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

 

Scream 2008: Palin in 2012

 

And Other Halloween Horrors

 There was an article in the Washington Post’s The Fix the day after the Vice-Presidential debate that speculated on Palin’s running for President in 2012

Palin’s performance last night — particularly her willingness to stand by conservative principles on things such as gay marriage and do it with a smile (and even a wink) — further endeared her to not only conservative opinion makers but the rank and file GOPers who will play an out-sized role in picking the next nominee of the party in 2012 if McCain comes up short in 32 days time.

Palin running for the top spot in 2012?

I am truly speechless. Palin’s running now is a disgrace to American politics. I remember when I was a child, and adults would comment to children who did very well in school, and who were obviously smarter than their peers that, “One day, you could even run for president”. Considering Palin at the top of the Republican ticket seems to indicate a change in this standard. What will we hear from now on?

Teacher: Your daughter/son must apply her/himself diligently, just to keep up with the rest of the class. The best you can expect is a mediocre report card; perhaps a community college is to be considered. Oh, and who knows, “One day she can be Republican nominee for president. You know, there are hordes of conservative voters, of mediocre to low intelligence who would want to vote for someone just like them, not some elitist smart person”.

The Republican “intelligentsia” has already defected, citing Palin as a drag on the ticket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party Platform Differences For Dummies

 Chapter One: The Economy

McCain: The McCain economic worldview is centered around limiting the government’s role, especially in regulating business. He is also against taxation; a “don’t tax, don’t spend conservative”. I know this is hard to swallow given his recent support of the financial bailout, and his perpetual support of the billions spent by Bush in Iraq.  But his positions are hard to pin down, as Tim Dickinson wrote in the latest issue of Rolling Stone

“In March, McCain insisted to The Wall Street Journal that he is “always for less regulation.” In September, with the government forced to bail out the nation’s largest insurance companies and brokerage houses, McCain declared that he would regulate the financial industry and end the “casino culture on Wall Street.” He did a similar about-face on Bush’s tax cuts, opposing them when he planned to run against Bush in 2001, then declaring that he wants to make them larger — and permanent — when he needed to win the support of anti-tax conservatives this year. “It’s a big flip-flop,” conceded tax abolitionist Grover Norquist. “But I’m happy he’s flopped.”

Read the entire article

Incidentally, I was made aware of the RS article while perusing the Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan.

He is a Reaganomics cum Bushonomics supporter, believing that prosperity will trickle down from the super rich to the middle class, but we all know what really rolls downhill, and he is full of it.

He is a “tax reformer”; which means he will make it easier for the very rich to avoid paying taxes while the rest of us pick up the tab. His solution to the sub-prime mortgage crisis has morphed recently from a plan similar to, or at least including, elements of what the Democrats have been proposing, into a more ‘privatized’ version. So rather than try to keep up with McCain’s erratic economic policy shifts of late, I can condense his views to this:

1. He maintains a “privateer” stance which values “the Market” over the everyday concerns of the middle-class and the working poor.

2. He will say anything to get elected, attempting to appeal to his rabid conservative base while lip-syncing the populist’s anthem to the rest of the electorate. He called himself “the first neocon”, a dubious distinction at best.

3. He will abdicate responsibility to the States, in the name of Federalism. So if the credit crunch causes the number of student loan defaults to increase dramatically, he can say that he has called on all 50 governors “…to anticipate loan problems and expand the lender-of-last resort capabilities for each state’s guarantee agency.” But the states themselves are experiencing the economic crunch, and are starting to ask for bailout plans of their own.

4. He has engaged in political posturing and grandstanding concerning the financial meltdown, rather than pragmatic thinking, ”suspending his campaign” to rush to Washington, almost cancelling the debate with Sen. Obama (which he ultimately lost) to no real purpose. He just sat in on the White House conference on the economic bailout package, silent until the end, at which time he made a few inconsequential comments. At this point he still lacks a specific economic plan regarding the grave economic crisis.

