I grow weary of hearing about how Barack Obama is breaking his campaign promises.
I hear about how he isn't ending the income tax for seniors making less than $50,000 a year. I hear about how Mr. Obama promised a five day "public comment" time period before signing a bill into law. I hear about Mr. Obama already breaking his promise on Lobbyists. I even hear about President Obama breaking his promise on the $3,000 tax credit for companies that create jobs.
You know what I have to say about all of these supposed "broken promises" that Obama has been a part of? I say BAH. Forget the fact that Obama has done more to keep his promises in his first 100 days than many other presidents do in their entire terms, but we've barely given him enough time to keep promises, much less break them! Throw in the fact that some of these promises have to be approved by Congress and you're left with him TRYING to fulfill promises but getting blocked by Congress.
OBAMA NEVER CAMPAIGNED THAT ALL OF HIS PROMISES WOULD BE COMPLETE IN THE FIRST 100 DAYS.
The latest round of "promises broken" propaganda is coming from the ACLU regarding "PictureGate" (releasing pictures that depict deplorable acts by the U.S. military towards middle east POWs). First of all, last time we released pictures (AbuGhraib) there was a 200% surge in violence in Iraq. Now this was under the Bush Administration and the pictures were LEAKED not willingly put forth. However, this should be irrelevant since when it comes to the troops we should ALWAYS err on the side of caution.
NEVER FORGET and LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES: 99.9% of ALL Americans think the picture on the left is HORRIFIC and DID NOT APPROVE of the circumstances. However, now is not the time to, once again, lower our status with the middle east, not to mention the entire world. Wait till our troops get out of Iraq & Afghanistan...do not release damaging pictures until that is complete. Let's hope it's soon.
Does anyone agree with me on this or am I barking up yet another oil-slicked tree?
I always knew he was one of the VERY few liberal Republicans...but to totally defect to save his political career isn't doing him any favors. However, it does make the Democrats look good and we now have 60 votes. Universal Health Care here we come! Now all of Obama's ideas should be implemented.
After working hard and experiencing what is likely to be my greatest political victory in my lifetime, I have been tired. Add a beautiful wife who has begun gaining weight for all the right reasons (Madison Elizabeth is due March 20th, 2009!!!), and things get even tougher. A large work project that has kept me working late for weeks is also worth a mention. Then, I am finally taking a risk and attempting to start my own business in the near future. Sometimes life sure can keep you churning lemonade. However, you won't find me frowning.
My Thanks to You: I have read what Grey Fedora and SueBee have posted with great appreciation. When my life begun handing me lemons...they stepped up and continued to keep this blog active and a good place to check in on now and then. I thank both of you from the bottom of my heart and am glad to have you as authors. (I am still accepting applications if anyone is interested)
"Hope & Change" - Dead Ideas?
Of course not. But to hear a conservative talk show or a quick glance at FOXNews Channel and you'd think Barack Obama is already a complete and utter failure. He's not, of course. However, he's also not perfect. And get this... he actually admits it now and then!
Yes, a long glance or a quick listen to all things conservative shows them so riled up that I continue looking for a stained blue dress from an Obama intern. What are they so amped up about? The republicans in Congress are upset that the policies and ideas they've been shouting from the rooftops for the last 8 years aren't being included in the "Stimulus Package." Their solution is, quite literally, to use the same exact strategies they have been using the last 8 years that clearly do not work.
Tax Cuts
Yes, tax cuts need to be a part of any passed stimulus (Jobs) package. Guess what...they are? In fact, 42% of the package go to tax cuts, while the other 58% goes towards new Government spending. I think he was very generous.
State of the Union....sorta...
Obama has addressed Congress in I can safely call a well delivered ball of caution wrapped in hope. He spoke of cutting the deficit in half, saving or creating 3.5 million jobs, our kids having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world, double our renewable energy supply and lastly (and certainly least) moving our medical records into the 21st Century. Add finding a cure for cancer and you can begin to see why some ignorant people would begin viewing him as the Anti-Christ or Hitler.
Wow, really? So because our new President is an incredible speaker, an leader and we're going through a recession that we can compare him to a psychopathic sociopath? I don't think so. I won't go into the Anti-Christ accusation as there is no comparison to actually make. The ridiculous comparison is beyond any condescending words I could come up with.
Either way, Obama gave a great, mostly factual speech that worked well and sat well with the American people.
"Good evening and happy Mardi Gras"
So as I sat there beaming in the glory of the distinguished gentleman I helped get elected there was mention of a "Republican response." While this is normal practice for an official State of the Union address I didn't realize it would be happening. At the mention of Piyush "Bobby" Jindal I began to worry that some of Barack's thunder would be stolen. I had heard his name and seen him speak before when all the Governer's met with Obama in the preceding days. After suffering through the open mic of Chris Matthews' "Oh, God..." cry, Mr. Jindal began to speak (here is some "FOX News" analysis).
I was immediately relieved.
I felt like I was being lectured by Mr. Rogers without a changing of the shoes. I believe Jindal may have ruined his chances with that one blip in time he had to do well in front of a widespread audience. In fact, most people turned him off before he finished. That says it all...
