The current presidential campaign reminds me of a game I see played everyday on street corners. Three Card Monte is promoted as a game of chance, but is really is a confidence scam.
A dealer places three cards on a cardboard box, usually the Jack of Spades, the Jack of Clubs, and the Queen of Hearts. The Queen of Hearts is the winning card.
The dealer shows the Queen of Hearts to the audience, quickly rearranges the cards on the surface of the cardboard box, and asks members of the audience to place a bet and guess the location of the Queen of Hearts.
Find the Queen and you win the amount you bet. If you guess wrong, then you lose your money.
The crew operating the con game consists of the dealer, shills who are pretending to play in order to draw in innocent victims, a lookout to alert the crew of approaching law enforcement, maybe an enforcer to protect the crew from a disgruntled loser, a distraction to divert the attention of the victim, and the victim known as the mark.
The dealer sets up a make shift table, usually a cardboard box. He makes his pitch to pedestrians. A shill agrees to play. The shill may win to demonstrate how easy the game is. Other shills will become involved in the action, encouraging the game further.
A mark decides it is an easy game to win, and will place a bet. The dealer may allow the mark to win a few bets, while the shills encourage the mark to increase the amount of money being wagered. Once sufficient money is staked, the dealer will use sleight of hand tricks to fool the mark. Or the crew may use shills to distract the mark, for example, a couple starts to argue just as the pot has peaked. Eventually the mark loses the money.
In the context of our presidential campaign, the dealer is the Republican Party. The shills are the Mainstream Media and the Pundit class. The distraction is Governor Sarah Palin. Voters are the mark. The Queen of Hearts are the issues. This is how this con game works.
The Republicans want to win this election, more than any other. The Bush Administration did not undermine the Constitution, did not create an imperial presidency just to turn it over to the Democrats, especially Senator Barack Obama.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney will leave behind dirty secrets, some of them criminal. The Republicans cannot risk the possibility of investigations, for example war profiteering, initiated by President Obama. The Bush Administration needs time, at least four years, for the crimes of the current administration to fade away.
The Republican Party understands it cannot win this election on the issues. The majority of Americans, 80%, believe the country is on the wrong track.
In this instance, the dealer needs to distract the voters, or the mark. Selecting Governor Palin was a brilliant tactical move.
Governor Palin is unknown to the general public, but her profile is appealing, especially to the Republican base. She is the mother of five children. Her oldest son is about to deployed to Iraq. Governor Palin is a member of the National Rifle Association. She is pro-life. She is a self-described hockey mom. Voters connect with the profile.
In selecting an unknown vice presidential candidate, the Republican Party insured it would take weeks for the Mainstream Media to fully vet Governor Palin. While the media researched Governor Palin’s past, the Republicans defined the image of Governor Palin as a maverick, Washington outsider who will help Senator McCain change the corrupt political culture of Washington.
The Palin narrative included her opposition to earmarks such as the “Bridge to Nowhere,” selling the state plane on E Bay, and firing the chef – because having a chef cooking meals for her family at taxpayer expense was extravagant.
The Republicans will argue, with a straight face, that Governor Palin has national security experience because she is the Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard. In addition, Governor Palin has foreign policy experience because Alaska is next to Russia.
The public was already infatuated with Governor Palin by the time the media exposed the Palin narrative as a fraud. She did not sell the state plane on E Bay.
Governor Palin did not fire the chef. The chef was transferred to another job title, but continued to cook meals for the governor’s family.
At first, Governor Palin was in favor of the “Bridge to Nowhere,” but changed her position after the bridge became a source of embarrassment. And Governor Palin does not mention the fact she kept the money for the “Bridge to Nowhere.” She used the funds for other infrastructure projects in Alaska.
During her term as governor, Mrs. Palin did not deploy the Alaskan National Guard. In her interview with ABC News’ Charles Gibson, Governor Palin displayed a lack of knowledge in foreign affairs that would have derailed the career of any other political candidate.
But the tactic succeeded. The mark is not paying attention to the cards. Voters are paying attention to Governor Palin, the distraction.
Meanwhile, the dealer continues to move the cards, trying to conceal the Queen of Hearts from the voters. The election will be over by the time the mark makes an educated guess.
Where is Senator Obama and the Democratic Party in this con game. Mr. Obama is trying to warn the mark about the deception, but the shills, the Mediacracy and political pundits are drowning out the Democrats with background noise.
In the last 18 months, the Mainstream Media embraced the campaign narrative that Senator Obama was inexperienced, unknown, exotic, and risky.
Governor Palin is as inexperienced, unknown and risky as Mr. Obama, but the Mainstream Media is using a different standard with Governor Palin. She is a great story, the hockey mom who could be vice president.
The mark cannot hear the warnings because the shills have successfully drowned out the good Samaritans who are trying to interrupt the game.
Senator McCain’s judgment and positions are no longer issues in this presidential campaign. Instead, it is about people, who would the voters feel most comfortable with, the maverick POW and the hockey mom from Alaska, or the black couple from Chicago.
If you think issues matter in a presidential campaign, then remember George Bush and Dick Cheney defeated an incumbent party during a time of peace and prosperity.
Americans are placing their good faith in a Three Card Monte dealer who has its own agenda, and does the have the best interests of the country at heart. The mark is about to bet its future on random chance, but in games of chance the dealer usually wins, and the mark does not realize it’s been duped until the con game is over.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Deconstructing McCain
Senator John McCain proudly accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president. In his speech, Mr. McCain attempted to reintroduce himself to the public, and rationalize his candidacy.
It was the culmination of a long battle that started in the late 1990’s, was derailed by a smear campaign conducted by the campaign staff of current President Bush, and almost died prematurely last year as Senator McCain struggled to raise money, and convince a nation involved in two wars, and is in the mist of an economic catastrophe that the maverick had the answers to our problems.
It is unfair to pass judgment on Mr. McCain speech making ability. He is not an eloquent public speaker, and his inability to deliver a speech should not be held against him especially when he is running against one of the most eloquent speakers our country has ever produced – Senator Barack Obama.
Furthermore, Senator McCain has trouble reading from a teleprompter. This problem interferes with his ability to add emotion and build momentum during the speech. Mr. McCain would not be able to effectively convey the power of the Gettysburg address if he read it from a teleprompter. Delivering a speech is not his strength, therefore only the content of the speech will be evaluated.
