McCain takes united GOP forward promising change, offering few details
Dante Chinni
Posted: 09.05.2008 / 4:54 AM PDT
St. Paul, Minn. - When the confetti and balloons were done falling, it seemed Sen. John McCain had gotten one very good thing out of the convention here - a united party. The faithful, many of whom were not enthused about Senator McCain when he secured the nomination, were energized.
Many delegates here said they are enthused about the ticket of McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and are ready to work hard for it. And throughout the three full days of the convention, the crowd here was pumped and loud.
McCain’s speech Thursday night was not as exciting or forceful as his running mate’s the night before, but the crowd here went away happy.
McCain, as advertised, did talk about change. He talked about taking on federal earmarks and pork-barrel spending and he specifically took on the GOP for losing its way.
“We’re going to change that. We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire,” he said. “The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan is going to get back to basics.”
But specific policy proposals, particularly those concerning the economy or how McCain would be different from President Bush, were in short supply.
McCain’s strongest moments in the speech, the ones that got the biggest applause in the hall and where he became the most animated, were about patriotism and being an American. His “stand up” flourish at the end might have been the best example.
“Stand up to defend our country from its enemies,” he said, as the crowd cheered. “Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America. Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.”
Throughout the three-plus days here patriotism was a big theme - bigger than the economy or any other issue. “Country First” was the phrase that was repeated over and over.
One thing is clear coming out of the Twin Cities: People have been introduced to McCain - especially his time as a prisoner of war. Every night of the convention featured a bio segment on the candidate. On Thursday his wife gave another lengthy, more personal biographic introduction before another video introduction.
The point seemed to be that McCain believes in serving a larger cause - he did it on the battlefield, he has in Washington, and he will as president. And the emphasis on his biography may help McCain with voters. It’s hard to see how it could hurt him.
In our Patchwork Nation communities, however, no one has ever questioned whether McCain is an American hero. Those who are skeptical of McCain are skeptical for other reasons. They want to get a better idea of what he wants to do.
The top issue for our communities is the economy and it is an issue the Republicans did not address directly here. They talked about Sen. Barack Obama and how they believed he would raise taxes. (Senator Obama maintains he will cut them for 95 percent of American households.) But Republicans offered no real economic policy roadmap for a McCain administration.
That may hurt McCain with moderates and swing voters.
The Arizona senator may be able to capitalize on energy independence, a big theme at the convention, as a critical economic issue. Gas prices are a big issue in all of our 11 community types, particularly in the swing “Boom Towns,” many of which are more distant exburbs that are coping with long commutes and rapid growth.
As for “change,” the amorphous and ubiquitous issue of 2008, McCain’s plans to change the GOP are probably welcome news to many of our community types. But the bar for being a “change candidate” is higher for McCain, as the nominee of the party of an unpopular president.
Throughout the year, our communities have told us that McCain’s experience is his strength. He probably won’t want to drop it as a line of attack on Obama. But merging it with “change” over the next two months may not be an easy task.
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September 5th, 2008 at 5:37 am PDT
What’s that you say? McCain was a POW? Really? News to me.
But tell me, where in his support for GWB’s policies is all this change he talked about? THAT’S what I would have liked to have heard…
September 5th, 2008 at 5:47 am PDT
What exactly does qualify you to be president? I truly believe McCain/Palin are going to do exactly as they have shown in the past, fight corruption and fiscal irresponsibility. They have both demonstrated that they are willing to go against the grain and NOT play (or try to please their party)it safe when it comes to wrangling spending. The democratic ticket sounds nice, but I have yet to hear any real meat in there story and surely does not have the history to back his words, in fact his record within legislature has contradicted what he says now.
September 5th, 2008 at 6:06 am PDT
You have GOT TO be kidding!!!! Women are not plug and play interchangeable parts. Has the world gone stark raving mad???
We are NOT stupid. There are REAL issues at stake. After 30 years I lost my Job to a movement off shore. It’s easier to pay someone in India 1/10 of what they paid me.
As a unemployed single mom the IRS does not see that as a hardship, so when I used my 401k to support myself I was penalized and now have a Huge tax bill.
I have done some independent contracts and health care is a huge issue. McCain’s tax rebate of $5,000 is ridiculous. An individual has no power with the insurance companies; power comes with huge groups like corporations.
There are serious issues at stake in this election and we are being played.
Tax breaks for companies that send our jobs off-shore??? Insane!!!. Tax rebate to competitively buy health care??? Ridiculous!!!!
Get a clue. One day this could be you!!
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September 5th, 2008 at 6:30 am PDT
It is sad that we are down to these 4 individuals as a choice. Costs keep rising and the fact is, the 4 people in this race except for possibly Palin are not impacted since they are so wealthy.
I can’t see voting for Obama based on his lack of experience and all we have is “promises” and no substance (as usual).
Guess I will have to vote for myself. I am all I can count on these days.
