So, what are the candidates plans for the economy?
Yesterday, the McCain campaign put out another “economic recovery” plan, that appears to push policies that will not benefit the middle-class at all. In fact, in a deceptive move, McCain is slipping in a policy that the Republicans have been trying to pass for years with no success. John McCain is claiming that capitol gains taxes need to be cut in half to help the economy. What? Maybe you think that’s no big deal, because most people haven’t made any capitol gains this year? Well, for one, if anyone did make capitol gains this year, they are the very rich (maybe even some of the same people that contributed to this mess). And, two, the economy will recover, and this is just another tax break for the rich, this will not help the middle-class one bit…Unless, you are still buying the whole trickle down thing.
Here is Rachel Maddow on the recent history of the McCain Economic Policy.
Why Does The McCain Campaign Want To Convince You To Be Scared of Obama?
Is the McCain campaign having it’s cake and eating it too? Are they for or against calling Barack Obama a terrorist? Do they think the only way they can win, is to scare the voting public into thinking Obama is not a true American?
Did you ever wonder who started the rumors about Obama? If so, here is a very interesting article in the New York Times – The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama…
The most persistent falsehood about Senator Barack Obama’s background first hit in 2004 just two weeks after the Democratic convention speech that helped set him on the path to his presidential candidacy: “Obama is a Muslim who has concealed his religion.”
That statement, contained in a press release, spun a complex tale about the ancestry of Mr. Obama, who is Christian.
The press release was picked up by a conservative Web site, FreeRepublic.com, and spread steadily as others elaborated on its claims over the years in e-mail messages, Web sites and books. It continues to drive other false rumors about Mr. Obama’s background.
This one really takes the cake. I’m no theologian, and I won’t claim to know what God is thinking. But, I’m just going to take a wild guess here, and assume God doesn’t like this kind of thing very much.
Is this guy kidding? Did he just threaten God? When did this election become a war between the good Gods and the bad Gods? Personally…I think there are good people and bad people, not good Gods and bad Gods. What do you think?
Michelle Obama on Larry King Live. She responds to remarks made by Sarah Palin, that Barack Obama has “terrorist” connections. Michelle Obama talks about William “Bill” Ayers and how issues are more important to the people than the name-calling.
It doesn’t make much sense, and you might assume that because John McCain is the candidate who is a veteran himself, that his record on veterans’ benefits would be superior. But, you would be wrong. So, why is John McCain claiming to have an excellent voting record on veterans’ benefits and other veterans’ issues? I imagine, it’s for votes. He appears to be putting his campaign ahead of the welfare of veterans. What do you think?
In the first presidential debate a couple of weeks ago, John McCain boasted that he’s always been a champion for veterans. I’ll take care of them,” he said. “And they know I’ll take care of them.”
Unfortunately for McCain, facts keep getting in the way of the claim.
In recent years, McCain’s ratings from veterans’ groups have been less than impressive. The Vietnam Veterans of America, for example, recently compiled a list of key votes, and found McCain voted against the group’s position 15 times and with the group eight times. (Obama, in contrast, voted with the VVA 12 times, and against it only once.)
Here is a post-debate roundup on last night’s presidential debate. If you missed the debate, you can see the full video of presidential debate here. So, what did you think? Was there a winner? Did you like what you heard? Can one of these candidates fix our economy? What about our healthcare system? The war? Let me know what you think in comments.
Tonight’s Town Hall Debate, Latest Polls, and the Differences Between Obama and McCain.
This post will take a look at what to expect at tonight’s debate, the latest attempt to turn the election away from the economy, and links that can help you find out what candidate agrees with you on the issues.
I’ve had a crazy-making fortnight with a lot of stuff going on both at work and home, so I haven’t been posting as much. I wish I had written the post that was swirling around my head over the last week, so that this morning I could look like a wise and prescient cyberpundit. I knew that Sarah Palin would perform better than her Couric and Gibson interviews would suggest. I knew Joe Biden was unlikely to make one of his trademark gaffes. I guessed that Palin would appeal to those who like bright, shiny and pretty–packaged lines and zingers and “personal connection,” not wonkiness. I thought that Biden might look a little old and dusty next to the Republican’s “breath of fresh air” candidate, but I knew that once he demonstrated his vast knowlege of foreign policy and the economy, most viewers would remember that new ain’t better if there is no “there” there. So, last night’s debate turned out just like I thought. The veep candidates’ performances likely cemented opinions on both side. Joe Biden won, but the game remains unchanged.
About Sarah
Sorry, Joe, but no one was tuning in to see you last night. We’ve seen you debate like a gazillion times. Last night’s vice presidential debate was all about Sarah. Would her performance confirm fears about readiness stoked by refusals to talk to the press, and horrific stumbles during a handful of media outings? If you were really watching last night, you would say “yes.” But it seems even though conventional wisdom says Biden won, it also says Palin performed well.
Look, folks were never going to see the debate train wreck they hoped for. You don’t get to be a mayor or governor without political acumen and the ability to discuss issues. To believe that what we saw in the Couric and Gibson interviews is all there is to Sarah Palin is to believe that either the people of Alaska or Sarah Palin are nitwits. And that’s not the case. The problem with the Republican candidate for vice president, who likely acquits herself on local and state issues perfectly well, is that she is someone with no interest, knowledge or experience with national or international issues and her handlers are trying to stuff her full of talking points and factoids to disguise that fact. Last night, Sarah Palin appeared well media trained, but still unable to discuss the details behind the talking points.
Palin also appeared too cutesy by half. If you watched any of her Alaskan debates online, where she appeared sober and adult, then last night’s winking and “gosh darn it, Joe” was revealed for what it was–an attempt to win on moxie and charm, not substance. The superficiality of this act was never more clear than when Joe Biden choked up when referencing the accident that claimed his first wife and one child. It was a wrenching moment that left a lump in my throat. But Palin’s response was a chipper canned talking point about the McCain/Palin ticket’s maverickiness. Media training shouldn’t override natural instincts or voice. In that moment of the debate, talking points obscured Palin’s humanity and that’s not good.
Whose fault is it?
Sarah Palin’s public performances say less about her than they do about John McCain, who at a time of several national crises chose a running mate who has to cram for the role vice president like a college sophomore. It was the most cynical of moves: using a Republican woman (and not one of the many qualified ones) to attract disaffected Democratic women, who McCain reckons won’t notice his running mate’s beliefs, policies and lack of national and international knowledge, if she is folksy, charming and drives her kids to hockey practice just like them. McCain would put a vice president who is out of her depth a hair’s breadth from the presidency to win. Country first? Looks more like “me first.”
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