an admission she would duck tough questions.

By Tom Shales Friday, October 3, 2008; Page C01Washington Post

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Palin, in her 90 minutes on the stage Thursday night, left the firm impression that she is indeed ready to lead the nation — with an unnerving mixture of platitudes and cute, folksy phrases that poured from her lips even when they bore no relation to the questions asked.

“Let’s commit ourselves just everyday American people, Joe Six-Pack, hockey moms across the nation,” she proposed when asked about the mortgage crisis. (HUH?)

“I want to go back to the energy plan,” she said when asked about the federal bailout plan.

“I want to talk about, again, my record on energy,” she said when asked about bankruptcy.

At other times, her answers defied comprehension, as when Ifill asked about her trigger for using nuclear weapons. “Nuclear weaponry, of course, would be the be-all, end-all of just too many people in too many parts of our planet, so those dangerous regimes, again, cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, period,” she answered. (WTF?)

When backed into uncomfortable terrain, such as defending the Bush administration’s economic record, she exploded into cliche and non sequitur: “Say it ain’t so, Joe. There you go again pointing backwards again. . . . Now doggone it, let’s look ahead.” Before finishing her answer, she mentioned her “brother, who I think is the best schoolteacher in the year, and here’s a shout-out to all those third-graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School, you get extra credit for watching the debate.”

By Dana Milbank Washington Post

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My Gal: On sarah Palin’s speech patterns. Satire

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2008/09/22/080922sh_shouts_saunders?currentPage=all

by George Saunders September 22, 2008 The New Yorker magazine       

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    The End Is Near

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/georgepacker/2008/09/ill-always-thin.html?yrail

Posted by George Packer September 29, 2008 The New Yorker magazine

Whowunnit?

McCain did better in the debate than I expected, but Obama was stronger in many ways. First of all, Obama’s answers were on topic and articulated more clearly. He tried to follow Jim Lehrer’s repeated admonition to have a dialogue with his opponent rather than address the audience and the camera, but Senator McCain would have none of it. He seemed to be clenching the podium, facing the audience with that creepy, mirthless smile frozen on his face. In fact, McCain’s body language was that of a person strenuously exerting control over his baser instincts, his voice constrained to a stage whisper, while his facial expressions betrayed his true feelings of anger, resentment, condescension and fear. He often rebutted Obama’s statements in a dismissive manner which invariably began with some version of the phrase that “Heh, heh, heh…Senator Obama doesn’t understand…”, while trying to act as if he and the audience were sharing a joke at Obama’s expense. All of his pretensions fell flat in the face of Obama’s informed, succinct and commanding responses.

Neocons Manipulate Democratic Primary Voters

“Democratic voters in both states are split evenly on the attributes they are looking for in a nominee — strength and experience, which have been Clinton’s calling card, or fresh ideas and a new direction, which embody Obama’s message.”  By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, February 22, 2008; Page A07

This amazes me since the ideas and direction proposed by both candidates are so close as to be virtually indistinguishable. Only the rhetoric is different. And every word out of Obama’s mouth is a richly intoned and rousing oratory.

Hillary, on the other hand is a hard-working pragmatist whose image has been delerately tarnished by the right wing. When Senator Clinton was First Lady, she was perceived by many to be a strong leader who might some day be the first woman President of the USA. The Right, as is their wont, continued to dig for scandal, and failing that, they continued to repeat phrases that would discredit her public life. This is because the far Right Wing fears her and her ability to promote change. We can’t allow ouselves to be misled by the neocons.

If we give Senator Clinton our support now, and aim for an Obama Presidency in 2016, we can look forward to 16 years of responsible and enlightened leadership.