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September 5th, 2008 at 6:58 am PDT
I didn’t care that McCain was 72 or had cancer *4 times* until he named an ex-beauty queen mother of 5 (1 with Down’s Syndrome) to be his potential successor. Malignant melanoma is aggressive and potentially deadly, the most invasive and dangerous form of skin cancer.
What was he thinking?!?
Of course McCain is a hero. But I can’t trust our country to a small town mayor who’s got enough to worry about just w/her special needs baby & teenage daughter’s pregnancy. There’s just too much at stake!
September 5th, 2008 at 7:01 am PDT
McCain/Palin made a good showing. However, the Republican Party, under the leadership of Bush/Cheney has used all its credibility. You have to watch what they do not what they say. McCain demonstrated admirable characteristics while a prisoner of war but was near the bottom of his graduating class and crashed at least two planes while learning to fly. He is the product of a military family who has put him where he is today, much like President Bush. Palin is to be admired for her accomplishments as Governor of Alaska and mother of 5 kids. However, her record for support and appreciation of education is very weak. They have 2 months to show they are more than talk but as it stands today comparing their records with those of Obama/Biden … I support Obama/Biden.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:17 am PDT
The GOP has held the White House 28 of the last 40 years, including the last 8; nominated seven of the nine Supreme Court justices and held Congress for 12 of the last 14 years, including 6 of the last 8.
And the current problems are the Democrats and Liberals fault??
McCain’s right about one thing. It’s time for the electorate to put America First - - it’s time for people to put America before Party.
If the GOP has controlled the Government, and has implemented GOP philosophies, as they have for the past 30+ years, and the result is what we’re seeing, doesn’t it make sense that those policies, that form of Government doesn’t work?
Yet, all we get from the GOP, is it’s the Dems fault… it’s the Media’s fault… trust us.
Remember, despite what the GOP’s Revisionist History wants you to believe, we’re seeing the same National huge Debt, Deficit, etc, as we saw after Reagan did his thing.
It doesn’t work for regular people. Trickle-down doesn’t work. People who get all the tax breaks & subsidies keep it… they don’t share it.
For the US economy to work, it has to trickle-up.
If regular people have money, they spend it. The wealthy, they spend the same amount, no matter what the economy is doing… the rest they re-invest.
Stop being played by the GOP. They don’t know how to govern, and their policies don’t work. All you need as evidence, is the current state of our Country, and the World.
The GOP is a one-trick elephant - - they know how to play the Media, and the People. But once in office… you now see the result.
The GOP has held the White House 28 of the last 40 years, including the last 8; nominated seven of the nine Supreme Court justices and held Congress for 12 of the last 14 years, including 6 of the last 8.
And the current problems are the Democrats and Liberals fault??
It’s the Medis’a fault???
Wake up, America!
September 5th, 2008 at 7:23 am PDT
Yes, it is all the media’s fault. Obviously the GOP has been consistent in their talk and strategy. Here is the proof, and don’t laugh
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card
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September 5th, 2008 at 7:30 am PDT
I think McCain and Palin laid out as much as they could on how they would change things. No side every lays out specific details any year, you all act like this is all new. This is what the debates are for and I personally look forward to them.
I have not decided on how I am going to vote for, although I am leaning toward McCain and Palin. I think they covered the insurance and education topics well. It is US the PEOPLE that need to be in charge, not bring in more gov’t which is bound to be corrupted at some points. Doing this we just stay in the same circle of life and this is EXACTLY what Obama/Biden is calling for!
Don’t get me started on the taxes issues. Anyone that feels raising taxes is going to help the economy is crazy. We have seen this time and time again, raising taxes does NOT help any country. Look at our past, look at Europe the past few years! Even raising taxes at the highest level DOES affect us little people because the cost gets pushed down to us!
September 5th, 2008 at 7:35 am PDT
The Republicans need to reform themselves first. They have left us with a huge debt, failed economy,failed foreign policy…and McCain offered no solutions last night. What really scares me is the base of the party, the “Evangelicls.” I am a Christian, but the Evangical wing of the Republican Party, which is essentially George Bush’s party have an agenda that is wrong and quite frankly unchristian. It is me first, my beliefs over your beliefs and if you don’t believe my way then you are, heaven forbid, a sinner. They are far from compassionate! The insulting, mocking, fear mongering tone of the convention tells it all.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:50 am PDT
More insightful diatribe from the CSM hack…do you know any different tunes?
September 5th, 2008 at 7:50 am PDT
[…] examples of how they’d change this country’s policies for the better. According to the Christian Science Monitor, John McCain failed to do that: “‘We’re going to change that. We’re going to […]
September 5th, 2008 at 7:56 am PDT
Seventy percent of Republicans like what Bush did. Republican press talks about keeping what Bush has put in place for the next four years would be a great success. With McCain as president the Republican party can keep him from changing anything. McCain can promise but he can’t deliver, his own party will keep him from delivering.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:58 am PDT
Chuck said “It is sad that we are down to these 4 individuals as a choice. Costs keep rising and the fact is, the 4 people in this race except for possibly Palin are not impacted since they are so wealthy.”