The acceptance speech could be divided into three parts: the introduction, the middle, and the third act – the lessons he learned as a prisoner of war (POW).
The introduction was standard, thanking family and supporters. Mr. McCain welcomed Governor Palin to the ticket. Senator McCain warmly mentioned his opponent, “honoring Senator Obama and his supporters for their achievement.”[i]
In the third act, Mr. McCain spoke of the hardships he endured as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He was tortured for five years. It was poignant and sad.
Our government manufactured intelligence and lied to our country. We were at war against the Vietnamese people who at the time were not really a threat to the United States. History proved the infamous “Domino Theory” to be false, as well as every other rationalization for the war. Mr. McCain and thousands of other Vietnam War veterans suffered in vain over a mistake.
A good speech is not just eloquent, but is also well written. I will attempt to evaluate the middle part of the speech strictly using the text.
Mr. McCain deserves credit for admitting the Republican Party missed an opportunity when they controlled congress and the presidency. “We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us,” said Mr. McCain. “We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government…”[ii]
However, once in power, the Republican Party resembled a crime family. They took advantage of their position in government to divide the spoils – mostly at the taxpayer’s expense.
Unfortunately, Mr. McCain’s speech included falsehoods, and distortions.
Senator McCain called for increased bipartisanship. “I’ve worked with members of both parties to fix the problems that need to be fixed,” said Mr. McCain. “That’s how I will govern as president.”[iii]
Senator McCain said he would work with and include Democrats and independents in his administration. “Instead of rejecting good ideas because we didn’t think of them first, let’s use the best ideas from both sides. Instead of fighting over who gets the credit, let’s try sharing it.”[iv]
There can be no greater distortion than a Republican calling for bipartisanship. Senator McCain’s call for bipartisanship and mutual cooperation is disingenuous.
It reminded me Senator Clinton’s supporters demanding Senator Obama to select her as the vice presidential nominee for the sake of unifying the party, except that it was Senator Clinton who divided the Democratic Party during the primaries.
Rip Van Winkle would have been moved by Senator McCain’s call for unity and cooperation if he woke from his long nap on the final day of the Republican convention. Mr. McCain wants to unite a country that was divided by the Republican Party over the last 28 years. The Republicans have refused to cooperate with the Democrats.
The divisiveness started with Senator McCain’s political hero, President Ronald Reagan, who demonized liberals, practically associating them with communists. President Bush (The First) denigrated liberalism, mocking his opponent Mike Dukakis for being a member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organization devoted to protecting the Bill of Rights.
But current New York Times op Ed columnist William Kristol was the philosophical godfather of the current Republican ideological movement. In a zero sum game in which one party must win, and the other party must suffer a crushing defeat, Mr. Kristol believes “what matters most is offense, crushing your opponents, carrying the day.”[v]
Mr. Kristol opposed President Clinton on every policy matter except for NAFTA. According to Mr. Kristol, the goal of the Republican Party should not be to find common ground to produce solutions to the countries problems. Instead, the goal of the Republicans is to “Defeat the Democrats, no matter what the issue, no matter what the consequences.”[vi]
This philosophical tactic was used to defeat President Clinton’s health care plan. Passage of the Clinton health care plan in any form would be disastrous,” wrote Mr. Kristol in the Wall Street Journal. “There is no health care crisis.” According to Mr. Kristol, “If we are to negotiate with Democrats over health care reform, it must be on our terms, not theirs.”[vii]
For years, the Republican Party campaigned against welfare. President Reagan spoke of the mythical Welfare Queen who drove a Cadillac while receiving public benefits. Yet Mr. Kristol encouraged Republicans not cooperate with President Clinton’s plan to “end welfare as we know it.”[viii]
Mr. Kristol argued Republicans should not compromise with the president under any circumstances. “Republicans should not busy themselves seeking promising signs or areas of possible agreement in the president’s plan. Instead, we should make plain what this welfare proposal amounts to: marginal tinkering…,” wrote Mr. Kristol in a strategy memo.[ix]
Imagine that, Republicans against welfare reform. The Republicans call that a flip-flop.
In 2000, President Bush campaigned as a politician who had experience working with Democrats in the Texas legislature. In 2004, after defeating Senator Kerry in the presidential election, President Bush extended his hand to the defeated Democrats, indicating he would be willing to work with the opposition party – as long as they agreed with his policies. In his eight years as President, Mr. Bush has rarely practiced the art of bipartisanship.
In his acceptance speech, Senator McCain attributed his failing campaign to his support for the troop escalation in Iraq (The Surge). “I fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq when it wasn’t a popular thing to do. And when the pundits said my campaign was finished, I said I’d rather lose an election than see my country lose a war.”[x]
Furthermore, the line about preferring to lose an election instead of losing a war is a Republican Party talking point initiated by Senator McCain. The talking point was designed to question Senator Obama’s patriotism. Also, Mr. McCain argued Mr. Obama was more concerned with personal glory than winning the war on terror.
Mr. McCain was magnanimous and conciliatory towards his opponent in the first part of his acceptance speech. “A word to Senator Obama and his supporters. We’ll go at it over the next two months,” said Mr. McCain. “That’s the nature of these contests, and there are big differences between us. But you have my respect and admiration. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other.”[xi]
The tone of the speech changed from magnanimity and conciliatory to cheap politics in the span of eight paragraphs.
Mr. McCain’s campaign was not in trouble because he believed our military needed to increase troop levels in Iraq. This is false. Except for Ron Paul, all of the Republican candidates were in favor of the surge. In addition, the Democrats in the House and Senate caved in to President Bush’s demand for troop escalation.
It was his comprehensive immigration reform legislation, co sponsored with Senator Ted Kennedy that almost killed off his campaign. Mr. McCain changed his position on immigration, and would vote against a bill he authored.[xii]
Senator McCain abandoned bipartisanship during the current presidential campaign in order to salvage the nomination.
Senator McCain is a self-proclaimed maverick who speaks of putting the interests of the country first, but in this instance he placed personal ambition ahead of his principles.
Mr. McCain uttered a falsehood about Senator Obama’s tax proposals. He claimed Senator Obama will raise taxes. Even Fox News said Mr. McCain’s assertion is false. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Obama said he would lower the taxes of 95% of the people, and he would cut capital gains taxes.