Even his own web site gives generalized, garbled, or recently modified versions of McCain’s plans for the economy. The only thing we can count on is his reaching across the aisle with one hand while diddling his lobbyist cronies, under the table, with the other. McCain is so out of touch that 3 weeks ago he proclaimed that the fundamentals of our economy were sound.

Obama: Update # 1, October 13,2008

The main difference with Sen. Obama’s economic world view, as compared to that of John McCain, is that Obama is not married to the laissez faire ideology embraced by conservatives and neocons. Sen. Obama knows that the market system works best when there is the appropriate amount of government oversight. Granted, it is often difficult to know where to draw that line. But not being tied to such an ideology allows Obama to be more pragmatic in his approach to the economy.

He is motivated by a sense of fairness and by what is good for the country as a whole. He is especially attuned to the problems faced by the overwhelming majority of Americans; namely the middle-class and the working poor, and to those truly in need of government assistance. The latter includes many of our brave men and women who are veterans of our military, retired seniors who have worked and paid their taxes and social security for decades, students of modest means who are seeking to enter college so they can fill the jobs important to America while elevating their own economic status, workers who have lost their jobs due to down-sizing or outsourcing and who need temporary help until they can find another job, and the truly disabled.

Sen. Obama is keenly aware that not all of our problems can be solved by government. He has called for Americans to volunteer for service to help address some these issues.

“To restore America’s standing, I will call on our greatest resource – not our bombs, guns, or dollars – I will call upon our people. We will grow the Foreign Service to renew our commitment to diplomacy. We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we’ll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity.

 I will expand our military, while offering those who serve the promise that they will get the training, equipment, and care they deserve – and that they can trust we will never, ever, send them to fight in a misguided war. And we’ll enlist veterans to help other veterans find jobs; to counsel vets who are confronting homelessness, mental health and substance abuse problems; and to pitch in at VA hospitals and nursing homes.

And we’ll use technology to connect people to service more extensively and effectively. We turn to websites like craigslist to find apartments and jobs. So we’ll expand USA Freedom Corps to create an online network where Americans can browse opportunities to volunteer. You’ll be able to search by category, time commitment, and skill sets; you’ll be able to rate service opportunities, build service networks, and create your own service pages to track your hours and activities. This will empower more Americans to craft their own service agenda, and make their own change from the bottom up.”          

     Barack Obama’s plan to help all Americans serve their country will                

• Expand AmeriCorps from its current 75,000 slots to 250,000 slots, enabling the program to establish five new Corps that address some of America’s most pressing challenges: Classroom Corps, Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, Veterans Corps, and Homeland Security Corps.

• Engage retiring Americans in service on a large scale by expanding and improving Senior Corps, VISTA and other programs that connect individuals over the age of 55 to volunteer opportunities.

• Double the size of the Peace Corps from 7,800 volunteers to 16,000 by its 50th anniversary in 2011 and work to partner volunteers with people from other nations. 

• Establish an America’s Voice Initiative to recruit and train Americans that are fluent speakers of local languages to bolster our public diplomacy efforts abroad 

• Create a national online network, modeled on Craigslist, to connect volunteers to service and donation opportunities

• Establish a goal of having middle and high-schoolers contribute at least 50 hours a year to community service, and reach that goal through national guidelines for service-learning and additional resources for schools to develop successful programs. 

• Connect disadvantaged youth to service opportunities and a pathway to success through the creation of Green Job Corps and the expansion of YouthBuild from 8,000 slots today to 50,000 slots over the next eight years.

• Create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit to ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for Americans willing to complete 100 hours of public service a year.

• Promote College Serve-Study by immediately increasing the percentage of Federal Work-Study Program funding that goes to community service jobs from 7 percent to 25 percent, and helping colleges and universities reach a goal of 50 percent of serve-study over time.

• Expand the capacity of the nonprofit sector by establishing a Social Investment Fund Network to provide R&D capital to encourage innovation, find out what works, and expand successful programs to scale across the country.

• Create a Social Entrepreneurship Agency to enable nonprofits to build capacity through improved collaborations with government        Senator Barack Obama 

 Rather than the “top down” approach favored by McCain and Bush, Sen. Obama knows that our economy is driven by the American consumer. Our economy will grow, as it always has, from the bottom up. Corporations after all, need hordes of qualified, motivated employees. They also need a middle-class that is employed and prosperous who will spend, invest, pay taxes, and save. These are the elements of a strong economy in a democracy.