Now this is one misconception I’d like to see confronted. There are some extremely wealthy people in US politics today – the Bushes, the Gores, the McCains, Romneys, Cheneys, Bloomberg, Schwarzenegger and Mark Warner come to mind. Then there are some pretty wealthy ones, like the Clintons. After that are the ones who are definitely very comfortably off – the Obamas and the Huckabees fit into that category. THe Palins aren’t far behind, with a combined income of close to 300,000 last year, free rent in the Governor’s mansion, and free cars etc.
None of these people are struggling, and they’re all in the income bracket that will profit by tax cuts under McCain but pay more tax under Obama.
Just because she says she’s a typical hockey mom doesn’t mean it’s true
September 5th, 2008 at 8:09 am PDT
Baz’s comments about Congress control and Supreme Court nominations are very telling. Are you sure about the Republicans holding both houses for 12 of 14 years? I don’t recall Clinton Administration was under two house Republican control for his last six years.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:18 am PDT
As an independent, it amazes me how partisan the U.S. has become, to the point where people on both ends of the spectrum have lost all of their common sense. Have the majority of you people forgotten your civics lessons (congress ultimately controls the budget!)? Have you lost the ability to make an informed decision based on facts rather than emotion? Since when are politicians trustworthy figures (especially considering that the majority are lawyers)? Do you really believe that they will do what they describe in their scripted speeches?
With your vote you are hiring a person to manage the country’s various agencies and departments. Your not hiring a motivational figure, whether be it a war hero with an inspirational story or a charming and fresh speaker telling you everything is will be better. In other words, we need a effective manager not a marketing expert. Make your choice based on accomplishments, proven talent, relevant experience and someone who has the ability to get people to WORK together and bridge gaps of disagreement with compromise to benefit the country as a whole. You are hiring these people and paying them with your tax dollars!
No president is going to be able to force free and independent companies to give you a (better) job. Congress is not going to make you richer. And anything that has ever been run by the government is inefficient, wasteful and usually a bureaucratic mess (your local DMV, NASA, the military, etc.), so thinking that having them run anything better is just fooling yourself. Pick candidates that realize these limitations, will secure you freedom to pursue life as you see fit, protect your homeland, can regulate private business only to the extent that is ensures fair competitiveness and treatment of the consumer, and can achieve an intelligent balance between conserving our environment and utilizing our resources to benefit the country as a whole.
Too bad this candidate does not exist. The republicans were intoxicated with power the first 6 of the last 8 years and the democrats’ congrtess enjoys an all time low congressional approval rating. My bottom line choice: I’ll vote for the president whose parties congress will not be in power–it worked pretty good for Clinton and Reagan.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:22 am PDT
We have always Respected and Honored McCain’s service to this country. But we know who is spinning the message Schmidt and Rove known as the guys that brought us two George W. Bush terms and now they want to sell us a third Bush term.
McCain called for an end to the“constant partisan rancor”. Yet his campaign ads have attacked American Artists by attempting to brand them as just celebrities. Barack Obama is like Ronald Reagan when it comes to support of the Talented Artists of their time. Obama’s message rings of a “Beautiful day coming to America” which is similar to Reagan’s “Its morning in america again”.
McCain’s campaign has gone after the media who are asking the important questions that help keep the voters informed about the contrasts between the Democrat and Republican Parties in the most important election of our times.
After watching this Republican convention the first impression was the Republicans rallied their base by attacking Obama/Biden instead of presenting a clear case for voting for McCain. What about their solutions for the issues voters care about? A missed opportunity for the Republicans. Follow up impression common sense now says that its Obama/Biden who can end the “constant partisan rancor” in Washington DC.
When McCain says the last weeks of this campaign will be hard fought, nothing personally, just the nature of the business we know what McCain, Schmidt and Rove are saying – more negative attacks, more slash and burn tactics. When McCain says “Change is coming,” to Washington DC – The voters look at the Schmidt, Rove and Fox News attacking and we know what is coming – A Pit Bull? Avoid The Pit Bull with Lip Stick when The Pit Bull attacks. Who says we must fight on their turf? Let them come to ours. This race is still Obama/Biden vs McCain/Bush.
America can have a beautiful day in November by Voting for Change we can believe in
U2 can have a beautiful day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omFdpnSu57U
U2 can dance with us
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY
Join us!
Vote Obama/Biden ‘08
September 5th, 2008 at 8:39 am PDT
I this it is hilarious that McBush is talking about change. First, he tried talking about the issues. That didn’t work because he is wrong on this issues, just like his master, President Bush. Then he attacked Obama on everything but issues, to hide his own flaws. Obama is now fighting back, with wit and REAL change. Now McCain is running on change. What change? The only change I see is that we move from one old guy to an even older guy with the same policies of leaving American’s behind. What a joke.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:41 am PDT
Outside of Obama supporters, is there anyone else who recognizes that McCain is running in this election, not George Bush? McCain and Bush were at each others throat for close to 4 of the last 8 years.