Senator McCain boasted his health care plan “will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance.”[xiii]
According to Mr. McCain, Senator Obama’s health care plan “will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government-run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.”[xiv]
Mr. McCain’s health plan is flawed because he does not account for people with preexisting medical conditions obtaining health insurance, and he wants to maintain a system dependent on HMO’s. He said a bureaucrat will stand in the way of a patient and medical treatment, but an HMO currently stands in the way of a patient and medical treatment. HMO’s will make every effort to deny coverage.
Senator Obama’s health care plan is also flawed because he wants to include HMO’s in his plan. While Mr. Obama is willing to offer alternatives to Americans who cannot afford health insurance, I believe adopting a single payer, national heath insurance plan is the only way to solve the health care crisis. Simply stated, you go to the doctor, the government pays the bill.
Mr. McCain said Senator Obama voted for “corporate welfare bill for oil companies.” Not true. In 2005, Mr. Obama supported an energy bill that raised taxes on oil companies, “by about $300 million.” Furthermore, Senator Obama said he would remove tax breaks for oil companies.[xv]
Senator McCain, on the other hand, is in favor of reducing corporate taxes, including oil companies.[xvi]
Senator McCain’s energy policy is a not really new. He wants to construct 45 new nuclear power plants throughout the United States.[xvii] Mr. McCain wants to use antiquated technology to solve the energy and global climate change crisis.
Mr. McCain made another false statement regarding oil. “We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much,” said Mr. McCain.[xviii]
In fact, the United States spent $536 billion on foreign oil in 2007 to all exporting nations, with “32% of U.S. oil imports from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.”[xix]
Senator McCain was right when he said developing new energy technologies would “create millions of new jobs, many in industries that will be the engine of our future prosperity; jobs that will be there when your children enter the workforce.”[xx] Senator Obama made the same argument in his acceptance speech.
Republicans continually mock former Vice President Gore’s concerns for the environment. And the Republicans mock Senator Obama’s plan to solve global warming. In her acceptance speech on September 3rd, Governor Palin said of Mr. Obama, “What does he actually seek to accomplish after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet?”[xxi]
Shouldn’t Senator McCain be mocked and ridiculed for saying in his acceptance speech, “We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and restore the health of our planet.”[xxii]
Mr. McCain offered solutions to our problems. He promised eliminate earmarks, or pork barrel projects from the federal budget and would veto appropriation bills containing earmarks.
The budget deficit will be approximately $200 billion in 2009. Earmarks constitute $16.9 billion dollars of the federal budget.[xxiii] You cannot balance the federal budget by reducing expenses by 8.5%.
Senator McCain proposed changes in unemployment benefits. “Government assistance for unemployed workers was designed for the economy of the 1950s,” said Mr. McCain. “That’s going to change on my watch.”[xxiv] But he did not specify how.
Senator McCain offered a policy proposal that appears to be a federal program designed to subsidize the incomes of workers who lose their jobs, and forced to take lower paying new jobs. “For workers in industries that have been hard hit, we’ll help make up part of the difference in wages between their old job and a temporary, lower-paid one while they receive retraining that will help them find secure new employment at a decent wage.”[xxv]
Isn’t that a new social welfare program, and aren’t Republicans against using tax revenue to finance social welfare programs? Interesting how the media did not report the potential creation of a new federal social welfare program.
There was a part of Mr. McCain’s speech that I thought was odd. “We believe everyone has something to contribute,” said Mr. McCain, “and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendants arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers. We’re all God’s children and we’re all Americans.”[xxvi]
In a country as diverse as ours, Senator McCain could only mention the descendants from the Mayflower and immigrants from Latin America? What about the dreams of African Americans, Asians and Jews? Makes you wonder if he envisions a country made up of white people and their Latin servants.
If you read and study the text of the speech, you will realize it was not Senator McCain’s finest effort. The constant applause and watching Mr. McCain struggle with the teleprompter serve as a distraction.
The speech is not memorable because it does not contain a vision of where Mr. McCain intends to lead our country. Talking about change, about fighting for the good cause, about victory without specific proposals, making false and misleading statements is empty rhetoric.
[i] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[ii] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[iii] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[iv] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[v] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[vi] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[vii] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[viii] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[ix] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[x] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xi] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xii] “McCain Would Rather Lose an Election Than Win a War,” The Washington Post, September 6, 2008.
[xiii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xiv] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xv] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xvi] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xvii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xviii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xix] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xx] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xxi] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xxii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xxiii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xxiv] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xxv] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xxvi] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
It was the culmination of a long battle that started in the late 1990’s, was derailed by a smear campaign conducted by the campaign staff of current President Bush, and almost died prematurely last year as Senator McCain struggled to raise money, and convince a nation involved in two wars, and is in the mist of an economic catastrophe that the maverick had the answers to our problems.
It is unfair to pass judgment on Mr. McCain speech making ability. He is not an eloquent public speaker, and his inability to deliver a speech should not be held against him especially when he is running against one of the most eloquent speakers our country has ever produced – Senator Barack Obama.
Furthermore, Senator McCain has trouble reading from a teleprompter. This problem interferes with his ability to add emotion and build momentum during the speech. Mr. McCain would not be able to effectively convey the power of the Gettysburg address if he read it from a teleprompter. Delivering a speech is not his strength, therefore only the content of the speech will be evaluated.
The acceptance speech could be divided into three parts: the introduction, the middle, and the third act – the lessons he learned as a prisoner of war (POW).
The introduction was standard, thanking family and supporters. Mr. McCain welcomed Governor Palin to the ticket. Senator McCain warmly mentioned his opponent, “honoring Senator Obama and his supporters for their achievement.”[i]
In the third act, Mr. McCain spoke of the hardships he endured as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He was tortured for five years. It was poignant and sad.
Our government manufactured intelligence and lied to our country. We were at war against the Vietnamese people who at the time were not really a threat to the United States. History proved the infamous “Domino Theory” to be false, as well as every other rationalization for the war. Mr. McCain and thousands of other Vietnam War veterans suffered in vain over a mistake.
A good speech is not just eloquent, but is also well written. I will attempt to evaluate the middle part of the speech strictly using the text.
Mr. McCain deserves credit for admitting the Republican Party missed an opportunity when they controlled congress and the presidency. “We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us,” said Mr. McCain. “We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government…”[ii]
However, once in power, the Republican Party resembled a crime family. They took advantage of their position in government to divide the spoils – mostly at the taxpayer’s expense.
Unfortunately, Mr. McCain’s speech included falsehoods, and distortions.