When the old policies don't work...suggest the old polices anyway:
I have heard much criticism of the stimulus package over the last few weeks and if I wasn't such a political nut I would have tuned out long ago. My biggest problem with 99% of the critics is that the only ideas that are offered meant to "one up" the ideas of President Obama are nothing but the SAME EXACT IDEAS that got us into the recession that former President Bill Clinton pulled us out of and the SAME EXACT IDEAS throughout the awful years of the G. W. Bush administration. Trickle down economics. If we give money to the rich, they give money back to the poor and middle class. It didn't work for Reagan and Bush Sr. and it won't work now.
Wealth can be earned quite easily even if the Capital Gains tax rate goes up to 40%. Wealth can be earned easily even if the largest corporations see their taxes go back to the way they were in the 90's. It was earned at an incredible rate then and it can still do it now.
What can we do to help?
Honestly, I think taxes should go up for anyone making over $100,000 a year. I don't make even close to that, but would pay more taxes for a few years if it meant solving the economic crisis we're in. Since that will likely not happen, as I'm too "middle class," I will now make larger donations to the local food bank, the Salvation Army and Red Cross.
Anyone who can afford to chip in, should. If it's not through helping or volunteering for a government entity, then send it to your favorite local charity. Scrapped for cash? Don't get that box of cookies or bag of chips the next few times you're at the grocery store and put it towards a charity you like. Skip going out to eat for a few weeks and give that money to a favorite charity. Do as my wife and I do...have a competition for the most "luxury or unnecessary spending" skipped.
Even if you don't like who is in office, you can still help out those less fortunate who have lost their jobs and are less fortunate that those of us who still have one. I will not be that person who tells you to "Go out and shop" as others have in the past. Charity and contributions to society through volunteer work and helping your neighbor can go a long way into turning this great country of ours around.
I apologize for my long absense...but the fight for peace and prosperity still hold true.
When the night began Sarah Palin turned her mic on a bit early, (perhaps not intentionally, but I think so) leans into Joe Biden and says, "Hey, can I call you Joe?" to which Joe Biden replied, something like "Absolutely no problem." The reason it's not listed in the transcript is because Joe Biden did not turn his mic on until the debate had actually started. A great swing by Palin, likely thought up by Karl Rove or someone similar. This was a good stab at BarackObama's calling John McCain, "John" while not asking permission as she made sure everyone knew she did.
In the beginning:
The answering of the first question pretty much set the tone of the entire debate. The question was:
The House of Representatives this week passed a bill, a big bailout bill -- or didn't pass it, I should say. The Senate decided to pass it, and the House is wrestling with it still tonight. As America watches these things happen on Capitol Hill, Sen. Biden, was this the worst of Washington or the best of Washington that we saw play out?
A great first question with two very different answers.
Joe Biden:
I think it's neither the best or worst of Washington, but it's evidence of the fact that the economic policies of the last eight years have been the worst economic policies we've ever had. As a consequence, you've seen what's happened on Wall Street. If you need any more proof positive of how bad the economic theories have been, this excessive deregulation, the failure to oversee what was going on, letting Wall Street run wild, I don't think you needed any more evidence than what you see now.
So the Congress has been put -- Democrats and Republicans have been put in a very difficult spot. But BarackObama laid out four basic criteria for any kind of rescue plan here.
A great opening answer that actually answered the question. On the other hand, Sarah Palin had this to say:
Sarah Palin:
You know, I think a good barometer here, as we try to figure out has this been a good time or a bad time in America's economy, is go to a kid's soccer game on Saturday, and turn to any parent there on the sideline and ask them, "How are you feeling about the economy?" And I'll bet you, you're going to hear some fear in that parent's voice, fear regarding the few investments that some of us have in the stock market. Did we just take a major hit with those investments? Fear about, how are we going to afford to send our kids to college? A fear, as small-business owners, perhaps, how we're going to borrow any money to increase inventory or hire more people. The barometer there, I think, is going to be resounding that our economy is hurting and the federal government has not provided the sound oversight that we need and that we deserve, and we need reform to that end.
Now, John McCain thankfully has been one representing reform. Two years ago, remember, it was John McCain who pushed so hard with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform measures. He sounded that warning bell.
While this answer wasn't a terrible answer, it never answered the question and led into what John McCain thought, not Sarah Palin. This would continue to be the theme of the night for Gov. Palin. A lot of talk about McCain, not enough talk about her own views. Despite this, however, she did very well overall.
Getting the ball rollin':
Both candidates did decent jobs of answering the next few questions without any real substance being the issue for both. Sarah Palin listed off canned answers that she gave her own "rootin' tootin', down home hillbilly" spin as an attempt to seem "more authentic" and "more like us." As is always the case, I don't want a President who is "just like us." I want a President who I look up to as being better than me in many areas. Despite this, I still feel I could have a beer with any of the 4 candidates.
Joe Biden was not the pillar of perfection, either. While Palin ignored what she herself thought about issues, Biden spent too much time saying who John McCain isn't, instead of who BarackObama is. However, he did finally even up Palin's first swing with this:
Joe Biden: (The question was on Healthcare)
Now, with regard to the -- to the health care plan, you know, it's with one hand you giveth, the other you take it. You know how BarackObama -- excuse me, do you know how John McCain pays for his $5,000 tax credit you're going to get, a family will get?