As much as the Obama supporters say they hate the “politics of association” in terms of Rev. Wright, it amazes me they always do it with Bush/McCain.
To this independent, you would be better off winning my vote if you were to just contrast Obama’s and McCain’s views on the issues. Even Obama voted with Bush 40 percent of the time (and the with the democrats 97% of the time)–just tell me where the 50% difference is and you may just get my vote, otherwise it is just more partisan babble.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:42 am PDT
A 72 year old man is not going to make change happen. There’s a reason why people retire in old age - they shouldn’t have to take on running an entire country. He should be sitting in a rocking chair drinking lemonade. As for Palin; I hate hockey, I am a vegetarian. So a mooseburger eating, gun shooting woman would excite the pants of old republican men, but for the rest of us - she ain’t no Hillary. Having a united party at the convention doesn’t take a genius - the reps are ready to support whoever is thrown at them at this point. McCain and Palin politics are backwards and completely stale. It’s not the time of Ward and June Cleaver - it’s 2008. If you close your eyes and listen to McCain’s speech, he sounds exactly like George W - and we all know how that will play out. Hopefully people are smart enough to realize that having (potentially) an 80 year old president in office is not the way to get the type of “change” this country needs.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:45 am PDT
I didn’t hear anything new last night…he gave the religious right what they wanted…pro - life and limited government - promised gov’t will not interfere in people’s lives (except if you are a woman). Little mention of the economy other than feeling our pain…and he will (or will it be Sarah) change how business is done in Washington…Didn’t Bush 2 say the same thing in 2000 and 2004…same ole, same ole ……
September 5th, 2008 at 8:46 am PDT
Country first? Why is his party so concerned with giving money to foreign countries when it is needed here at home???? He calls for change - well he has had 25 years in congress to change things. He is Bush all over again. He claims to hate war but can’t stop talking about it and has to relive Vietnam in every speach. GOP = old ideas backed by arrogance with out any real world solutions. He is the same as Bush who keeps trying to scare people about terrorists. McCain will not get anything through congress - he will be powerless.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:01 am PDT
“72 year old man is not going to make change happen. There’s a reason why people retire in old age - they shouldn’t have to take on running an entire country. He should be sitting in a rocking chair drinking lemonade. As for Palin; I hate hockey, I am a vegetarian. So a mooseburger eating, gun shooting woman would excite the pants of old republican men, but for the rest of us - she ain’t no Hillary.”
Amy,
I’ll bet you thought all those woman that B Clinton molested and used the media to destroy were evil women.
Do you think the Mary Jo was treated fairly by Ted Kennedy and the media who adore him?
Who do you believe took Hillary out? The same media that is trying to take Sarah Palin out? Yes, the media that is trashing her daughter.
Why do you think the media decided not to report the John Edwards affair during his campaign when he was cheating on his cancer-stricken wife and they had the whole story in the newsrooms?
What do you think happened to the women’s movement. Was it hijacked by militant lesbians and radical leftists with the approval and sponsorship of the media?
While the media oppresses your gendor, your country, and actively opposes any woman who attempts to enter the executive branch, you focus on John McCain’s age.
I am an 86-year-old man and I am capable and fit. I look at John McCain as having the “right stuff” to lead while Obama is still listening to the Reverend jerimiah Wrights of the world. There’s your sign! Perhaps it is time the American “journalists” put a hand on each cheek and pull their collective head out of Obama’s backside.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:03 am PDT
Al-Qaida and terrorists are real–not just boogeymen living in caves far, far away. And no, they won’t be nice to us if we just leave them alone.
Other countries want to see the U.S. less powerful, and many would love to usurp us as the number one economic and military power in the world.
These are issue the next president will have to deal with regardless of who he is. Now you just need to decide between the one who panders to you and says its because we are unpopular or the other who insists that without electing him more of us will die. “Be nice and hope it won’t happen again” versus “offensive/agressive military action with collateral damage” — you pick.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:06 am PDT
I didn’t see much difference between the dem. and rep. convention both said what they would like to do, but Obama has never, that I have heard, said how he is going to do it. I don’t think he has the experience or know how to buck Washington to give us the change he talkes about. It sounds to me like he has no opinion on much of anything when 90% of the time while he has been in office he voted present.
When John McCain Has spent most of his life fighting for our country and being a maverick both in politics and as a prisoner of war I tend to believe he can do more in the white house that Obama.
I do not know a whole lot about Gov. Palin but who dose. From what has been reported about her I believe she has more experience in politics than Obama and dose not hesitate to say what she thinks. The media has made a big deal about Bristol being pregnant, big deal, report it and drop it. She has 5 kids Obama has two has any body ask if Obama can be the president and be a father?
One more thing. How can Obama talk about McCain having so many houses and then spend so much money putting on such a fancy expensive convention. I have to agree with McCain, one thing Obama is good at is spending money. He can’t be in touch with the regular person. and spend money the way he dose.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:10 am PDT
Republicans first.