Senator McCain called for increased bipartisanship. “I’ve worked with members of both parties to fix the problems that need to be fixed,” said Mr. McCain. “That’s how I will govern as president.”[iii]
Senator McCain said he would work with and include Democrats and independents in his administration. “Instead of rejecting good ideas because we didn’t think of them first, let’s use the best ideas from both sides. Instead of fighting over who gets the credit, let’s try sharing it.”[iv]
There can be no greater distortion than a Republican calling for bipartisanship. Senator McCain’s call for bipartisanship and mutual cooperation is disingenuous.
It reminded me Senator Clinton’s supporters demanding Senator Obama to select her as the vice presidential nominee for the sake of unifying the party, except that it was Senator Clinton who divided the Democratic Party during the primaries.
Rip Van Winkle would have been moved by Senator McCain’s call for unity and cooperation if he woke from his long nap on the final day of the Republican convention. Mr. McCain wants to unite a country that was divided by the Republican Party over the last 28 years. The Republicans have refused to cooperate with the Democrats.
The divisiveness started with Senator McCain’s political hero, President Ronald Reagan, who demonized liberals, practically associating them with communists. President Bush (The First) denigrated liberalism, mocking his opponent Mike Dukakis for being a member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organization devoted to protecting the Bill of Rights.
But current New York Times op Ed columnist William Kristol was the philosophical godfather of the current Republican ideological movement. In a zero sum game in which one party must win, and the other party must suffer a crushing defeat, Mr. Kristol believes “what matters most is offense, crushing your opponents, carrying the day.”[v]
Mr. Kristol opposed President Clinton on every policy matter except for NAFTA. According to Mr. Kristol, the goal of the Republican Party should not be to find common ground to produce solutions to the countries problems. Instead, the goal of the Republicans is to “Defeat the Democrats, no matter what the issue, no matter what the consequences.”[vi]
This philosophical tactic was used to defeat President Clinton’s health care plan. Passage of the Clinton health care plan in any form would be disastrous,” wrote Mr. Kristol in the Wall Street Journal. “There is no health care crisis.” According to Mr. Kristol, “If we are to negotiate with Democrats over health care reform, it must be on our terms, not theirs.”[vii]
For years, the Republican Party campaigned against welfare. President Reagan spoke of the mythical Welfare Queen who drove a Cadillac while receiving public benefits. Yet Mr. Kristol encouraged Republicans not cooperate with President Clinton’s plan to “end welfare as we know it.”[viii]
Mr. Kristol argued Republicans should not compromise with the president under any circumstances. “Republicans should not busy themselves seeking promising signs or areas of possible agreement in the president’s plan. Instead, we should make plain what this welfare proposal amounts to: marginal tinkering…,” wrote Mr. Kristol in a strategy memo.[ix]
Imagine that, Republicans against welfare reform. The Republicans call that a flip-flop.
In 2000, President Bush campaigned as a politician who had experience working with Democrats in the Texas legislature. In 2004, after defeating Senator Kerry in the presidential election, President Bush extended his hand to the defeated Democrats, indicating he would be willing to work with the opposition party – as long as they agreed with his policies. In his eight years as President, Mr. Bush has rarely practiced the art of bipartisanship.
In his acceptance speech, Senator McCain attributed his failing campaign to his support for the troop escalation in Iraq (The Surge). “I fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq when it wasn’t a popular thing to do. And when the pundits said my campaign was finished, I said I’d rather lose an election than see my country lose a war.”[x]
Furthermore, the line about preferring to lose an election instead of losing a war is a Republican Party talking point initiated by Senator McCain. The talking point was designed to question Senator Obama’s patriotism. Also, Mr. McCain argued Mr. Obama was more concerned with personal glory than winning the war on terror.
Mr. McCain was magnanimous and conciliatory towards his opponent in the first part of his acceptance speech. “A word to Senator Obama and his supporters. We’ll go at it over the next two months,” said Mr. McCain. “That’s the nature of these contests, and there are big differences between us. But you have my respect and admiration. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other.”[xi]
The tone of the speech changed from magnanimity and conciliatory to cheap politics in the span of eight paragraphs.
Mr. McCain’s campaign was not in trouble because he believed our military needed to increase troop levels in Iraq. This is false. Except for Ron Paul, all of the Republican candidates were in favor of the surge. In addition, the Democrats in the House and Senate caved in to President Bush’s demand for troop escalation.
It was his comprehensive immigration reform legislation, co sponsored with Senator Ted Kennedy that almost killed off his campaign. Mr. McCain changed his position on immigration, and would vote against a bill he authored.[xii]
Senator McCain abandoned bipartisanship during the current presidential campaign in order to salvage the nomination.
Senator McCain is a self-proclaimed maverick who speaks of putting the interests of the country first, but in this instance he placed personal ambition ahead of his principles.
Mr. McCain uttered a falsehood about Senator Obama’s tax proposals. He claimed Senator Obama will raise taxes. Even Fox News said Mr. McCain’s assertion is false. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Obama said he would lower the taxes of 95% of the people, and he would cut capital gains taxes.
Senator McCain boasted his health care plan “will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance.”[xiii]
According to Mr. McCain, Senator Obama’s health care plan “will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government-run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.”[xiv]
Mr. McCain’s health plan is flawed because he does not account for people with preexisting medical conditions obtaining health insurance, and he wants to maintain a system dependent on HMO’s. He said a bureaucrat will stand in the way of a patient and medical treatment, but an HMO currently stands in the way of a patient and medical treatment. HMO’s will make every effort to deny coverage.
Senator Obama’s health care plan is also flawed because he wants to include HMO’s in his plan. While Mr. Obama is willing to offer alternatives to Americans who cannot afford health insurance, I believe adopting a single payer, national heath insurance plan is the only way to solve the health care crisis. Simply stated, you go to the doctor, the government pays the bill.
Mr. McCain said Senator Obama voted for “corporate welfare bill for oil companies.” Not true. In 2005, Mr. Obama supported an energy bill that raised taxes on oil companies, “by about $300 million.” Furthermore, Senator Obama said he would remove tax breaks for oil companies.[xv]
Senator McCain, on the other hand, is in favor of reducing corporate taxes, including oil companies.[xvi]
Senator McCain’s energy policy is a not really new. He wants to construct 45 new nuclear power plants throughout the United States.[xvii] Mr. McCain wants to use antiquated technology to solve the energy and global climate change crisis.
