Many of us in our right mind would say..."NO". "No Way", "Are You Stupid?" and "What the F#*% You Think"? "It's the Economy Stupid", as Bill Clinton would chime... Ronald Reagan might say, "Are you better off today than you were Yesterday?" Well, I would guess the answer is quite clear. The Republicans have gotten us into this mess. It will take Obama to get us out.
Let's look at the Republican results over the last 8 years.
First of all the hot issue is gas prices. The Republicans have pushed us more towards demand side and increased our demand of foreign oil from 40+% to 60+% during the Bush Administration. As stated by Cynthia Tucker, AJC, and according to The New York Times; "A consortium of Western oil companies is on the verge of receiving no-bid contracts in Iraq, giving them access to one of the most sought-after prizes in the petroleum industry." Say it ain't so George.
Sen. Chamblis for his part,...Staunch supporter of the Bush Administration and blind supporter of the Republican Agenda, has stated that the Democrats are to blame for 8 years of incompetency. I thought for 6 years the Republic Party was in charge and controlled the Congressional Agenda? Not to say they had a Republican President. It seems to me that those in charge make the laws. He talks about what he has co-sponsored, but it seems to me that no one wants to hear what he has to say because it is rooted in partisan bologna. Increasing domestic production is not the best solution...A more comprehensive approach; promoting alternative energy and fully funding legislation in Congress, (held hostage by Republicans), would have a more significant impact along with our declining demand. So when the good Senator says, "So the next time you fill your tank, thank a Democrat for the high gas prices." Say at the same time, "That's Why I will Vote Democrat In November".
Now let's look at how like the levees that were breached by Katrina the Republicans have breached the trust and support of the people. When you look at this disaster...The Plundering of America's World Standing and Future..., the enormity of misguided and misinformed policy concoctions devised to sidestep the public trust is now impossible to conceal. Big budget surpluses from the Clinton era have turned into big debt; a nation that was at peace is fighting two nightmarish wars and could be plunged into a third; denial of climate change has put the planet in peril; stable energy prices have given way to skyrocketing prices at the gas pump; real household incomes have shrunk amid an economic expansion; and a United States at the pinnacle of global power and respect is held in nearly universal contempt and disrespect. Little wonder that pessimism prevails and people yearn for change. Hey,... America,...Are You Better Off?
So when you are asked who are you supporting for President...the smart bet should be Obama '08.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
A Good Reason to Vote Obama '08
John McCain: Another Republican Empty Suit
by Stroszek
Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 07:01:43 AM PDT
Time after time, we see Republican operatives, pundits in the media, and internet commenters attack Obama for "not standing for anything" and "having no positions." For those of us who can type "www.barackobama.com" and then click on the big button that says "issues," these statements are an obvious, self-inflicted designation of ignorance. To this end, the accusations don't bother me, as they only indicate that these people continue to underestimate the Democratic nominee. However, what does bother me is this almost universally accepted notion that, by contrast, John McCain is somehow the candidate of substance and detail. On the basis of outdated rhetoric about Barack Obama, it's just assumed that McCain is all about policy proposals, a studious wonk opposed to the empty suit's lofty rhetoric. But for anyone who can type "www.johnmccain.com" and click on the button that says "issues," it's obvious that nothing could be further from the truth.
· Stroszek's diary :: ::
·
This is a perennial bias that all Democratic nominees face. Despite all their detailed proposals, none of them "stand for anything." This is not because they actually lack policy proposals. Rather, it's a side-effect of the media's complete refusal to address policy that can't be summed up in terms of the same shallow, rigid ideologies that have defined our political discourse since the beginning of the century. This finds expression in the media's recent failure to correct McCain's frequent assertion that Senator Obama wants to raise taxes on the middle class. It doesn't matter that this claim is untrue, all that matters is that they know Republicans cut taxes while Democrats raise them. If anyone tries to step outside the parameters of the old ideologies, then the media just assumes that they don't really have anything to say.
So in the media, "empty suit" becomes pejorative code for "pragmatist," and "substance" gets conflated with "ideology." Nevermind that the discredited mantra of "cut taxes, no surrender" does not constitute a solution for the problems we face, John McCain says it in grave and serious tones, therefore he must be able to back it up with equally grave and serious proposals. Well, let's test that thesis.