Obama’s comprehensive plan to strengthen the American economy will:

• Cut taxes for 95 percent of workers and their families with a tax cut of $500 for workers or $1,000 for working couples

• Provide generous tax cuts for low- and middle-income seniors, homeowners, the uninsured, and families sending a child to college or looking to save and accumulate wealth

• Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses, cut corporate taxes for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States, and provide tax credits to reduce the cost of health care and to reward investments in innovation

• Dramatically simplify taxes by consolidating existing tax credits, eliminating the need for millions of senior citizens to file tax forms, and enabling as many as 40 million middle-class Americans to do their own taxes in less than five minutes without an accountant

 Read more details about Senator Obama’s economic platform  here

Today, Monday October 13, 2008, Obama will lay out a more detailed rescue plan for the middle class. Below is a preview of his statement.

From the Washington Post Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor October 13, 2008 11:53 AM

The Obama campaign issued a summary of his plan:

– A temporary tax credit for firms that create new jobs in the United States over the next two years.
– New legislation to allow families to withdraw 15% of their retirement savings – up to a maximum of $10,000 – without facing a tax-penalty this year (including retroactively) and next year.
– Financial institutions that participate in the Treasury’s financial rescue plan should be required to adhere to a homeowners code of conduct, including a 90-day foreclosure moratorium for any homeowners living in their homes that are making good faith efforts pay their mortgages.
– The Federal Reserve and the Treasury to work to create a program to lend to state and municipal governments, similar to the steps the Fed recently took to provide liquidity to the commercial paper market.

The campaign also said: “Obama’s plan also calls for temporarily eliminating taxes on unemployment insurance benefits; keeping all options on the table to help our automakers weather the financial crisis; having the Fed and Treasury prepare for guaranteeing a broader range of liabilities of the banking system; and instructing Treasury to help unfreeze markets for individual mortgages, student loans, car loans, loans for multi-family dwellings and credit card loans.”

McCain’s response so far is a statement which lacked details but which is punctuated with the usual platitudes. A reiteration of his narcissistic talking points as desultory and unfocused as is his entire campaign.

New York Times article on Senator Obama’s economic proposals, October 13, 2008

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.

 

 

Palin’s Alternate Universe

permalinkto: Palin’s Alternate Universe
By BOB HERBERT
Published: October 4, 2008 in The New York Times
In such a serious moment in American history, it’s hard to believe that someone with Sarah Palin’s limited skills could possibly be playing a leadership role

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

 

 

Pitbull With Lipstick Still a Dog

A major question about McCain’s judgement must be raised about his politically charged choice of a running mate. Not only did he make a calculated selection designed to energize his base (not a bad thing in itself) but he knew she was unqualified to assume the mantle of Vice President. Why else would he lock her away for a month? A month in which she apparently crammed as much information as her pretty little head would hold, only to embarrass thinking conservatives and our entire election process when she was finally allowed to be interviewed.

From Reuters

Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks called her candidacy “embarrassing.”

“Palin is Ready? Please” a headline in Newsweek said this week of the moose-hunting Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate, capping a turbulent week in which Palin’s fitness for the job came under growing scrutiny. “Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president,” Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria wrote.”She is a feisty, charismatic politician who has done some good things in Alaska. But she has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start,” he said.

“Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin, should conditions warrant her promotion,” Parker wrote in the conservative National Review. Palin could withdraw from the race for personal reasons such as wanting to spend more time with her newborn, added Parker, who in September rallied behind Palin for showing “strength, conviction, determination” and confidence.

And yet, the Conservative base, Republican party activists, still support her. They don’t seem frightened, or even mildly concerned that this woman may well be only a proverbial heartbeat away from being leader of the Free World. Has eight years of George W. lowered the bar of this mighty office to the depths of incompetence?