Mr. McCain made another false statement regarding oil. “We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much,” said Mr. McCain.[xviii]
In fact, the United States spent $536 billion on foreign oil in 2007 to all exporting nations, with “32% of U.S. oil imports from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.”[xix]
Senator McCain was right when he said developing new energy technologies would “create millions of new jobs, many in industries that will be the engine of our future prosperity; jobs that will be there when your children enter the workforce.”[xx] Senator Obama made the same argument in his acceptance speech.
Republicans continually mock former Vice President Gore’s concerns for the environment. And the Republicans mock Senator Obama’s plan to solve global warming. In her acceptance speech on September 3rd, Governor Palin said of Mr. Obama, “What does he actually seek to accomplish after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet?”[xxi]
Shouldn’t Senator McCain be mocked and ridiculed for saying in his acceptance speech, “We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and restore the health of our planet.”[xxii]
Mr. McCain offered solutions to our problems. He promised eliminate earmarks, or pork barrel projects from the federal budget and would veto appropriation bills containing earmarks.
The budget deficit will be approximately $200 billion in 2009. Earmarks constitute $16.9 billion dollars of the federal budget.[xxiii] You cannot balance the federal budget by reducing expenses by 8.5%.
Senator McCain proposed changes in unemployment benefits. “Government assistance for unemployed workers was designed for the economy of the 1950s,” said Mr. McCain. “That’s going to change on my watch.”[xxiv] But he did not specify how.
Senator McCain offered a policy proposal that appears to be a federal program designed to subsidize the incomes of workers who lose their jobs, and forced to take lower paying new jobs. “For workers in industries that have been hard hit, we’ll help make up part of the difference in wages between their old job and a temporary, lower-paid one while they receive retraining that will help them find secure new employment at a decent wage.”[xxv]
Isn’t that a new social welfare program, and aren’t Republicans against using tax revenue to finance social welfare programs? Interesting how the media did not report the potential creation of a new federal social welfare program.
There was a part of Mr. McCain’s speech that I thought was odd. “We believe everyone has something to contribute,” said Mr. McCain, “and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendants arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers. We’re all God’s children and we’re all Americans.”[xxvi]
In a country as diverse as ours, Senator McCain could only mention the descendants from the Mayflower and immigrants from Latin America? What about the dreams of African Americans, Asians and Jews? Makes you wonder if he envisions a country made up of white people and their Latin servants.
If you read and study the text of the speech, you will realize it was not Senator McCain’s finest effort. The constant applause and watching Mr. McCain struggle with the teleprompter serve as a distraction.
The speech is not memorable because it does not contain a vision of where Mr. McCain intends to lead our country. Talking about change, about fighting for the good cause, about victory without specific proposals, making false and misleading statements is empty rhetoric.
[i] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[ii] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[iii] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[iv] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[v] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[vi] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[vii] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[viii] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[ix] Jon Meacham, “The GOP’s Master Strategist,” The Washington Monthly, September 1, 1994.
[x] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xi] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xii] “McCain Would Rather Lose an Election Than Win a War,” The Washington Post, September 6, 2008.
[xiii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xiv] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xv] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xvi] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xvii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xviii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xix] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xx] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xxi] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xxii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xxiii] “Fact Checking McCain,” FactCheck.org, September 5, 2008.
[xxiv] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xxv] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
[xxvi] Transcript: John McCain Speech, NPR, September 5, 2008.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Impaired Judgment
“If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament and judgment to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that’s a debate I’m ready to have,” said Senator Barack Obama during his landmark acceptance speech in front of 80,000 cheering supporters in Denver.[i]
The Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain, failed the first judgment test of the presidential campaign when he selected Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.
It could have been worse. Senator McCain could have asked Vice President Cheney to serve another four years.
It’s not like Senator McCain has not displayed poor judgment over and over again for the past seven years. During an interview on the David Letterman show in October 2001, Senator McCain implicated Saddam Hussein in the anthrax attacks.
Senator McCain supported President Bush’s preemptive war on Iraq, therefore he accepted President Bush’s premise that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, had an alliance with Al Qaeda, and was a threat to world peace.
In addition, the Arizona senator has repeatedly stated Iraq is the central front on the war on terror.
Actually, Iraq is not the central front on the war on terror. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are at the epicenter of the war on terror. Our government either refuses to acknowledge the threat, is appeasing Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, or is deliberately ignoring the threat.
During the summer, Senator McCain said, on more than one occasion, Iran is training Al Qaeda and sending them back into Iraq.
It is highly unlikely Iran is training Al Qaeda. Shiite rule Iran. Al Qaeda is a Wahhabi sect that believes Shiites are heretics, and heretics are supposed to be put to death according to the Wahhabi’s strict interpretation of Islam.
Senator McCain argues that off shore drilling will reduce gas prices, but experts agree that it will take ten years for oil to be ready for the market if off shore drilling started today.
Senator McCain’s latest judgment spasm was the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.
During the 2000 Republican presidential campaign, Senator McCain was asked if he would accept the nomination for vice president. According to Mr. McCain, “The vice president has two duties one is to inquire daily as to the health of the president and attend the funerals of third world dictators.”[ii]
Strictly using Senator McCain’s job description of the vice president, then Governor Palin is qualified to be his running mate. It is not beyond her abilities to ask President McCain, “How are you feeling today sir?” and attending funerals. Otherwise Governor Palin is not qualified to be the next vice president.
Governor Palin is not exactly sure what are the responsibilities of a vice president. In a July 31, 2008 interview she expressed apprehension about becoming a vice president. “What is it exactly that the vice president does every day?” she asked.[iii] She is politically active and was worried the vice presidency could be a demotion.
However, it is reassuring that Governor Palin has not been aware of Vice President Cheney’s excesses during the past eight years, and has not expressed delight in becoming the next subverter of the United States.
Governor Palin’s political resume is anorexically thin. Mrs. Palin served two terms in the Wasilla city council from 1992 to 1996, then served two terms as mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002. The current population of Wasilla, Alaska is 9,780, or approximately “one twentieth the size of Barack Obama’s Illinois state senate district.”[iv]
Mrs. Palin won the Alaska gubernatorial election in 2006. She has served less than two years in a state with the population of 670,000. In 1992, Republicans argued Governor Clinton was not qualified to be president because he was the governor of a small state. The population of Arkansas in 1990 was 2,350,725.
