John McCain, the leader I most liked in the Republican party (I've told this to many people over the years including Mom), has lost his honor in my eyes. A lot of my education has been in the math and sciences where, especially in math, there is often one solution to a particular problem, there's a correct answer that despite an effort to move variables from one side of the equal mark to another, the answer remains the same; there is a truth. Politics is certainly different, especially when you get into crafting policy where many viewpoint need to be considered, but most statements made can be tested against factual information.
The John McCain's campaign and the Republican party have built their 2008 platform on un-Christian like lies, distortions and character assassination. My interest in politics was sparked by the horrible attacks of 911. I was 100% behind President Bush (voted for him in 2000) through 911 and the Afghanistan war. Man, this country was some kind of united back then and it felt good. However, I started to question some of the claims in the run-up to the Iraq war. It was unclear to me as a regular guy that Saddam had a role in 911 or that he possessed WMD's. Our economy was shaky; Saddaam was contained and Osama Bin Laden/Al Queda were on the loose in Afgan. Several segments on 60 min began to indicate that much of the evidence that Saddam had WMD's were simple not true or cherry-picked while counter-facts were ignored. I've written several journal articles, and this just did not seem like the correct procedure to craft policy. The war started, and soon after, the conclusion was that Iraq had no WMD's. Wow, my President was not only totally wrong about a major decision made under the newly formed "Bush Doctrine" or pre-emptive war, but he used lies and deceit to push his agenda. There is overwhelming evidence now that our President was ready and eager to invade Iraq at least a year prior. Thus, two critics of Bush were born in Our household. I think it's clear now to most Americans that the foundation of the Bush Administration, one that is suppose to be built on honesty and openness, is about as firm as quicksand. John McCain, by using similar lies and decit, has decided to build his house on the same shaky foundation that could not support the Bush estate. Honor has always been a prideful characteristic of John McCain, but John, part of honor is speaking the truth, not flat out lies for political gain.
Politicians often stretch the truth by enhancing figures or their resume, but often grains of truth make these claims difficult to totally dismiss. Obama stretched the truth when he said that 95% of Americans would receive a tax break under his plan. Independent tax groups say that figure is more along the lines of 81% per factcheck.org. He pushed the comment made by McCain that he'd keep us in Iraq for 100 years. He's also used the the wealthy == 5 million a year comment made by McCain in a joke. However, these cannot be classified as out and out lies because they have a lot of truth. Obama will lower taxes on a super duper majority of Americans. John McCain did speak about a Korean style occupation of Iraq (~ 50 years in Korea) and the maintaining of bases in that country. McCain and the republican party do think that people making 250-600K a year is still middle class, and very much dislike any specific talk of what wealthy means.
Keep this thought of mine in the back of your head as you watch this election unfold. The Obama campaign is focused on the issues, mostly backed up by facts because this is how politics should work; this is how the game should be played. On the other hand, the Karl Rove strategy, which is now the blood of the Republican campaign methodology, is to tear down the other candidates integrity and divide people into distinct groups, then pit these groups against each other rather than play off the common threads that connect Americans. The common phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" applies here. Which campaign methodology is most honest and best for America?
Is the new John McCain strategy, which started when John hired Karl Roves protoge Steve Schmidt, one that reflects the values the Republican party? This new strategy started around the time of Obama's overseas trip. McCain made two claims that filtered through the American conciseness before they were termed flat out lies. The first lie was something to the effect that rather than visiting the troops in Afgan he went and played basketball. The second had to do with the cancellation of his visit with wounding troops in Germany. So, the common implication of these charges is that Obama does not support the troops, not to mention that the basketball part is a dogwhistle to whites that Obama is a basketball playing thug. McCain here is attacking Obama's patriotism, he's not focused on any policy differences he has with Obama. Again, personal attacks that nearly charge Obama on with treason.
After Obama's overseas trip the McCain campaign resumed the personal attack that still did not highlight the contrast of the candidates policies, but rip at the opponents character and love of America. The celebrity ad was a successful attempt to cast Obama as a pretty boy that talked nice, but had no substance. What you see here is an attempt to tear down Obama's intelligence and popularity, two characteristics we should strive to have in a leader. There are also some racial undertones here as many Americans do store in the back of their minds a sense that Blacks are not as intelligent as Whites, but can talk a good game. I'm not going to get into specific names, but there is a situation I've heard a lot about lately where a Black guy, who has a job probably because of affirmative action, is seen as all talk but no substance. It is clear that this ad weaves these threads in our consciousness using ingrained stereotypes. Again a direct attack from John McCain, not activist bloggers on the web, on character with no relationship to the real issues of the day.
Since the republican convention these personal attacks have become more apparent and the lies more clearly debunked by facts, and in at least a few cases an assault on Obama's character that is even more despicable. During this same time Obama has kept his campaign focused on the issues. When Obama attacks McCain, it's always on his support of the failed Bush policies.
