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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

 

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

Say Goodnight Sarah

Maybe Senator Joe Biden should bring a good cigar to Thursday’s debate. This way it will just look like an old Burns and Allen skit when non sequiturs and nonsense come flowing out of Governor Palin’s mouth, and everyone could just have a good laugh.

I was appalled, but not surprised when the latest episode of Katie Couric’s Palin interview was aired. Either Palin suffers from anomic aphasia, or she hasn’t read a Supreme Court opinion in her life. When Couric’s second question to Palin was for her to name another Supreme Court decision with which Palin disagreed, besides Roe v wade, Palin appeared stymied. She knew enough (sort of) to stay on topic and repeat the mantra of “States Rights” and Federalism, but as usual she lacked any knowledge of specifics. So the answer to Katie’s second question was a paraphrase of the answer that Palin had already given when answering the first question about Roe v Wade. When this was compared to Senator Biden’s answer to Couric’s question as to why Biden supported Roe v Wade, Palin’s lack of ability to express herself, as well as her general ignorance of major issues facing us, became even more painfully apparent.

So McCain expects us to believe that he puts Country first even after his stunningly inappropriate choice of a running mate. He is guilty of reckless grandstanding at its worst. Like suspending (give me a break!) his campaign. He injects election politics into the important discussion surrounding our current financial meltdown, contributes nothing, possibly motivates House republicans to reject the only viable offer on the table, blames Obama for politicising the process after delivering rhetoric which demanded Obama’s presence in Washington. Then he sits through the meeting, saying nothing except a few inconsequential remarks at the end of the meeting. Then he spends the next day on the phone even as his aides are proclaiming that Senator McCain didn’t “phone this one in”. Then we have the prematurely released ad declaring his victory in a debate that not only did not yet occur, but to which McCain had not even decided to attend; at least he hadn’t announced his intention to change his mind again.

Is this the person we want trying to solve the economic crisis? Is this the team that we want to represent us in dealings with Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia, al Qaeda, et al? If he tries one of his foolish stunts in conducting our foreign policies, what price will we ultimately pay? This is a very dangerous time for America, and we need our A team to deal with the myriad challenges of the 21st century. Instead we will have a desperate, geriatric narcissist and a bubble-headed beauty queen at the helm if, God forbid, they are elected.

So, putting country first, I can only hope someone asks Governor Palin to “Say goodnight, Sarah”. And since she was in (like) second grade when Biden was elected, she may fail to see the humor in her own reply, which will probably be ”Good night, Sarah”.

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