He taxes as income every one of you out there, every one of you listening who has a health care plan through your employer. That's how he raises $3.6 trillion, on your -- taxing your health care benefit to give you a $5,000 plan, which his Web site points out will go straight to the insurance company.
And then you're going to have to replace a $12,000 -- that's the average cost of the plan you get through your employer -- it costs $12,000. You're going to have to pay -- replace a $12,000 plan, because 20 million of you are going to be dropped. Twenty million of you will be dropped.
So you're going to have to place -- replace a $12,000 plan with a $5,000 check you just give to the insurance company. I call that the "Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere."
A great response that put things back to even on my scorecard.
Lies:
There were a few lies told by each candidate but I think they evened each other out overall. Instead of rehashing each lie told I am just going call it even for both as I do not feel a lie gave the advantage to one candidate over the other. While McCain's lies obviously outweighed Obama's lies in the first debate, I think in this case it wasn't near as big of a deal. I think Biden and Palin both did well at keeping the lies to a minimum and the ones they did tell were equally stupid.
Debate Flow:
It is in the flow of the debate I felt Joe Biden did well enough to keep the race against Palin's "I'm not near as bad as everyone thought" experience. While she appeared to do better because the bar was set so low, Joe Biden silenced all the critics by not gaffing or being long winded. It was the flow of how he debated that caused him to pull ahead in the end.
Sarah Palin, on the other hand, seemed very nervous and her voice quivered at times. I almost got the sense that she didn't believe what she was saying with a passion that could have convinced many more people to get behind her. While she did a good job debating, as I predicted, she was still not the debate winner. Unfortunately, throughout most of the debate she SEEMED like she was the winner because of the bar being set so low. Thankfully, Joe Biden came to compete and did so without offending anyone, attacking Palin personally or giving in to his critics with long, painful answers and a forked tongue.
Raw, Real, Respectable Emotion:
Joe Biden got choked up during the debate when speaking of his son in Iraq and his wife and infant daughter who have passed on. He did this because that's the type of guy he is. It is this type of emotional thinking and empathy that makes him the great man he is. He is a man of the people, who is for the people and lives like the people. His net worth is roughly $100,000. He doesn't live beyond his means and he only has one house, just like Obama. It was this emotion that won Joe Biden the first and only Vice Presidential Debate of 2008.
When Biden got choked up thinking of his family that has passed on and his son in Iraq, he did so with grace and a raw truth that nobody can dispute. Sarah Palin, unfortunately, did not show any sympathy whatsoever. She didn't apologize for his loss or express empathy in any way about her own situation or his. Instead, she rattled off another McCain sound bite in a poor attempt to change the subject. While I think she was smart to change the subject and not attack back, she should have at least said something to the effect of "Mr. Biden, I am extremely sorry for your previous loss and you have my most sincere condolences. We both have children in Iraq and that is why this war must be won." This would have put her back in the lead. She didn't do it so she didn't win.
Conclusion:
This was a great debate that did not bore me like the last one did. I was entertained and informed throughout the broadcast. Both candidates did well even though, in my opinion, Joe Biden took the trophy at the end. Not only did each candidate treat each other with respect, but they even had a nice chat afterwards showing that, politics aside, people can get along.
Joe Biden is a very nice man and is well liked on a personal level by man members of Congress. He has a great air of bipartisanship that many in Congress could take a lesson from. Sarah Palin also seems like a nice person. From what I could see she has the potential to be bipartisan and work with anyone. While I don't think she is ready yet for the position she is interviewing for, I think with enough study and real world experience, she may be one day. All in all I give the entire debate an "A."
Now that Palin has said she had a great time and wants to do it again, let's see if they let her give a press conference and finally put to rest once and for all if she can handle herself in a high pressure situation where you literally have ZERO clue what will be asked next.
Sometimes the whining from the GOP gets to an all-time idiotic level that makes most of the American public throw up their hands in disgust. This is one of those times.
The GOP could have taken this opportunity to claim they helped America by not passing this bill. 95 Democrats could have joined them in this cause. Democrats could have said the legislation did not contain enough regulation or enough punishment for Wall Street executives that got us into this mess. The GOP could have said their constituents were upset and did not want them to vote for it. This didn't happen.
Instead, the GOP blamed the Democrats for the bill not passing.
What? Did I hear that right? I did.
The GOP is blaming the Democrats for this bill not passing because of Speaker Nancy Pelosi giving a speech telling the TRUTH?
Partisan Politics Aside:
Now we've heard from both sides that they want partisan politics & presidential politics off the table when voting for this bill. Because of this stance by the American people, John McCain suffered his worst poll numbers in a long time after the debate. Now, because of the bailout not succeeding, it is fair to say that he can re-stable his white horse. This is the fault of the GOP, hands down.
Most GOP & Democrats have resisted this bill since it's inception, as they should have. The lack of oversight and regulation by the original Paulson legislation was horrific, irresponsible and downright wrong. The Democrats knew this and immediately pounced on it. Good for them and for the fiscal Conservatives in the GOP that did as well. Though they did it for different reasons, the end result was the same.