1) The most despicable ad was released this week and aims at a bill Obama supported that would teach kids in elementary school about inappropriate touching. The FACTs are that something like every few minutes a kid is molested by a family member or child predator. From factcheck.org the assessment is that the claim is a pure LIE. McCain is trying to sear the conciseness of America that Obama wants to teach 5 year olds what sex is and how you have sex. How low can you go John?
Off Base on Sex Ed: A McCain-Palin campaign ad claims Obama's "one accomplishment" in the area of education was "legislation to teach 'comprehensive sex education' to kindergarteners." But the claim is simply false, and it dates back to Alan Keyes' failed race against Obama for an open Senate seat in 2004.
2) McCain and Palin repeated lies on the campaign trail include the two big parts of why Palin was chosen. Her supposed opposition to the "Bridge to Nowhere" and adversion to earmarks. Her reform image is just that, an image, not a reality. Finally this week, the facts have been made more well know that it was not until the bridge was deamonized in Congress that she pulled her support, and Alaska still took the money and used for other construction purposes. Also, Alaska recieves more earmark money per capita than any other state and that has not changed since she's been Gov. She also hired a Washington DC lobbyist when she was mayor and got something like 26 millions dollars for a town of 9,000. The are two facts that directly counter the claim that she's a reformer. Their trying to pull the wool over your eyes!
3) Taxes: McCain-Palin continue to look Americans in the eyes and say that Obama will raise your taxes. This is a complete lie, but at least it's focused on a real issue. If you want to know the truth that Obama will lower Gilliam taxes use this link: http://alchemytoday.com/obamataxcut/
4) Obama has never worked with Republicans on legislation. Well folks this is a complete lie that can be disproven by going to this link (www.fedspending.gov). He worked and passed the most stringent ethics reform in 20 years, since the freedom of information act. This makes all earmarks, contracts and other government spending transparent to all Americans, so they can make decisions about how their elected officials spend taxpayer money. See my previous blog for a number of other bills that Obama worked with Republicans on including many that were supported by John McCain. They are lying to you and liers cannot be trusted, especially after what took place under the Bush administration.
5) The diversion of Lipstick-gate. This is a new low in politics. Obama used a well-know and often used phrase by Republicans (John McCain's adviser wrote a book on the subject), when talking about John McCain's version of change that you can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig. How in the hell do you translate this quote, that John McCain used to describe Hillary Clinton's healthcare plan, to Obama calling Palin a pig? Again, Obama was truthfully speaking directly at John McCain's policies, but the Republican diversion moved us away from talking about the issues for two days.
Obama is running a issue's fact-based campaign while John McCain wants to run a personality campaign because the issues he supports have been proven failures under the Bush administration. McCain's campaign is executed completely by lobbyists and Rovian tricksters. One of the scariest members of his inter-circle is a guy named Phil Graham. Facts directly link Graham to two aspects of our failing economy, high energy prices and the mortgage meltdown. The legislation he supported and actually forced through congress, with his name on the bill, eliminated regulation of the morgage industry.
Later in his Senate career, Gramm spearheaded efforts to pass banking reform laws, including the landmark Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999, which served to reduce government regulations in existence since the Great Depression separating banking, insurance and brokerage activities.This basically lowered the bar on who could obtain mortgages and how much people could borrow and how these morgages are regulated. Why do you think everyone and their brother all the sudden in the early 2000's started buying huge homes that they could barely afford? The banks and lenders bundled these loans and sold them as investments. Man, what a great situation for Wall Street. People were making money hand over fist, but once the rates reset the people could not afford their payments, so these bundled loans that propagated throughout the financial markets rotted and weakened the structure of our economy. John McCain voted for this legislation and his top economic adviser was the sponsor. Do you trust this type of economic policy in the future?
The second critical policy that John McCain supported and Phil Graham pushed was what was called the Enron Loophole. This is another successful attempt at de-regulation, a cornerstone of the Republican platform. It basically opened the buying and selling of oil contracts by organization outside of those who actually purchase oil for refineries. It opened up energy markets that are a foundation of our economy to quick trades for money. Take a look at the graph below that chronicles the price of crude oil and you see that since this legislation was enacted around 200 the price of oil has skyrocketed. We all see this in the day-to-day fluctuation in gas prices that is much more commonplace nowdays than back in the 1990's. As much as 20-30% of the price of gas at the pump is due to speculation, so this has cost the average Americans thousands of dollars over the past 8 years. It's interesting that oil companies and Wall Street are the sectors living high-on-the-hog in the last 3-4 years while average Americans struggle.
Ok, let me get this straight. McCain's judgment cost American taxpayers billions of dollars in the 80's because of the Keeting-5 scandal. His poor judgment on the invasion of Iraq will cost as much as 2 trillion. His association with Graham and actual vote on the deregulation of the mortgage and energy sectors is directly responsible for high fuel prices and the failing economy, and he has the audacity to make this election about personalities and lipstick on a pig. As Obama stated, for the Republican's to constantly throw out false claim, lies and diversions then say they can CHANGE America for the better, they must think we're stupid!
