I’ve watched all the debates this season. Last night, John McCain supposedly needed a game changer. Despite the fact that Barack Obama hadn’t slipped at one debate and got all his dirty laundry aired during the Democratic primaries earlier this year, McCain came out aggressively. And it didn’t work. McCain came off as whiny, and rude. He certainly did not display any characteristic that comes close to Presidential. A quick question: will the media talk non-stop about McCain’s constant heavy breathing? The entire debate, he huffed and puffed so much that at times it was difficult to listen to Obama’s solutions. Remember when Al Gore sighed a couple of times in the 2000 debate? He was ridiculed for weeks about that so-called “gaffe”? Let’s put it this way: I won’t hold my breath waiting for the corporate media to do the same to McCain. They’re scared he’ll throw another temper tantrum at them.
Just what did McCain mean by saying his ads have turned 100% negative because Barack Obama wouldn’t meet him in a series of town-hall meetings? Here is the obvious problem: McCain didn’t take responsibility for his own campaign. If McCain were President, how many actions would his administration blame on everybody but themselves? No, we already have a “President” that does that. Americans want a President that accepts responsibility for their actions. Telling America that his opponent is a traitor and is dangerous is not an appropriate response for rejecting a debate style. It’s simply cowardice, a trait that McCain has shown us too often this election cycle.
Then, McCain had the nerve to demand an apology or a repudiation. Despite running nothing but negative ads for the past three weeks, McCain tried to get Americans to believe he was somehow the victim. The kind of self-victimization is typical for Republicans – that’s how they’ve stayed in power for the better part of 30 years now. But let’s be honest: allowing supporters to call a sitting Senator a terrorist or allowing demands to kill him isn’t in the same ballpark as calling someone erratic. It’s not even the same freaking sport. If you think it is, you’re beyond rational discourse. Am I saying Obama’s ads are excused from criticism? No. But equating the two is another act of cowardice. Threats against Senators’ or Presidential candidates’ lives have no place in our society. Letting those slide is purposefully stoking the flames of hate and racism. So McCain wants an apology and a repudiation. I’m waiting for McCain to apologize for his comments. I’m waiting for McCain to repudiate the hate speech that is all too common from his base: the most extreme among us. Has McCain ever called on Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter or the dozens of other hate-mongers of his party to repudiate their disgusting comments? No. No, Mr. McCain, do not waste America’s time with your one-man pity party. Your party has a long history of inciting hatred and violence against fellow Americans. You’ve long remained silent about that. Trying to make the cast that being called erratic is somehow above the top is pathetic.
McCain made no sense when he was talking about teacher certification. Does he really think American education will be better if teachers aren’t expected to become certified or pass examinations? How about doctors? Would our health system improve if they didn’t have to take tests? McCain was at the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy. Maybe that’s where he developed his ‘no certification’ approach to education. If only his professors weren’t required to know what they were teaching, he could have done better.
There is a parallel between his education policy and his buddy Joe “the plumber”. Except Joe is no plumber: he isn’t registered to work as one anywhere in Ohio. Joe lied. He has worked for only 6 years, not 15. Joe lied. He isn’t about to buy the company, like he told Barack Obama. Joe lied almost as much as McCain has during this campaign. But put that aside. If Joe’s imaginary company is making more than $250,000 per year, that company is in the top 5% of all companies in the U.S. Only 1.4% of actual small businesses will be affected by Obama’s plan. That plan is all about paying their fair share. Under Republicans, the largest corporations and the wealthiest people have paid less and less. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Americans are making less and less and our towns and cities are crumbling around us. Joe’s imaginary company can afford to move from paying 36% tax to 39% tax. Millions of Americans are not achieving the American dream because of backward policies like Ronald Reagan’s, George Bush’s, John McCain’s and Joe’s.
[Update]. So Joe was all worried about his taxes, was he? As I thought, it doesn’t look like that was the case. It seems Joe Worzelbacher has had troubles in the past paying the taxes he owes. But all of Obama’s policies are socialist!! Joe, it’s time to get better talking points. You’re part of the 23% of Bush-backers that has wrecked this country. Your invocation of scary socialism isn’t going to work in this election.