Governor Palin does not have the foreign policy experience to become president if Mr. McCain is physically or mentally unable to complete the presidential term.
Senator McCain, the Republican Party and the Mainstream Media have spent the last 18 months arguing Senator Barack Obama does not have the experience, or the qualifications to become the next president. The selection of Governor Palin nullifies that argument.
Senator McCain and the Republican Party argue Senator Obama is more of celebrity than a leader, going so far as to compare Mr. Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
Mr. McCain undermines the celebrity argument by selecting a contestant to beauty contest as his running mate. Mrs. Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest in 1984, and was second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant.
It’s like a focus group selected Governor Palin to be the vice presidential nominee. Conservatives and Christian evangelicals are suspicious of Senator McCain’s motives. Mrs. Palin is conservative, Christian, pro-life, opposes embryonic stem cell research, is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), does not believe pollution is the catalyst for global warming, is against adding polar bears to the list of endangered species, is in favor of drilling for oil in Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWAR), believes intelligent design should be taught in schools, and her children were home schooled. It does not hurt that she is an attractive woman with an attractive family.
Parenthetically, late night comedians will have fun with Senator McCain’s selection, but it would be unfair to dismiss her as a lightweight because of her appearance. Beauty does not equal stupidity. The debate should be about her qualifications, not her looks.
Although Republicans will no doubt in the future argue the Democrats are treating Governor Palin harshly because she is a beautiful woman.
Senator McCain and the Republican Party believe Governor Palin will pull angry Hillary Clinton supporters away from Senator Obama. The Democratic Party convention was picketed by the P.U.M.A’s (Party Unity My Ass).
However, Hillary Clinton supporters who despise Senator Obama were going to vote for Senator McCain regardless of his selection for vice president – including the PUMAS.
The Republicans will counter the inexperience argument by claiming Mrs. Palin’s 15 months experience as governor is more valuable than Senator Obama’s experience as a United States Senator. She has chief executive experience that Senator Obama does not have. Furthermore, Governor Palin is the Commander in Chief of Alaska’s National Guard.
A question the Mainstream Media will not ask is, “As governor of Alaska, how many times have you deployed the National Guard in Alaska, and what where the circumstances that led you to deploy the National Guard?”
The most absurd foreign policy argument in favor of Mrs. Palin is from Michael Barone who wrote, “Alaska is the only state with a border with Russia.”[v]
Another Republican talking point will be that Mrs. Palin is not that far removed from the lives of average Americans, her husband belongs to a union, and her family faces the same challenges other American families are forced to endure. Mrs. Palin has stronger connections to the average American.
The Republicans will argue Governor Palin is a maverick, like Senator McCain, who challenged the Republican establishment in Alaska, and will use her opposition to the “Bridge to Nowhere” as an example.
However, Governor Palin changed her position on the infamous earmark. In 2006, she was in favor of funding the “Bridge to Nowhere.” Responding to a questionnaire from The Anchorage Daily News, Mrs. Palin said, “I would like to see Alaska’s infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now — while our Congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.”[vi]
The Mainstream Media will play an important role in Senator McCain’s presidential campaign. Sometimes the media will portray Governor Palin favorably. Sometimes the media will echo the Republican’s talking points. What the Mainstream Media will not do is question or scrutinize Governor Palin experience, qualifications or record in Alaska.
The selection of Governor Palin was characterized as bold by the Mainstream Media. But Senator Obama is risky because he is inexperienced, and the country does not know him and may not feel comfortable with him.
Governor Tim Pawlenty was interviewed on Meet the Press. Tom Brokaw asked Governor Pawlenty if Mrs. Palin was as qualified as Senator McCain’s other potential choices for vice president, Mitt Romney, Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman. Governor Pawlenty did not answer the question. Instead, he said Governor Palin connects with the average American. Mr. Brokaw did not ask a follow up question, nor asked Governor Pawlenty why he did not answer the question.[vii]
During the same broadcast of Meet the Press, Maria Bartiromo of CNBC, one of the few journalists who actually interviewed Governor Palin, said Mrs. Palin was an energy expert. Energy is also a national security issue, therefore Governor Palin is well versed in energy and national security issues.[viii]
The Mainstream Media will be delighted in telling Governor Palin’s story. The media will not discuss her qualifications to be vice president. They will deflect attention to her story, the hockey – mom of five, her eldest son who is in the military and is about to go to Iraq on September 11, a woman who became pregnant in her early 40’s, was informed by her doctors that the baby would be born with Downs Syndrome, but decided to have the baby anyway, a woman who “went into labor and got on an airplane to go back to Alaska. That’s pretty cool,” said NBC analyst David Gregory. “I think there’s a lot of people, men and women, who are going to look at this story and say, ‘This is a compelling person. I want to take a new look at this ticket.”[ix]
The Mainstream Media will continue to reinforce the notion that Senator McCain is a maverick, and the selection of Governor Palin is proof of his maverickness.
By the way, I invented a new drinking game. Anyone who is interested in playing needs to buy a bottle of their favorite hard liquor. In fact, you might have to buy a jug of the stuff. Open the bottle, turn on the television, and select any political talk show. Take a shot every time a pundit or talking head says the word “maverick.” You should have an empty bottle by the end of the hour.
But if Senator McCain really wanted to prove he was a maverick, then he should have selected his first choice, Senator Joe Lieberman. Senator McCain let a focus group overrule his decision. This is just another example of Senator McCain caving in to the right wing of the Republican Party.[x]
In a previous article, I argued the selection of a vice president was important because voters would get an insight in the potential president’s judgment. Senator Obama selected Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. This decision tells me what type of candidate Barack Obama is.
During a Democratic presidential debate, Senator Biden was asked if Mr. Obama was ready to be president. Mr. Biden, with Senator Obama by his side, said no, he was not ready. Senator McCain liked the answer so much, he decided to use it in a negative advertisement against Senator Obama.
An individual with a different temperament, Senator McCain or Mayor Giuliani, would not have selected Mr. Biden as his running mate. Mr. McCain or Mr. Giuliani would have been insulted by Mr. Biden’s answer, and Senator Biden’s political career would have ended.
But Senator Obama displayed sound judgment and temperament. He understood Senator Biden strengthened the Democratic ticket. Mr. Obama did not allow a perceived slight to impair his judgment because Mr. Obama has a sense of security about himself. He is not afraid of what other people think about him because he possesses inner strength.