Working Together:
I hate the term "Bi Partisan" as it has been an oxymoron of stupendous proportions in the last 8 years (sorta like Military Intelligence). This wasn't about bipartisanship, it was about political posturing during an election year. This is why so many democrats said no to the bill. Nancy Pelosi did not want the democrats owning this bill, period. I don't blame her. She wanted 2/3 of Democrats and 2/3 of Republicans to vote for this bill. There is VERY GOOD reasoning for this. She wants the Democrats AND the Republicans to own this equally. The way it was setup was to show that not everyone agreed with it, but that it was agreed upon on both sides of the aisle.
The Republicans did not vote NO to this bill because their feelings got hurt. But, stupidly, they are saying they did! What a crock! They have now taken a giant foot and inserted it directly in their asses because of this. Their original plan did not work so now they are crying foul on the Democrats. I cry foul on the GOP!
The Plan & Political Posturing:
The original plan of the GOP was to get Democrats to vote for this bill and then have the Republicans not show up so that later they could say, "We have nothing to do with this bill that George W. Bush and the Democrats have signed on for." A clever tactic that Nancy Pelosi saw right through. Nancy Pelosi saw that the only way for this bill to not cost the election for either party was to have bi-partisan support as well as bi-partisan negativity. This would create a political environment that would not only allow the bill to pass, but would also make it so that neither Presidential candidate was affected.
It worked perfectly.
Pelosi did her job on the phone with this one. She knew exactly how many FOR and how many AGAINST we had on the Democratic side. She knew this and adjusted where necessary. She knew the possible plan of the GOP and made sure the numbers on the Democratic side were right. The Democrats would not own this bill alone, PERIOD.
The Speech:
The day of the vote was like any other vote day in Congress with something a little bit different. It seemed the Republicans and Democrats were actually on board with what was happening. There was no feeling of smugness permeating the hall of Congress. There was no stink of ill feelings towards one another. This was all smoke and mirrors.
The GOP had never planned on signing off on this bill, and all they needed was an excuse. Nancy Pelosi gave them one.
Nancy Pelosi got up to give a speech that was full of truth. She let Congress know exactly why we got into this mess and that we should never let it happen again. She attempted to shame congress into doing the right thing. Unfortunately, thinking she could shame a Republican into understanding the truth was a mistake.
The Republicans saw their excuse and used it. They still voted JUST enough to lure American into believing it was Pelosi's fault it didn't pass. Thanks to Barney Franks (who happens to be one of my favorite congressmen), it didn't work.
Barney Franks, an outwardly gay congressman, has been at the forefront of the financial crisis for quite sometime. He is one of the first to dismiss Henry Paulson's plan and has fought diligently to get a bill passed that would keep Americans from losing jobs in the next few months. He's smart, funny and angry. His reputation as a hardball is only outweighed by his knowledge of the facts in any debate. This man knows what he is doing
Thursday:
Not only are we having a historic debate on Thursday, but we may see another version of the bailout plan up for a vote. Watch for major political posturing and for the Democrats to cave in as usual. Watch for the Democrats balls to shrink, voices go squeaky and dicks go limp.
They may have won this round...but the GOP knows how to be angry...and right now they are angry. If Democrats perform as they normally do when the GOP is angry...I expect them to give in to whatever they want.
The debate last night was one of anger vs. level headedness. Many times it was also a debate on lies vs. the truth. While I feel Obama had a better night in terms of truth, McCain showed his strength on Foreign Policy in a haughty and, according to some, in a disrespectful way. McCain seemed to force himself to not look Obama in the eye even once the entire debate. I doubt any Republican out there will feel that McCain was too haughty and dismissive of actual facts. On the other hand, I am a Democrat who feels Obama could have done so much more, and didn't.
The polls showObama winning by at least 1% amongst all the ones performed. I disagree with the polls.
Obama vs. McCain Round One:
While I was hoping to give this debate three rounds, it simply wasn't meant to be. As the debate begins Obama comes out strong on the bailout plan:
"No. 1, we've got to make sure that we've got oversight over this whole process; $700 billion, potentially, is a lot of money.
No. 2, we've got to make sure that taxpayers, when they are putting their money at risk, have the possibility of getting that money back and gains, if the market -- and when the market returns.
No. 3, we've got to make sure that none of that money is going to pad CEO bank accounts or to promote golden parachutes.
And, No. 4, we've got to make sure that we're helping homeowners, because the root problem here has to do with the foreclosures that are taking place all across the country. Read more about the expectations"
With McCain siding with the House Republicans' initial plan for less regulation, less corporate taxes and lowering the capital gains tax it is apparent he doesn't realize that that is the exact recipe that got us in this mess in the first place.
"And (I) have no doubt about the magnitude of this crisis. And we're not talking about failure of institutions on Wall Street. We're talking about failures on Main Street"
It is obvious how out of touch McCain is with a statement like this. While "Main Street" can take some of the blame for our crisis, it is, in the end, the investment banks & lending institutions that approve loans. The crisis roots in their inability (thanks to no regulation) to vet the borrowers' ability to pay timely as well as passing around debt with far too little care on what happens in the long run. It is also failures of the Bush Administration to put taxes on shipping jobs overseas to encourage more growth at home. Adding to this the investment banks lack of oversight and extreme corporate greed, you have a recipe for the disaster we currently have. These three factors played a roll in our current crisis and McCain just doesn't get it. While he claims he wants oversight, his actions speak to the opposite. Let's not forget that McCain didn't even bother to read the 2 and a 1/2 page Paulson document until Wednesday of last week. He was making opinions on the crisis situation as if he had read it, but when pressed admitted he would have to get back to the reporter.
