I could spend a lot of time listing all the ways Sen. John McCain has changed his views, to get the nomination by his party and to be elected President, on what used to be the principles that made him a maverick politician. The list would include tax cuts for the very rich, drilling for oil off-shore and in our national parks, bowing to the religious right, compassion for immigrants, sucking up to President Bush while at the same time trying to deny he ever knew him before the cock crows three times, and being Mr. straight talk express – to name a few. Now he’s just another Washington politician – his home for 26 years – lest he forget that point when he talks about Washington being broken.
His selection of Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate alone shows he’ll do anything to be President. The good Governor sees herself as another maverick – fighting against big business, their lobbyists, and government earmarks – while Alaska lives off sucking on the teat of big oil and government earmarks to the tune of $400 million plus in her two years in office. She turned down the bridge to nowhere after it was unpopular, but kept the money that was to pay for it. The only fighting she did against big oil was to get a bigger share of the profits for Alaska while her followers rant – drill baby drill. Were they talking about dentist? Gov. Palin is nothing more than a poster child for the extreme right.
We’ll go back to the question Ronald Regan asked when he was running to be President. Are you better off after the last four years or worse off and I’ll add – are you better off after the last eight years – under Republican leadership or the eight years before under Democratic leadership?
Ronald Regan gave us deregulation of the airlines and the Savings & Loan bailout (John McCain was one of the Keating Five); George H.W. Bush gave us the first Iraq War for nothing and high inflation; and George W. Bush has given us Enron, IqWII (the search for WMDs), and the worst economic disaster since the depression. Republicans have made the government bigger, made our debt bigger, deregulated everything so greedy stockholders and CEO’s can profit while the companies fail – making the rich richer and foreign oil a dependency we can’t live without.
Bill Clinton – although he couldn’t keep it in his pants – gave us a balanced budget and a surplus, no wars, millions of new jobs, and more money for the working class. The rich didn’t do so badly either. Was the meaning of “is” that big a deal?
The choice is simple for me. I need a tax cut – daddy Warbucks doesn’t; I need universal health care at a reasonable price; I don’t want my future grandchildren’s children fighting in the Middle East and paying for IqWII and the bailout of greedy financial corporations; I need a can-do country that can say “screw big oil” and turn to alternative energy sources (not using corn for energy driving up food prices); I want a President that is smarter than me (I’ve got plenty of people to drink a beer with or go fishing with); I need a country that can get over the color of someone’s skin; I need a press corps that can stand up to their corporate handlers; I need people to stop being so lazy that they refuse to register to vote or stand for jury duty (although jurors are also selected from driver’s licenses and ids issue by the state); I need an America that welcomes all comers with open arms; and I want the America my parents and their parents enjoyed and the world respected.
Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin can’t deliver what I need. They don’t even want to. I don’t even know if Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden can deliver what I need either, but I’ve got a better chance with them and the leadership they will bring to Washington. I can’t take eight or even four more years of Republican leadership.
What do you need?
Near the end of the election season Sen. McCain will promise you everything – he’s shown that. And no matter what happens Gov. Sarah Palin will turn on him like the barracuda she claims she is for being taken on a ride. I don’t blame her – she’s being used. And, I won’t feel sorry for her, because she is enjoying the limelight.
I’m not saying vote a straight ticket – that’s stupid, but Obama and Biden will need all the help they can get in the US House and Senate.
Just ask yourself – How much more of this can you take? and What do you need? If you’re truthful with yourself – you’ll do the right thing.
If you’re not voting – forget about you and stop reading my blog.