Where Obama's web site boasts a 12 page document on the subject of energy independence alone, McCain simply offers three short paragraphs that outline a vague perspective:
John McCain Will Help Americans Hurting From High Gasoline And Food Costs. Americans need relief right now from high gas prices. John McCain will act immediately to reduce the pain of high gas prices.
John McCain Believes We Should Institute A Summer Gas Tax Holiday. Hard-working American families are suffering from higher gasoline prices. John McCain calls on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
John McCain Will Stop Filling The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) To Reduce Demand. International demand for oil is bolstered by federal purchases for the SPR. There is no reason to fill it when oil is so expensive; the overall SPR is of adequate size, and when it places further upward pressure on prices.
So John MCCain will "help Americans hurting from high gasoline and food costs." Well, I would hope so, but the two short paragraphs that follow hardly articulate any sort of long-term solution. They will, at best, slow rising gas costs, but slowing is not enough. The current gas prices are already causing harm. The gas prices from six months ago were already causing harm. How does slowing the progression of an existing problem actually solve the problem?
What about other economic issues? Obama's site offers a 48 page PDF dedicated to issues concerning the middle class. He also has separate sections that focus specifically on fiscal responsibility, poverty, rural development, urban policy, and transportion.
McCain offers a little over 2,000 words, about the length of a short answer essay for Poli-Sci 101.
How about education? Obama has a 15 page document on PreK-to-12 education and a separate document on college affordability.
McCain has a page that consists of a few general statements of principle with no specific proposals beyond extending what George W. Bush has already done.
What about Iraq, allegedly McCain's big issue? He has a page, and again, it's mostly just a restatement of his ideological perspective. One of his proposals is, in fact, to "level with the American people." OK John, then level, but don't expect us to accept things like this:
More progress is necessary. The government must improve its ability to serve all Iraqis. A key test for the Iraqi government will be finding jobs in the security services and the civilian sector for the "Sons of Iraq" who have risked so much to battle terrorists.
Iraq will conduct two landmark elections in the near future – one for provincial governments in late 2008 and the other for the national government in 2009. John McCain believes we should welcome a larger United Nations role in supporting the elections. The key condition for successful elections is for American troops to continue to work with brave Iraqis to allow the voting to take place in relative freedom and security. Iraqis need to know that the U.S. will not abandon them, but will continue to press their politicians to show the necessary leadership to help develop their country.
as a coherent Iraq policy. That's what I call "wishful thinking," and if you think waiting for elections constitutes a strategy for success, you obviously haven't been paying attention for the past five years.
Obama, of course, supports gradual redeployment coupled with implementation of the Biden plan to federalize Iraq. His is an entirely new approach to the problem. McCain's "plan" can be summed up by Bush's 2004 mantra: "Stay the course."
In all the other sections, from Health Care to Veterans Issues, McCain doesn't fare much better. On substance, Obama clearly has him beat, so if there's an "empty suit" in this race, anyone with internet access would have to conclude that it's John McCain. All he offers is the same old mish-mash of paranoid post-Marxist ideologies, an incoherent mix of Goldwater anarchism and Ivy League neoconservatism. This might be fine for those whose greatest worry is an archaic set of fallacious slippery-slope arguments, but those of us living in the real world aren't worried about some hypothetical encroachment of European socialism. Sure, this all may give McCain a nice set of mantras and slogans, but as far as actual solutions for real world problems are concerned... this year's Republican platform comes up short.
Of course, if John McCain really wanted to "level with the American people," he would just go ahead and replace his web site's vague references to hypothetical policy proposals with this.
by Stroszek
Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 07:01:43 AM PDT
Time after time, we see Republican operatives, pundits in the media, and internet commenters attack Obama for "not standing for anything" and "having no positions." For those of us who can type "www.barackobama.com" and then click on the big button that says "issues," these statements are an obvious, self-inflicted designation of ignorance. To this end, the accusations don't bother me, as they only indicate that these people continue to underestimate the Democratic nominee. However, what does bother me is this almost universally accepted notion that, by contrast, John McCain is somehow the candidate of substance and detail. On the basis of outdated rhetoric about Barack Obama, it's just assumed that McCain is all about policy proposals, a studious wonk opposed to the empty suit's lofty rhetoric. But for anyone who can type "www.johnmccain.com" and click on the button that says "issues," it's obvious that nothing could be further from the truth.