Politics first.
Whole Country Way Down On Our List.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:15 am PDT
What I have learned these past two weeks is, for all the supposed support for Women’s Rights and the dignity of the Aging, our friends on the left have shown an amazing lack of putting into practice what they preach.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:19 am PDT
This is what McCain/ Palin want taught in our public school
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAPYuo12hY4
September 5th, 2008 at 9:23 am PDT
I think the Palin choice is perfect She hits the nail on the head for the GOP She wants her privacy respected but want’s to overturn Roe Vs Wade because this Supreme Court desision rests upon,not that abortion is right or wrong but that it involves a realm so personal that it shouldn’t be sullied by the state. The religious right has always been against that, you see its not your body, not your decision but God’s their god who made the desision long ago and now those claiming to speak for god have a perfect right to stand outside of abortion clinics and invade the privacy of anyone making a moral choice different from their own. She wants creationism taught in schools of course I’m not sure what version of Creationism since there are a number of them maybe the one where everything except man evolved from something else. She does not think global warming is mans fault at all and god forbid birth control should be taught to kids
As for pork 3 of her requests for federal money for her little town are on McCains own list of bad earmarks, supported bridge to nowhere
On raq she at least believes that God is with us on this mission as she told Divinity school grads Gods will be done
She has helped get some good laws passed like the one that would let her keep using her plane to shoot wild wolves from for sport
Her aproval rating is around 80% in Alaska I would be pretty happy with my governor if I could get $21,000 or so every year for my wife and 4 kids ( oil company payoffs ) 3600 to every man woman and child in Alaska. Of corse as they said she is the commander in cheif of the Alaska NAt Guard of course they don’t tell you that once activated they are under the federal command
Good luck america I’m sure things will be fine maybe they’ll balance the budget but since only one President in the last 100 years has done that (Oh that bad man Clinton) Maybe they can repeal the increase in the minimum wage since McCain has voted against an increase since he has been in Washington
September 5th, 2008 at 9:44 am PDT
I do not consider myself affiliated with either party, but had already decided on voting for McCain based on his stance on the right to life issue which although not perfect is better than Obama’s stance. It’s really scary to have someone like Obama who believes that abortion should be available on demand, no matter how old the woman (girl, teen, adult) for whatever reason. Freedom and choice are great but are all freedoms inherently good? Are all choices inherently good? I don’t believe abortion is good for women whether they want to have one or not…it has terrible side effects for the woman (physically, psychologically, emotionally). Plus, this leaves them (us) vulnerable to be treated as objects. With abortion, a man has license to use a women and if she gets pregnant…well, it’s very easy for him to say “get an abortion”. There is birth control but it is not 100% effective and many women don’t use it or they don’t use it correctly. Even when they do, there are still chances of it not working which is obvious with more than 1 million abortions a year in this country alone. Being “Pro-Life” doesn’t automatically make a person a religious nut. War is something that can be debated; the Right to Life issue cannot be debated. Like I said before, McCain/Palin may not be perfect on the Right to Life issue but they are worlds better than Obama/Biden. Anyways, by picking Palin, I feel that he has the interests of women in mind–and the country in general. Plus, after hearing him talk, I really do believe he is sincere in everything that he says. His life story and what he has actually accomplished speak volumes for me.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:47 am PDT
Clinton did not balance the budget–congress did at that time.
Peter-
A minimum wage increase helps no one in the long run. Don’t you realize that the costs of production are passed along in the price to the consumer? It actually lessens the purchasing power of the minimum wage earner as these costs are passed through the supply chain to the end user, especially when you begin to factor in the payroll taxes that both the employee and employer have to bear. Ultimately, that extra dollar an hour is no longer enough to pay for the extra $1.25 added to the price of that cheeseburger.
It has always been a tool used to pander to the poor, when it actually is another way to generate more tax income for the government.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:54 am PDT
I think some excellent points have been made on both sides, for - and against - Senator McCain and Senator Obama.
With that being said, I’d just like to throw my own two cents out there.
John McCain and George Bush are not the same people. Yes, they have the same PARTY — that does not mean they agree on every point or that McCain is going to be Bush’s “puppet” or “successor.” Seriously, do we even need to hold that same line of thinking against Barack Obama and his predecessors??? Not all previous Democratic Presidents have had the most stellar records, either. How is it fair to hold one party accountable to a different standard?
Do people not remember 8th grade Social Studies, in which the American Government was studied specifically? The President is, more or less, a figurehead. Remember that whole system of “checks and balances”? Yeah? That was put into place so that no ONE entity would have all the power in ruling our great nation. This means that there has not been anything done in the last eight years that has not been endorsed by the MAJORITY of Congress.
Congress has the real power. Can anyone not see the correlation between when Congress became Democratically-controlled and gas prices went from hovering around $2.75/gal… to almost $5.00/gal!? The President gets the credit when plans and promises work out to the approval of the United States citizens. He also gets to take all the **** when things go south and it’s his name that gets written in the history books and booed in public.