It is also important to note that in the opening question McCain decides to tell his first lie of many:
But there's also the issue of responsibility. You've mentioned President Dwight David Eisenhower. President Eisenhower, on the night before the Normandy invasion, went into his room, and he wrote out two letters.
One of them was a letter congratulating the great members of the military and allies that had conducted and succeeded in the greatest invasion in history, still to this day, and forever.
And he wrote out another letter, and that was a letter of resignation from the United States Army for the failure of the landings at Normandy.
Not only is this a bold faced LIE...but it is so widely known to be a false claim, that this, once again, shows how out of touch with the truth John McCain is.
It is also important to note that McCain claiming move oversight on Wall Street prompted Obama's first invocation that John McCain is "absolutely right." While I know some debate analysts will claim this is a bad debate tactic, I disagree. I think one candidate showing that they have the ability to think the other is right on some issues is noble and NORMAL. John McCain, I believe, did not claim Obama was right on ANYTHING the entire night. Not only is this the "Old Boys" way of thinking, it speaks volumes on his current stance on bi-partisanship. This is a different McCain from 2000. This McCain continues to scare me.
After a few minutes of all talk and no substance by both candidates, McCain had this gem to lay out to the American people:
"You know, we spent $3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana. I don't know if that was a criminal issue or a paternal issue, but the fact is that it was $3 million of our taxpayers' money. And it has got to be brought under control."
Now, I don't know if the bears needed their DNA studied or not, but what I do know is that John McCain himself voted FOR the legislation containing this study. Again this shows that McCain continues to use poor judgement in his attacks against the 'system.' A clear point that needs to be made is the change in John McCain since the year 2000. He is no longer the maverick voting against his party. He has gotten more conservative as he's gotten older, not less. John McCain outright panders to the "evangelical right" (as an example) even though he's made direct attacks against them years ago. My real fear is, "Which John McCain do we get, old John McCain or the older John McCain?"
Obama: Let's just be clear. What I do is I close corporate loopholes, stop providing tax cuts to corporations that are shipping jobs overseas so that we're giving tax breaks to companies that are investing here in the United States. I make sure that we have a health care system that allows for everyone to have basic coverage. I think those are pretty important priorities. And I pay for every dime of it. Now let me be clear on this one. The plan Obama currently has for public view does NOT appear to "pay for every dime of it." Obama did an excellent job of fending off the "Raise your taxes" attacks from Mr. McCain. He did so without admitting he is raising taxes (on the rich). Great debate tactic and kept the lie of earlier at even. While Obama DOES pay for the new projects that he proposes he fails to let the public know that he is inheriting a $700+ billion dollar deficit (thanks to Bush, the former rubber stamp congress and Iraq) and Obama needs to update his plan to account for the deficit.
Don't get me wrong, I feel Mr. Obama will do this but he needs to get more specific on spending cuts, capital gains tax increases, and more importantly, taxing companies who ship jobs overseas. This worker tariff tax could very well solve our national debt over the next few years. And if it didn't, it would create a huge amount of new American jobs, give us a better sense of national pride in our own products and give the world the view that we can still do it on our own now and then! Allowing companies like former CEO, Dick Cheney's Halliburton, to move their home base to Dubai just to avoid taxes should NOT BE ALLOWED. Especially when this company was given NO BID CONTRACTS in Iraq to do work on behalf of the American people.
McCain wants to make Bush's tax cuts permanent and his tax plan actually rewards companies for shipping jobs overseas. McCain's tax plan gives all corporate players tax cuts without any stipulations that give punishment to corporations for shipping jobs overseas. I'm not an accountant, but I'm pretty sure that giving Corporations tax cuts should come with stipulations. If the government is scratching YOUR back...then you should be scratching the American people's backs in return.
Debate Tracker: Round 1 on Economics goes to BarackObama.
McCain vs. Obama Round Two:
I ended up having to split this debate up into two rounds instead of the three I originally wanted. It was a little less than halfway through that the debate shifted to Foreign Policy. This is where McCain gets angry and nasty and Obama is too timid on some responses.
I think the lessons of Iraq are very clear that you cannot have a failed strategy that will then cause you to nearly lose a conflict. Our initial military success, we went in to Baghdad and everybody celebrated. And then the war was very badly mishandled. I went to Iraq in 2003 and came back and said, we've got to change this strategy. This strategy requires additional troops, it requires a fundamental change in strategy and I fought for it. And finally, we came up with a great general and a strategy that has succeeded.
While McCain centered his Iraq policy around the Surge, Obama maintains the position that it was the poor judgement of leaders in Congress, like John McCain, that got us into a war based on lies in the first place. Unfortunately, the presentation by McCain was sharper and I think resonated a good knowledge on the subject.
Senator Obama said the surge could not work, said it would increase sectarian violence, said it was doomed to failure. Recently on a television program, he said it exceed our wildest expectations.