Check these:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/palin-is-destro.html

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/the-lies-and-li.html

The McEmperor’s New Clothes-Spin

The transparent maneuvering of the McCain campaign is a 21st century twist on “The Emperor’s New Clothes”.  At first no one would bring up the fact that Governor Palin’s qualifications for the second highest office in the land was woven out of nothingness posing as ”invisible threads”.  The McEmperor “changed his clothes (campaign tactics) almost every hour and loved to show them off to his people”. His tailors (McCain’s all-lobbyist high command ) said, “we have invented an extraordinary method to weave a cloth (choose a VP) so light and fine that it (she) looks invisible. As a matter of fact it is invisible to anyone who is too stupid and incompetent to appreciate its quality.”

“Besides being invisible, your Highness, this cloth will be woven in colors and patterns created especially for you (your ticket).” The McEmperor gave the two men (top advisers) a bag of gold coins in exchange for their promise to begin working on the fabric(ation) immediately.

“Just tell us what you need to get started and we’ll give it to you.” The two scoundrels (con and neocon) asked for a loom, silk, gold thread (money from the RNC) and then pretended to begin working (on finding a credible VP candidate). The Emperor thought he had spent his money quite well: in addition to getting a new extraordinary suit (running mate), he would discover which of his subjects were ignorant and incompetent. A few days later, he called the old and wise prime minister (himself), who was considered by everyone (on the right) as a man with common sense.

“Go and see how the work is proceeding,” the McEmperor  told him(self), “and come back to let me know.” The prime minister was welcomed by the two scoundrels.

      ”We’re almost finished, but we need a lot more gold thread (campaign donations). Here, Excellency! Admire the colors, feel the softness!” The old man bent over the loom and tried to see the fabric that was not there. He felt cold sweat on his forehead (just as he did during the debate).

“I can’t see anything,” he thought. “If I see nothing, that means I’m stupid! Or, worse, incompetent!” If the prime minister admitted that he didn’t see anything, he would be discharged from (or not elected to) his office.

      “What a marvelous fabric, he said then. “I’ll certainly tell the McEmperor (myself).” The two scoundrels rubbed their hands gleefully. They had almost made it. More thread (money) was requested to finish the work.

Finally, the McEmperor received the announcement that the two tailors had come to take all the measurements needed to sew his new suit.

      “Come in,” the McEmperor ordered. Even as they bowed, the two (Rovian) scoundrels pretended to be holding large roll of fabric (Palin’s resume).

“Here it is your Highness, the result of our labour,” the scoundrels said. “We have worked night and day but, at last, the most beautiful fabric in the world is ready for you. Look at the colors and feel how fine it is.” Of course the McEmperor did not see any colors and could not feel any cloth between his fingers. He panicked and felt like fainting (or suspending his campaign). But luckily the throne was right behind him and he sat down. But when he realized that no one (the electorate) could know that he did not see the fabric, he felt better. Nobody could find out he was stupid and incompetent (try keeping that one under an invisible hat). And the McEmperor didn’t know that everybody else around him thought and did the very same thing.

The farce continued as the two (Rovian) scoundrels had foreseen it. Once they had taken the measurements, the two began cutting the air with scissors while sewing with their needles an invisible cloth.

      “Your Highness, you’ll have to take off your clothes to try on your new ones.” The two scoundrels draped the new clothes on him and then held up a mirror (poll). The McEmperor was embarrassed but since none of his bystanders (supporters) were, he felt relieved.

“Yes, this is a beautiful suit (babe) and it looks very good on me,” the McEmperor said trying to look comfortable (creepy smile). “You’ve done a fine job.”

      “Your Majesty,” the prime minister said (to himself), “we have a request for you. The people have found out about this extraordinary fabric and they are anxious to see you in your new suit.” The McEmperor was doubtful showing himself naked to the people (so he kept her in his closet for a month), but then he abandoned his fears. After all, no one would know about it except the ignorant and the incompetent (the republican base who likes Palin because she is “like them”, and who are used to believing in things that aren’t really there).