With all that being said, I, like every other American, have some serious concerns about the direction of this country and the leaders that will be governing it.
I don’t pay much attention to the “smear tactics” (other than how they go about it says a lot about character) and to the hoopla BOTH parties put on about themselves — it comes with the job description, doesn’t it? John McCain was absolutely right when he said that, “Americans want us to stop yelling at each other.” Something both parties recognize because if you’ll notice, this year has definitely not been as dirty as years past. In any case, regardless of your party affiliation, if you’re running for President — you want to endear yourself to millions of people… the more the better!
I do, however, look at their voting record for consistency, experience, and… mixed with my own personal values, morals, and beliefs.
The fact is that John McCain has more experience and a more proven track record as a strong leader. I may not agree with every vote he’s cast, but at least he’s been consistent and hasn’t backed down from a fight. I may not agree with every idea on every issue out there, but at least he’s willing to cross the bi-partisan gap to come up with an effort that gives and takes a little from every side. His strength assures me he’s got what it takes to keep this country safe and that he won’t hesitate if we’re attacked again. His wisdom shows in how he’s running his campaign and getting to the heart of major issues - of what affects people - and launching his approach from there. It also shows in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate.
In my opinion, he couldn’t have made a better choice. She’s smart, she’s young, she’s fresh, she’s from Alaska, she’s a mother, a wife with a strong marriage, she’s likeable, and a gives a powerful speech. I like her - a lot! And it was a smart choice to balance him out, compliments his weaknesses, and picks up the slack areas perceived by the American people.
I think Barack has made some strong, smart, choices as well. But I don’t think they are enough to discount the fact that I’ve seen no meat behind is elegant speeches, given with flair and smoothness. More importantly, I don’t think it’s enough to discount the fact that he’s spent a whopping 143 days in the Senate before deciding that he’s got enough experience behind him to serve in the highest government office available. In 10 or 15 years - absolutely! Right now? Not so much.
And I don’t care who disagrees with me - you’re free to have your opinion and I’m not out to change anyone’s mind. That’s the beauty of this country, in my own humble opinion. The important thing? Make sure your voice (opinion) is heard. Don’t take for granted that everything is going to be “just fine” and that one person can’t make the difference. Because contrary to popular belief — you can and you do.
See you at the polls come November!
September 5th, 2008 at 10:08 am PDT
Ray San Fratello Says:
“Baz’s comments about Congress control and Supreme Court nominations are very telling. Are you sure about the Republicans holding both houses for 12 of 14 years? I don’t recall Clinton Administration was under two house Republican control for his last six years.”
Remember in the ‘94 midterms… the supposed *Contract with America.*
Then, who was in charge during the impeachment hearings?
Of course, if you don’t believe me, just use google.
It’s true, and it’s scary to me, how many people just buy the usual GOP spin.
Blame the Dems… Blame the Libs… but, whose agenda has been running things, since 1980?
The GOP has had their chance, and they’ve literally, nearly destroyed this Country (see Katrina).
On the other side of it, the Dems have learned a lot of lessons, from their past mistakes, and have become the fiscally responsible Party. All the stuff of *tax & spend* is from prior to 1980. Their whole financial thing is *Pay/Go…*
I always voted GOP until 2000, after seeing how well Clinton handled the economy. And after GW, I’m convinced.
People have just got to wake up, and stop listening to slogans from either side. There’s no excuse not to do a bit of research, these days, with the web. ****, everyone thinks Reagan was the great tax-cutter, but in actuality, he presided over the biggest tax increase, in history… not to mention raising the Social Security cap.
Lastly, how many of the GOPers, rail about the so-called *death tax.*
Yet, it will NEVER effect them. They’re being manipulated by some very wealthy people… and who pays, if the inheritance tax is eliminated? We do. Our taxes will make up for that revenue lost.
The GOP plays mainstream people as fools, and so many scream proudly, *Yes We Are!*
The best thing for people to do, is stop listening to spin. Stop listening only to people they agree with. And do some research.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:14 am PDT
It’s become comical how extensively the McCain campaign has taken the slogans, talking points, and “change” message of the Obama campaign. Good thing the RNC went second!
Unfortunately, the talk does not match the actual policies on the Republican side - that’s the big difference between the two campaigns. It just seems like John wants this *so* bad, after so many failed attempts, that he’ll go with whatever looks like it might win, say whatever seems to be resonating at the moment. But I just can’t believe what he says anymore - it sounds so unoriginal, pleading, and desperate…
And his surrogates aren’t doing him any favors in my book. Have a full convention night on “service”, with thousands of “service” signs in the audience - and then Giuliani and Palin spitting venomous sarcasm and ridiculing Barack’s community work?! Selfish a**holes. Classless, demeaning, and shows the true disregard for others that sits behind the policies of the Republican party.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:19 am PDT
John McCain’s only platform of why we should vote for him is because he was a POW and yet the Democrats can’t question him on it because it is unpatriotic.