Let's be clear here. The surge was not and is not a complete success. While there was not an increase in sectarian violence, there was not a lessening of it, either. Never forget that we are paying off the Iraqis to not fight. A move that is politically motivated to help maintain peace until after the election. The sunnis and shi'a are still on the brink of a civil war. While I feel the surge was a great initial strategy, the list of goals originally proposed has still to be completed in a timely fashion. The Sunni Awakening has a lot to do with helping the short term success of the Surge appear to work. However, it hasn't. What it DID do was reduce U.S. troop death averages. I am totally glad it did, but we need to be thinking of the Iraqis as well as ourselves in this conflict. With over 100,000 Iraqi's dead and the countrymen and women still maintaining a 300-500 person death toll per month since the surge, a phased redeployment is obviously needed to get the Iraqis to stand on their own.
Senator Obama is the chairperson of a committee that oversights NATO that's in Afghanistan. To this day, he has never had a hearing.
Despite the truth being on Obama's side throughout much of the debate, John McCain still came off better when it came to foreign policy. Unfortunately, the McCain lies appeared to be truth and the likelihood of normal America researching the truth is very low.
Because of his haughty and almost angry debate style John McCain lost the economic battle against BarackObama. Ironically, the very same debate style is what led Mr. McCain to win the second round of the debate. Mr. Obama came off as cerebral, but he was not tough enough to call out McCain's lies and didn't have enough substance to offer himself.
Debate Tracker: Round 2 on Foreign Policy goes to John McCain
Conclusion:
In my opinion, last night's debate was a tie.
Obama showed his strength on the economy and silenced the critics who felt he would be severely beaten on Foreign Policy. While Mr. Obama did not win the debate on foreign policy, he showed that he has a plan and will make sure it gets executed. Mr. Obama did a far better job at telling the truth than his opponent. While some figures were off and "families" should have been used instead of "people," the list was very minor. Due to this, I believe Mr. Obama showed himself to be very presidential and maintaining a presidential sense of integrity and gave him Round 1.
John McCain showed his strength with several harsh and haughty responses. A lack of direct contact with Mr. Obama, which some may have seen as disrespectful, I saw as a smart move to keep Mr. Obama on the defensive during the entire foreign policy segment. It was this harshness 'street fighter' mentality that helped him in the end. Most of the American people will likely see him winning the debate on Foreign Policy. While I do not feel his tactics are right for (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb) Iran & the rest of the world, there is no doubt he is driven in his desire to resolve foreign affairs. Mr. McCain did an excellent job of making Mr. Obama seem almost too reserved at a few key moments later in the debate. Mr. Obama needed to win at the podium, not in the fact check later. This is why I give John McCain round 2.
Congratulations on both Candidates for winning a round. I have major policy differences with John McCain, but I'm not so blind that I cannot see where he performed well.
What's next?
On Thursday, October 2nd, 2008, VP candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin will participate in a debate that will likely cover a large amount of topics. While most of the country is anticipating a blood bath, I am not. Sarah Palin will show up poised, knowledgable, and confident thanks to McCain's strong finish last night.
Do not be fooled into believing she will mess up. Instead, focus on her policies and the way she could shape the country. It doesn't take long to realize that Sarah Palin is more like George W. Bush than even McCain is. Her lack of experience is real, but she will be trying to hide that the entire evening. I feel Palin will be successful unless the moderator actually follows up on questions and encourages answering the question with something other than the memorized responses.
The problem with that is that Biden will be put into the same spot. While I like Joe Biden and feel he is the most qualified of the entire bunch to be President, he has gaffe issues and sometimes doesn't think before answering.
Here's the list of lies and how much they weigh:
McCain's Debate Lies, Half Truths and Exaggerations Lie: 1 McCain Obama said McCain adviser Henry Kissinger backs talks with Iran “without preconditions,” but McCain disputed that. In fact, Kissinger did recently call for “high level” talks with Iran starting at the secretary of state level and said, “I do not believe that we can make conditions.” After the debate the McCain campaign issued a statement quoting Kissinger as saying he didn’t favor presidential talks with Iran.
Lie: 2 McCain McCain and Obama contradicted each other on what Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen said about troop withdrawals. Mullen said a time line for withdrawal could be “very dangerous” but was not talking specifically about “Obama’s plan,” as McCain maintained.
Lie: 3 McCain McCain tripped up on one of his signature issues – special appropriation “earmarks.” He said they had “tripled in the last five years,” when in fact they have decreased sharply.
Lie: 3.5 McCain (McCain's healthcare gaffe is only worth 1/2 point) McCain misrepresented Obama's plan by claiming he'd be "handing the health care system over to the federal government." Obama would expand some government programs but would allow people to keep their current plans or chose from private ones, as well.
Lie: 4.5 McCain (here's where a simple Google search would have prevented) McCain claimed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had drafted a letter of resignation from the Army to be sent in case the 1944 D-Day landing at Normandy turned out to be a failure. Ike prepared a letter taking responsibility, but he didn’t mention resigning.
Lie: 5.5 McCain McCain claimed that Admiral Mullen suggests that "Senator Obama's plan is dangerous for America." It is important to note that this was a particularly heated exchange between the two and McCain appeared to win the exchange with an outright falsity.
Lie: 6.5 McCain McCain brought up that he went against President Bush when it came to torture. This is not true. While McCain was outwardly spoken against torture, in the end he voted AGAINST the bill that would ban waterboarding as an interrogation tactic.