It is that sense of security, inner strength and good judgment that led him to the decision to grant Senator Clinton her own night at the Democratic convention to celebrate her accomplishments, to allow Senator Clinton’s name be placed in nomination, and give President Clinton his own night as well. The Clintons dominated the news for two nights, and it did not intimidate Senator Obama.
In selecting Governor Palin as his running mate, Senator McCain is insulting the political process. Mr. McCain chose someone who is not qualified to be President of the United States. Senator McCain is pandering to the right wing of the Republican Party, and to women in general.
Or maybe Senator McCain is deliberately selecting a candidate with no record in order to blunt the media’s vetting process. Governor Palin may be another Clarence Thomas. At the time, there were more qualified conservative African American jurists, but President Bush I selected the judge with the least experience. You can’t criticize what you don’t know.
“I know I’m older, and I’m going to choose somebody – the first important thing is that they be ready to be president,” said Mr. McCain.[xi]
Maybe Senator Obama was right about Mr. McCain. It’s not that he doesn’t care, “he doesn’t know…, and John McCain doesn’t get it.”[xii]
[i] Transcript Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech, New York Times, August 28, 2008.
[ii] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[iii] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[iv] Daniel Nasaw, “Just How Small is Wasilla, Alaska Anyway?” Guardian American, August 30, 2008.
[v] Michael Barone, “Palin Will Be Welcomed By Social and Economic Conservatives,” Washington Post, August 29, 2008.
[vi] David Kirkpatrick and Larry Rohter, “Account of a Bridge’s Death Slightly Exaggerated,” New York Times, September 1, 2008.
[vii] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[viii] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[ix] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[x] Elizabeth Bumiller and Michael Cooper, “Conservative Ire Pushed McCain From Lieberman,” August 31, 2008.
[xi] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[xii] Transcript Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech, New York Times, August 28, 2008.
The Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain, failed the first judgment test of the presidential campaign when he selected Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.
It could have been worse. Senator McCain could have asked Vice President Cheney to serve another four years.
It’s not like Senator McCain has not displayed poor judgment over and over again for the past seven years. During an interview on the David Letterman show in October 2001, Senator McCain implicated Saddam Hussein in the anthrax attacks.
Senator McCain supported President Bush’s preemptive war on Iraq, therefore he accepted President Bush’s premise that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, had an alliance with Al Qaeda, and was a threat to world peace.
In addition, the Arizona senator has repeatedly stated Iraq is the central front on the war on terror.
Actually, Iraq is not the central front on the war on terror. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are at the epicenter of the war on terror. Our government either refuses to acknowledge the threat, is appeasing Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, or is deliberately ignoring the threat.
During the summer, Senator McCain said, on more than one occasion, Iran is training Al Qaeda and sending them back into Iraq.
It is highly unlikely Iran is training Al Qaeda. Shiite rule Iran. Al Qaeda is a Wahhabi sect that believes Shiites are heretics, and heretics are supposed to be put to death according to the Wahhabi’s strict interpretation of Islam.
Senator McCain argues that off shore drilling will reduce gas prices, but experts agree that it will take ten years for oil to be ready for the market if off shore drilling started today.
Senator McCain’s latest judgment spasm was the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.
During the 2000 Republican presidential campaign, Senator McCain was asked if he would accept the nomination for vice president. According to Mr. McCain, “The vice president has two duties one is to inquire daily as to the health of the president and attend the funerals of third world dictators.”[ii]
Strictly using Senator McCain’s job description of the vice president, then Governor Palin is qualified to be his running mate. It is not beyond her abilities to ask President McCain, “How are you feeling today sir?” and attending funerals. Otherwise Governor Palin is not qualified to be the next vice president.
Governor Palin is not exactly sure what are the responsibilities of a vice president. In a July 31, 2008 interview she expressed apprehension about becoming a vice president. “What is it exactly that the vice president does every day?” she asked.[iii] She is politically active and was worried the vice presidency could be a demotion.
However, it is reassuring that Governor Palin has not been aware of Vice President Cheney’s excesses during the past eight years, and has not expressed delight in becoming the next subverter of the United States.
Governor Palin’s political resume is anorexically thin. Mrs. Palin served two terms in the Wasilla city council from 1992 to 1996, then served two terms as mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002. The current population of Wasilla, Alaska is 9,780, or approximately “one twentieth the size of Barack Obama’s Illinois state senate district.”[iv]
Mrs. Palin won the Alaska gubernatorial election in 2006. She has served less than two years in a state with the population of 670,000. In 1992, Republicans argued Governor Clinton was not qualified to be president because he was the governor of a small state. The population of Arkansas in 1990 was 2,350,725.
Governor Palin does not have the foreign policy experience to become president if Mr. McCain is physically or mentally unable to complete the presidential term.
Senator McCain, the Republican Party and the Mainstream Media have spent the last 18 months arguing Senator Barack Obama does not have the experience, or the qualifications to become the next president. The selection of Governor Palin nullifies that argument.
Senator McCain and the Republican Party argue Senator Obama is more of celebrity than a leader, going so far as to compare Mr. Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
Mr. McCain undermines the celebrity argument by selecting a contestant to beauty contest as his running mate. Mrs. Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest in 1984, and was second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant.
It’s like a focus group selected Governor Palin to be the vice presidential nominee. Conservatives and Christian evangelicals are suspicious of Senator McCain’s motives. Mrs. Palin is conservative, Christian, pro-life, opposes embryonic stem cell research, is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), does not believe pollution is the catalyst for global warming, is against adding polar bears to the list of endangered species, is in favor of drilling for oil in Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWAR), believes intelligent design should be taught in schools, and her children were home schooled. It does not hurt that she is an attractive woman with an attractive family.
Parenthetically, late night comedians will have fun with Senator McCain’s selection, but it would be unfair to dismiss her as a lightweight because of her appearance. Beauty does not equal stupidity. The debate should be about her qualifications, not her looks.
Although Republicans will no doubt in the future argue the Democrats are treating Governor Palin harshly because she is a beautiful woman.
Senator McCain and the Republican Party believe Governor Palin will pull angry Hillary Clinton supporters away from Senator Obama. The Democratic Party convention was picketed by the P.U.M.A’s (Party Unity My Ass).
However, Hillary Clinton supporters who despise Senator Obama were going to vote for Senator McCain regardless of his selection for vice president – including the PUMAS.