“All right,” he said. “I will grant the people this privilege (veep press conference).” He summoned his (straight talk) carriage and the ceremonial parade was formed. A group of dignitaries ( McCain’s all-lobbyist high command) walked at the very front of the procession and anxiously scrutinized the faces of the people in the street. All the people had gathered in the main square (cable news), pushing and shoving to get a better look. An applause welcomed the regal procession. Everyone wanted to know how stupid or incompetent his or her neighbor was but, as the Emperor passed, a strange murmur rose from the crowd.

      Everyone (republican base) said, loud enough for the others to hear: “Look at the Emperor’s new clothes (running mate). They’re (she is) beautiful!”

      “What a marvellous train (to nowhere)!”

“And the colors (shades of red)! The colors of that beautiful fabric! I have never seen anything like it in my life!” They all tried to conceal their disappointment at not being able to see the clothes, and since nobody was willing to admit his own stupidity and incompetence, they all behaved as the two scoundrels had predicted.

      A child (progressive voter), however, who had no important job and could only see things as his eyes showed them to him, went up to the carriage.

      “The McEmperor is naked,” he said.

“Fool!” his father reprimanded, running after him. “Don’t talk nonsense!” He grabbed his child and took him away. But the boy’s remark, which had been heard by the bystanders, was repeated over and over again until everyone cried:

      “The boy is right! The McEmperor is naked! It’s true!”

      The McEmperor realized that the people were right but could not admit to that. He though it better to continue the procession under the illusion that anyone who couldn’t see his clothes was either stupid or incompetent. And he stood stiffly on his (straight talk) carriage, while behind him a page (Rick Davis) held his imaginary mantle (of wisdom).

Palin’s “Out of Her League”

First time I’ve ever agreed 100% with a conservative.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/26/palin-should-step-down-conservative-commentator-says/

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.

Between Barack and a Hard Place

As many pundits have noted, there is little difference on paper between the platforms of Obama and Clinton. Beyond the platforms however, we have the matter of perception. Much like the dot com bubble of the 90s, we have a frothy, inflated perception of Obama, as well as a well-intentioned but false sense of a new paradigm in politics. I’d like to remind voters that froth is mostly air, and that there is no new paradigm.

The cult-like phenomenon that is Obama’s campaign has become intractable even as the mantra of “Change” is given voice by his fans. Roughly 30% of his followers have closed their minds and are often the source of venomous antipathy towards Clinton, ignoring the fact that she and Obama differ little on the big issues.  Clinton’s political savvy is more than matched by Obama’s passive-aggressive manipulation of the electorate, especially younger voters and disillusioned independents.

To the disillusioned independents I can say that we are all tired of the political wrangling that often prevents the passage of legislation and often leads to a failure to solve today’s problems. To the young voters I submit that this has always been the case, and it is unlikely to change. It is the very nature of politics. I remember my political science professor defining politics as the process that decides ”who gets what”. It is by its nature filled with conflict, since not everyone can get what they want at the same time; on this issue NO WE CAN’T. We cannot be in two places at the same time. Yes we can take our country back, but it requires an electorate that is always engaged, well informed and willing to make some compromises with those with whom we disagree.

When opposing sides do come together to pass legislation it is a result of mutual concessions. So to be an uncompromising person, always standing by your principles, means that you won’t get much done unless a majority already agrees with you. To make incremental improvements working toward an ultimate goal requires political savvy and the willingness to make concessions for what you deem to be the greater good. Purists will deride you if you compromise, but pragmatists realize that a step has been made in the right direction.

For example, Bill Clinton attempted to make it legal for gays and lesbians to serve in the military; the right thing to do since that community has always been part of our military, and they are just like other people who want to serve our country. He had to settle for the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy instead. But it was a step in the right direction, and I believe history will show it to be a step in the ultimate acceptance of homosexuals in our Armed Services.

Now don’t get me wrong. There are some principles on which we can never compromise, like equal rights for all Americans, and adherence to our constitution and the Bill of Rights, for instance. But most issues that come to a vote before our legislators are in a more gray area that are easily pigeonholed only by the most ardent ideologues.

In closing I say only that Obama may have won my heart, but it is Senator Clinton who has captured my mind, my intellect, my reason. And it is she for whom I will cast my primary vote.