He really looked old this week at the Memorial Day Convention that the Republicans held. In case anyone was fooled by Palin…. it’s only been a week.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:27 am PDT
Baz–
How can you give Clinton credit for the economy when you yourself admit that the GOP was in control in congress (they control the purse strings). And during the Reagan/Bush years the Democrats were in control.
Look at your own contradictory facts before you make your assumptions.
DS–
Stop acting like the democratic side and those that share their views have never done anything “classless, demeaning, and shows the true disregard for others”.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:29 am PDT
Robert Freedland you say:
That what Senator McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have done “isn’t enough to qualify him to be President . . . [or] her to be Vice-President and maybe President.”
Is what Sen. Obama done qualify him to be President? Really? No!
You wrote “You see the election, as McCain and Obama point out isn’t about them is it? It is about us. And the Republican ticket insults our intelligence by asking us to vote for “Change” and then offering us not more of the same, but worse.
Change meaning MORE conservative by less support for public education. Less support for environmental protection. MORE drilling. Maybe in ANWR this time. Less support for education. Less regulation. Less fiscal responsibility.”
Are you not aware that what Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden offer is more of the same [not really change] of the Democratic policies? Obama has not offered any real detailed solutions except to tax business more.
If you are objective you will admit that both are weak in offering real change. Instead, people like Obama because he is different, not that his policies are different.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:29 am PDT
In her first speech Palin offended pit bulls comparing them to vicious dogs when in fact they are really sweet dogs. She offended community workers who help people all the time. She has only been hanging with Cindy McCain for less than a week AND LOOK AT HER.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:29 am PDT
Ron–
Memorial Day is in May.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:30 am PDT
DS, I don’t think that anyone demeans Obama’s community coordinator work, they just wonder what, exactly, a community coordinator does, and how it counts as experience for the office of President and Commander in Chief. If I were hiring an executive and had two candidates, one having been the mayor of a town of 10,000 and one having been a community coordinator, gee, I wonder which candidate I would hire. Duh, let me ponder this.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:36 am PDT
It ****** me off to see people come online and post comments claiming Obama has never said any specifics of his plan. People, if you can get online to post a comment, then you can get online to read Obama’s plan:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/
As to John Sidney McCain III, the reason the Democrats can honestly compare him to Bush and reasonably expect more Bush policies in the future from McCain, is because of McCain’s voting record. 90% of the time McCain agreed with Bush. It’s that simple. Maybe McCain was a maverick when he was younger, but as of late, he has been right there with Bush. We all can see that the Bush policies don’t work, and if McCain agreed with them 90% of the time, well, that says a lot about McCain’s judgement.
As to his speech, I guess it was okay, but what’s with all the “fighting”? If you’re going to run claiming to work across party lines, then why are you telling everyone to fight? Shouldn’t you tell them to NOT fight and start working together? Oh, but McCain can’t say that, since Obama already did.
Just remember people, when McCain talks about “change” he means he wants to change Washington. When Obama talks about “change” he means he wants us all to change the country. Big distinction.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:49 am PDT
To Chuck Cardiff
Chuck, no one is saying that simply because Obama was a Community Organizer that makes him qualified to be President. It was what he did out of college, prior to being teaching Constitutional Law, and why on earth would we want a President who understand the Constitution, right?
The reason Palin’s comment was so insulting, is not simply because it insults organizers around the country, but because it insults the very idea the Republicans have been pushing for decades. Republicans claim that we need a smaller government, and that in doing so, religious groups and charity groups will pick up the slack of helping those in need. Those groups, have community organizers, which is what Obama was.
So, how can the Republicans, honestly, insult Obama and organizers, when organizers are the exact thing the Republicans want to see more of?
September 5th, 2008 at 11:10 am PDT
In regards to the Palin mania, you will never go broke understimating the stupidity of people in this country.
Gee, McCain says hes a uniter, not a divider. We sure saw how non-partisan the convention was.
The GOP had eight years of power, and failed. Why would anyone give them another chance?
September 5th, 2008 at 11:30 am PDT
When I was a kid, in the evening my Dad would sit on the porch and watch me and neighbor kids wrestle in the front yard, TV was in it’s infancy in those days, so it provided amusement for both of us. It didn’t matter whether I won or lost and it changed nothing.
Much like a puppet show, or my childhood wrestling matches, elections these days are simply entertainment. As long as the Federal Reserve Bank and Corporations, both owned by International Bankers, control the global economy, we’re just wrestling for fun.
Obviously, as recent events demonstrate, it doesn’t matter who is elected to Congress or the Presidency, so long as they are playing a game of Monopoly where all of the pieces and money isn’t theirs at the end of the day.
We are all watching a “reality show” with a script.
Owning land at one time insured the future generations a better life, with public domain land grabbing and a tax system stacked against them, that is no longer the case. Security is fleeting. We’re all renters these days.