· Stroszek's diary :: ::
·
This is a perennial bias that all Democratic nominees face. Despite all their detailed proposals, none of them "stand for anything." This is not because they actually lack policy proposals. Rather, it's a side-effect of the media's complete refusal to address policy that can't be summed up in terms of the same shallow, rigid ideologies that have defined our political discourse since the beginning of the century. This finds expression in the media's recent failure to correct McCain's frequent assertion that Senator Obama wants to raise taxes on the middle class. It doesn't matter that this claim is untrue, all that matters is that they know Republicans cut taxes while Democrats raise them. If anyone tries to step outside the parameters of the old ideologies, then the media just assumes that they don't really have anything to say.
So in the media, "empty suit" becomes pejorative code for "pragmatist," and "substance" gets conflated with "ideology." Nevermind that the discredited mantra of "cut taxes, no surrender" does not constitute a solution for the problems we face, John McCain says it in grave and serious tones, therefore he must be able to back it up with equally grave and serious proposals. Well, let's test that thesis.
Where Obama's web site boasts a 12 page document on the subject of energy independence alone, McCain simply offers three short paragraphs that outline a vague perspective:
John McCain Will Help Americans Hurting From High Gasoline And Food Costs. Americans need relief right now from high gas prices. John McCain will act immediately to reduce the pain of high gas prices.
John McCain Believes We Should Institute A Summer Gas Tax Holiday. Hard-working American families are suffering from higher gasoline prices. John McCain calls on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
John McCain Will Stop Filling The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) To Reduce Demand. International demand for oil is bolstered by federal purchases for the SPR. There is no reason to fill it when oil is so expensive; the overall SPR is of adequate size, and when it places further upward pressure on prices.
So John MCCain will "help Americans hurting from high gasoline and food costs." Well, I would hope so, but the two short paragraphs that follow hardly articulate any sort of long-term solution. They will, at best, slow rising gas costs, but slowing is not enough. The current gas prices are already causing harm. The gas prices from six months ago were already causing harm. How does slowing the progression of an existing problem actually solve the problem?
What about other economic issues? Obama's site offers a 48 page PDF dedicated to issues concerning the middle class. He also has separate sections that focus specifically on fiscal responsibility, poverty, rural development, urban policy, and transportion.
McCain offers a little over 2,000 words, about the length of a short answer essay for Poli-Sci 101.
How about education? Obama has a 15 page document on PreK-to-12 education and a separate document on college affordability.
McCain has a page that consists of a few general statements of principle with no specific proposals beyond extending what George W. Bush has already done.
What about Iraq, allegedly McCain's big issue? He has a page, and again, it's mostly just a restatement of his ideological perspective. One of his proposals is, in fact, to "level with the American people." OK John, then level, but don't expect us to accept things like this:
More progress is necessary. The government must improve its ability to serve all Iraqis. A key test for the Iraqi government will be finding jobs in the security services and the civilian sector for the "Sons of Iraq" who have risked so much to battle terrorists.
Iraq will conduct two landmark elections in the near future – one for provincial governments in late 2008 and the other for the national government in 2009. John McCain believes we should welcome a larger United Nations role in supporting the elections. The key condition for successful elections is for American troops to continue to work with brave Iraqis to allow the voting to take place in relative freedom and security. Iraqis need to know that the U.S. will not abandon them, but will continue to press their politicians to show the necessary leadership to help develop their country.
as a coherent Iraq policy. That's what I call "wishful thinking," and if you think waiting for elections constitutes a strategy for success, you obviously haven't been paying attention for the past five years.
Obama, of course, supports gradual redeployment coupled with implementation of the Biden plan to federalize Iraq. His is an entirely new approach to the problem. McCain's "plan" can be summed up by Bush's 2004 mantra: "Stay the course."
In all the other sections, from Health Care to Veterans Issues, McCain doesn't fare much better. On substance, Obama clearly has him beat, so if there's an "empty suit" in this race, anyone with internet access would have to conclude that it's John McCain. All he offers is the same old mish-mash of paranoid post-Marxist ideologies, an incoherent mix of Goldwater anarchism and Ivy League neoconservatism. This might be fine for those whose greatest worry is an archaic set of fallacious slippery-slope arguments, but those of us living in the real world aren't worried about some hypothetical encroachment of European socialism. Sure, this all may give McCain a nice set of mantras and slogans, but as far as actual solutions for real world problems are concerned... this year's Republican platform comes up short.
Of course, if John McCain really wanted to "level with the American people," he would just go ahead and replace his web site's vague references to hypothetical policy proposals with this.
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