Lie: 7.5 McCain McCain again repeated the claim that we send "$700 billion to foreign country's that don't like us very much." The number is actually $536 billion. Normally I would let this go as a 1/2 point, except one third of that money is sent to the U.K. (ally), Canada (ally) and Mexico (ally). A slap in the face to our 3 best allies.
Lie: 8 McCain (Would have not counted it at all, except he's repeating lies that have already been debunked a while back - 1/2 point) McCain repeated the false insinuation that Obama opposed naming Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
Lie 9 McCain McCain was went too far when he said, "I saved the taxpayers $6.8 billion by fighting a contract that was negotiated between Boeing and DOD that was completely wrong. And we fixed it and we killed it." McCain did lead a fight to kill the contract, and the effort ended in prison sentences for defense contractors. But the contract isn't exactly "fixed" yet. In fact, questions have been raised about the role McCain has played in helping a Boeing rival secure the new contract.
Lie 10 McCain McCain said Obama was against storing nuclear waste. That's very obviously not his position. Obama's official position has always been that he does support safe storage of nuclear waste.
Lie 11 McCain McCain stated, "I have voted for alternate fuel all of my time. ... No one can be opposed to alternate energy." But McCain's record says differently. He has voted against funding for alternative energy on 11 occasions. He may be in favor of alternative energy in theory, but he has declined opportunities to support it.
Obama's Debate Lies, Half Truths and Exaggerations Lie: 0.5 Obama (no such increase is in Obama's current plan and the legislation voted for would not actually tax the single taxpayer without further legislation being written, so as it stood the taxing of that bracket did not take place in that particular vote - 1/2 point) Obama denied voting for increased taxes on “people” making as little as $42,000 a year, as McCain accused him of doing. McCain was right, though only for single taxpayers. A married couple would have had to make $83,000 to be affected by the vote, and anyway no such increase is in Obama’s tax plan.
Lie: 1 Obama (a dumb mistake that was true not long ago - 1/2 point) Obama claimed Iraq “has” a $79 billion surplus. It once was projected to be as high as that. It’s now down to less than $60 billion.
Lie: 2 Obama Obama said 95 percent of “the American people” would see a tax cut under his proposal. The actual figure is 81 percent of households.
Lie: 2.5 Obama (saying employers instead of employees is more of a gaffe than a lie and since McCain made his own 'gaffe' on healthcare we will call it even) Obamamischaracterized an aspect of McCain’s health care plan, saying “employers” would be taxed on the value of health benefits provided to workers. Employers wouldn’t, but the workers would. McCain also would grant workers up to a $5,000 tax credit per family to cover health insurance.
Lie: 3.5 Obama Obama said that McCain had voted 23 times against alternative energy.
"If the campaign has nothing to hide....why are they hiding so much?"
The lack of original thought process by Sarah Palin is mind boggling and very worrisome to me. The repeating of talking points over and over when asked the same question is an interview style that seems full of ignorance and disdain for the interviewer. Katie was as nice as she could be but it's still apparent she lacks confidence in the Gov. from Alaska. This is likely due to the fact that she hasn't had a real interview (including her own) where she answered any REAL questions with original answers that could show the ability to formulate her own opinion.
The Karl Rove Plan:
While Palin is doing the best she can to learned the canned answers from the McCain campaign, Karl Rove has a different plan. Karl Rove is a genius. He may be an EVIL genius, but an evil genius is still a genius.
Karl Rove has plans and then backup plans. His plan to keep Palin giving softball interviews and still coming up with ignorant responses is just that, a plan. He is lowering the American public's expectations of Sarah Palin. He is doing so in hopes that she comes out in the debates and does a really fine job. Karl Rove's plan may work. This would lead to the thinking, "Wow, she's not as stupid as she appears to be" to take hold of the American public.
Karl Rove's backup plan is being seen this week. He is preempting the possibility of postponing the debate with Mr. Obama on Sept. 26th, 2008. He did this in hopes that Obama would give in and they could use the VP debate slot and give Palin extra time to do her homework. While this backup plan appears to be backfiring, the main plan is still in effect.
The debates:
The debates are upon us and soon we will learn what kind of men & woman Obama, Biden, Palin & McCain really are. I am satisfied with the moderators and feel we can learn a lot. Jim Lehrer, Tom Brokaw, Bob Schieffer and Gwen Ifill (VP debate) are all excellent and fair moderators. I do not believe this will be an issue this year. The lack of follow-up may still be.
It will be interesting to see how each moderator handles the follow up issue. We all know that the lack of follow up has taken us down a dark road in the past with Iraq and even the Sarah Palin pick itself. Will these moderators make the tough choice of being TOUGH? I doubt it. We will likely see the same old cherry picking of questions and lingering responses that plagued the last 3 election cycle debates. Sure there's a timer...but it won't be used.
I certainly hope that each moderator makes appropriate follow up questions and calls each candidate out if they don't answer the question. Don't let them get away with talking points! This goes for Obama/Biden as well! I want real answers from real people about real issues.
The "I get to meet Obama" Update:
My wife, my mother and myself will be volunteering at the Obama/Biden rally in Greensboro, NC this weekend. I will have the greatest honor of meeting Mr. Obama and shaking his hand. I look forward to this and hope to see any of you NC readers there!