Although the gross National Product increases exponentially each year and has continued to, which means the standard of living for every citizen should have also increased, that is not the case. The profits have all been moved to a small percentage, while those who’s percentage has dropped drastically, are told the enemy of their way of life are foreign factories or terrorists. Wars started with false flag attacks and outright lies are started to divert attention from our true enemy, those who rule us through economic manipulation, it not only diverts attention away from them, it also serves to further fill their coffers.
They poison our minds with propaganda and lies, while they poison our bodies with GM foods, prescription drugs and then sabotage our health care with economics to slowly kill us all with our own stupidity.
Lazy, stupid and gullible. Perhaps we deserve it. We’d rather watch TV than look out the window. Rather believe the spin, than confront the truth. The religious peddle faith like a commodity, those who believe differently must be crushed. That’s not what this country was created to condone, but that is what it has become. Freedom of religion and separation of state and church, was a method for everyone to exist together. Rapidly, it seems, those who worship “Jesus”, are becoming zealots and intolerant of any other beliefs. Pretty scary. It’s like Judge Roy Bean said, “There’s nothing worse than a reformed whore”.
Looks to me like the escalation of discontent is building a little too rapidly for the guy sitting on the porch laughing to control any more. Eventually, those wrestling in the yard need to stop fighting each other, storm the porch and start kicking *** on the promoter for a change.
We need to abolish the Federal Reserve, that would be a damn good start, but you won’t be seeing that at the puppet show. God Bless America, RIP.
September 5th, 2008 at 11:52 am PDT
McCaine says “A change is comming to Washington” He is correct! And its coming from Obama!!
September 5th, 2008 at 11:39 pm PDT
My question is, now that Mccain has officially alienated himself from the Republican party and has effectively made himself an enemy of the Democratic party with his vicious attack campaign, who will work with him for his purported goal of change? How has he demonstrated a bipartisan format for achieving his goals? He has placed himself in a stand-off position where he alone will do the job.
September 7th, 2008 at 10:05 am PDT
I am so confused, so let me understand this. Everyone agrees that the last 8 years have been terrible. Members of both partys agree that W is perhaps the worst president we have ever had. So McCain says he want change. So to get change we vote in the same party that put us in this mess to begin with. Don’t forget, the Rove machine 4 years ago put out that McCain was the Manchurian candidate and in states where he was popular accussed him of while in captivity has been turned and he is really an enemy of this country. So now Rove is running McCain’s campaign. How is that change? This is just a new face on the same old politics. Remember Haliburton moved it’s headquarters to Dubai. we pay them billions of dollars and they don’t pay taxes on it. So what is different from turning out ports over to a Saudi agency? Let’s discuss Palin, are we to beleive that all women are interchangable. Listen, my views are different from most represented in this site, however, as Obama says, we can disagree but we can comme to terms and agree on some aspect of the disagreement. We have to do this. I am pro-choice. personally I don’t believe in abortion, however, if someone chooses to have one, that should be their right. Their right to have it safely and not once again have his procedure in some ally. Because, let’s be honest, women have been having them for years. I don’t ever want a gun in my house. I live in NYC, I know how dangerous guns can be in the wrong hands. However, if someone wants to hunt for food or sport, that is their right. I do however feel very strongly that it is not their right to buy and AK47 to hunt deer. we all know that these guns are not used for deer hunting. They are used to destroy our inner cities and support the bad guys. I don’t want a VP that is a pit bull with lipstick. I want a VP who knows foreign policy, and not because she lives close to Russia. I want a VP that does not want to ban books, but who will encourage people to read, even if it is not her personal view. The dollar is at one of it lowest exchange rate in our history. How is that helping America, how is that helping Americans? You know, I don’t agree with everything in this site, but I do beleive that you have the right to feel that way, this is America. I am an American, and because I love this country more than anything, I am voting for Obama.
God Speed.
September 7th, 2008 at 3:53 pm PDT
to Gone Crazy -
This was an entirely appropriate post and is exactly the point. If you are not white and wealthy you don’t get any attention. Gone Crazy will probably meet up with some of the “community Organizations” to help her get through this. It is the middle class that try to take care of themselves that get penalized by the GOP -they are a completely selfish group.
PLEASE, we need to get rid of them. It’s going to take some years to right the Republican’s mess so lets start now, get creative and tighten our belts and dig in to MAKE CHANGES WE CAN BELIEVE IN.
September 7th, 2008 at 8:28 pm PDT
I have one question. Do we know ANYTHING about Sarah Palin’s ties to Russia. It has been joked about, but I understand that she has had an on-going relatonship with that country. What is it and why is no one seriously talking about it? This is no joke
They may have planned the coup of the century.
November 27th, 2008 at 2:19 am PST
Keep it up man.,
November 27th, 2008 at 4:21 am PST
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November 27th, 2008 at 6:25 am PST
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November 27th, 2008 at 8:20 am PST
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November 27th, 2008 at 12:01 pm PST
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November 27th, 2008 at 5:01 pm PST
Keep a good work man!,