The Republicans will counter the inexperience argument by claiming Mrs. Palin’s 15 months experience as governor is more valuable than Senator Obama’s experience as a United States Senator. She has chief executive experience that Senator Obama does not have. Furthermore, Governor Palin is the Commander in Chief of Alaska’s National Guard.
A question the Mainstream Media will not ask is, “As governor of Alaska, how many times have you deployed the National Guard in Alaska, and what where the circumstances that led you to deploy the National Guard?”
The most absurd foreign policy argument in favor of Mrs. Palin is from Michael Barone who wrote, “Alaska is the only state with a border with Russia.”[v]
Another Republican talking point will be that Mrs. Palin is not that far removed from the lives of average Americans, her husband belongs to a union, and her family faces the same challenges other American families are forced to endure. Mrs. Palin has stronger connections to the average American.
The Republicans will argue Governor Palin is a maverick, like Senator McCain, who challenged the Republican establishment in Alaska, and will use her opposition to the “Bridge to Nowhere” as an example.
However, Governor Palin changed her position on the infamous earmark. In 2006, she was in favor of funding the “Bridge to Nowhere.” Responding to a questionnaire from The Anchorage Daily News, Mrs. Palin said, “I would like to see Alaska’s infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now — while our Congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.”[vi]
The Mainstream Media will play an important role in Senator McCain’s presidential campaign. Sometimes the media will portray Governor Palin favorably. Sometimes the media will echo the Republican’s talking points. What the Mainstream Media will not do is question or scrutinize Governor Palin experience, qualifications or record in Alaska.
The selection of Governor Palin was characterized as bold by the Mainstream Media. But Senator Obama is risky because he is inexperienced, and the country does not know him and may not feel comfortable with him.
Governor Tim Pawlenty was interviewed on Meet the Press. Tom Brokaw asked Governor Pawlenty if Mrs. Palin was as qualified as Senator McCain’s other potential choices for vice president, Mitt Romney, Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman. Governor Pawlenty did not answer the question. Instead, he said Governor Palin connects with the average American. Mr. Brokaw did not ask a follow up question, nor asked Governor Pawlenty why he did not answer the question.[vii]
During the same broadcast of Meet the Press, Maria Bartiromo of CNBC, one of the few journalists who actually interviewed Governor Palin, said Mrs. Palin was an energy expert. Energy is also a national security issue, therefore Governor Palin is well versed in energy and national security issues.[viii]
The Mainstream Media will be delighted in telling Governor Palin’s story. The media will not discuss her qualifications to be vice president. They will deflect attention to her story, the hockey – mom of five, her eldest son who is in the military and is about to go to Iraq on September 11, a woman who became pregnant in her early 40’s, was informed by her doctors that the baby would be born with Downs Syndrome, but decided to have the baby anyway, a woman who “went into labor and got on an airplane to go back to Alaska. That’s pretty cool,” said NBC analyst David Gregory. “I think there’s a lot of people, men and women, who are going to look at this story and say, ‘This is a compelling person. I want to take a new look at this ticket.”[ix]
The Mainstream Media will continue to reinforce the notion that Senator McCain is a maverick, and the selection of Governor Palin is proof of his maverickness.
By the way, I invented a new drinking game. Anyone who is interested in playing needs to buy a bottle of their favorite hard liquor. In fact, you might have to buy a jug of the stuff. Open the bottle, turn on the television, and select any political talk show. Take a shot every time a pundit or talking head says the word “maverick.” You should have an empty bottle by the end of the hour.
But if Senator McCain really wanted to prove he was a maverick, then he should have selected his first choice, Senator Joe Lieberman. Senator McCain let a focus group overrule his decision. This is just another example of Senator McCain caving in to the right wing of the Republican Party.[x]
In a previous article, I argued the selection of a vice president was important because voters would get an insight in the potential president’s judgment. Senator Obama selected Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. This decision tells me what type of candidate Barack Obama is.
During a Democratic presidential debate, Senator Biden was asked if Mr. Obama was ready to be president. Mr. Biden, with Senator Obama by his side, said no, he was not ready. Senator McCain liked the answer so much, he decided to use it in a negative advertisement against Senator Obama.
An individual with a different temperament, Senator McCain or Mayor Giuliani, would not have selected Mr. Biden as his running mate. Mr. McCain or Mr. Giuliani would have been insulted by Mr. Biden’s answer, and Senator Biden’s political career would have ended.
But Senator Obama displayed sound judgment and temperament. He understood Senator Biden strengthened the Democratic ticket. Mr. Obama did not allow a perceived slight to impair his judgment because Mr. Obama has a sense of security about himself. He is not afraid of what other people think about him because he possesses inner strength.
It is that sense of security, inner strength and good judgment that led him to the decision to grant Senator Clinton her own night at the Democratic convention to celebrate her accomplishments, to allow Senator Clinton’s name be placed in nomination, and give President Clinton his own night as well. The Clintons dominated the news for two nights, and it did not intimidate Senator Obama.
In selecting Governor Palin as his running mate, Senator McCain is insulting the political process. Mr. McCain chose someone who is not qualified to be President of the United States. Senator McCain is pandering to the right wing of the Republican Party, and to women in general.
Or maybe Senator McCain is deliberately selecting a candidate with no record in order to blunt the media’s vetting process. Governor Palin may be another Clarence Thomas. At the time, there were more qualified conservative African American jurists, but President Bush I selected the judge with the least experience. You can’t criticize what you don’t know.
“I know I’m older, and I’m going to choose somebody – the first important thing is that they be ready to be president,” said Mr. McCain.[xi]
Maybe Senator Obama was right about Mr. McCain. It’s not that he doesn’t care, “he doesn’t know…, and John McCain doesn’t get it.”[xii]
[i] Transcript Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech, New York Times, August 28, 2008.
[ii] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[iii] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[iv] Daniel Nasaw, “Just How Small is Wasilla, Alaska Anyway?” Guardian American, August 30, 2008.
[v] Michael Barone, “Palin Will Be Welcomed By Social and Economic Conservatives,” Washington Post, August 29, 2008.
[vi] David Kirkpatrick and Larry Rohter, “Account of a Bridge’s Death Slightly Exaggerated,” New York Times, September 1, 2008.
[vii] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[viii] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[ix] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[x] Elizabeth Bumiller and Michael Cooper, “Conservative Ire Pushed McCain From Lieberman,” August 31, 2008.
[xi] Meet the Press, August 31, 2008.
[xii] Transcript Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech, New York Times, August 28, 2008.
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