The event is free to the public on a first come/first serve basis so BE THERE EARLY!
236 E. Washington Street - In front of the J. Douglas Gaylon Depot Greensboro, NC Saturday, September 27th Gates Open: 10:00 a.m. Program Begins: 12:15 p.m.
Parking Information: Attendees are recommended to park in City of Greensboro parking garages which are free on Saturdays and are located at:
Greene Street at Washington Street Davie Street at Market Street Bellmeade Street at Greene Street N. Church Street between Friendly and East Lindsay
Street Closures: Event participants should enter through gates off of Elm Street. Streets will be closed surrounding the Depot starting Friday, September 27th, at 6:00 p.m. Additional street closures will begin Saturday morning, September 27th, at 6:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m., and will affect the blocks of:
Davie and McGee Davie and Washington Davie Street to Market Washington Street from Davie to Lyndell Street Church Street from Washington to Market Lyndell Street to Market Hughes from Church to Lyndell
Closures should affect traffic patterns from 6:00 am Saturday September 27th, through 3:00 p.m. Traffic may be congested in the area through 6:00 p.m.
Timothy John Russert, Jr. (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) - Journalist, Patriot, Hero: Tim Russert was an American journalist who hosted NBC's Meet the Press. He was NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief and hosted a weekly interview program on MSNBC. He was a frequent correspondent and guest on NBC's The Today Show and Hardball. He co-hosted the network's presidential Election Night coverage and presented the polling results of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey on the NBC Nightly News. Russert collapsed and died at his office in Washington on June 13, 2008.-Wikipedia
Tim will be missed by not only the journalists and politicians in Washington, but also us bloggers and all people who cared about current events. He affected each and every one of us, Democrat or Republican. His uncanny ability to be "fair and balanced" held the standard by which every journalist should follow. Tim was incredibly articulate in a way that even the most uneducated and ignorant could understand his interviews. I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to watch his show, see his analysis on television and read his articles from the multiple outlets of coverage that he would provide. He was a wonderful father, a wonderful journalist and a wonderful patriot.
Reading the extremely intelligent articles that Tim has written over the years is one of the reasons I started this blog. Seeing the impact that he had on the people around me, my country and even the world through his writing helped inspire me to become the dedicated and political savvy person I feel I am. His stress on education, rights to free speech and the importance of family, in time, may seem like just a blip in the history of Mankind...but I hope will have a lasting impact by creating a standard by which all of us can and should live by.
While sitting at home switching between the networks fighting back the tears of despair that filled my heart I came across an incredibly disrespectful situation that I feel must be made public. I hope that in posting this I can open some blind eyes to the disrespectful nature of the station that was once known as "Fox News."
Faux News:
I say "once known as" because I used to switch between CNN, CSPAN, Fox News & MSNBC as a budding political junkie. After switching between all of them I began noticing a clear bias that stemmed from Fox News towards the conservative republican side of the fence. It was clear that not only would they have more Republicans on their programs, but they would allow them to go entirely too far in the things that they say:
That is one example of the tasteless filth that Faux News actually considered "Fair and Balanced" reporting. Not only have there been MANY examples in the past...
...but the complete lack of contempt for anything that is said on their precious network is appalling and should be reprimanded.
Faux News Disrespects Tim Russert:
As I stated earlier, I was flipping through the major news channels catching up on the news of the death of Tim Russert. I held steady on CNN for a bit until they went to commercial and then I switched to MSNBC. I did this with plans of switching between the networks at every commercial so that I could, in essence, have commercial free coverage of this historic event. Commercials never came on MSNBC. I watched for a long while with great coverage including Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters and Pat Buchanan. I began noticing the backgrounds of Tim Russert's past shows, interviews and hand shakes included politicians from all different persuasions. I remember thinking to myself "Wow, this guy knew and got along with everyone!"
It was then I remembered I wasn't switching through the networks anymore. So I switched to Faux News. Commercial. I flipped to CNN for a bit and then back to Faux News. Commercial. I switched over to MSNBC for a few minutes and again switched back to Faux News. COMMERCIAL. "What???," I said out loud. I thought, "Fine, I will wait until it comes back on." I began doing some house chores. SEVEN commercials later and we were back to the news with good ole ex-CNN morning show host, Bill Hemmer. I heard laughing. LAUGHING? Surely not...so I begin to pay attention. Sure enough, Bill Hemmer is on the phone with former Governor George Pataki (R-NY) and they are laughing? From what I could gather they were referencing a humorous moment in the intersected life of Pataki and Russert.
I held fast...determined to find some good information from what I consider a naughty and nastily biased news network. I didn't. What I DID find was so incredibly biased and disrespectful towards such an UNbiased and widely respected journalist that I got up and headed straight here to make this post.
Faux Backdrops Heard Round the World:
A great man has died. His body still being examined. His family still in shock. The country still in shock. Yet Faux News...being the "Fair and Balanced" network that they are...has decided to run the most biased side show I have ever seen.
While watching the coverage of Tim Russert's death on Faux News, I noticed Republican after Republican were interviewed, questioned and asked for their experience on Tim Russert. Almost all of them spoke of how objective and unbiased he was. While these Republicans were speaking (most with the utmost respect), Faux News was putting their own backgrounds on the screen. These backgrounds consisted of the following:
Tim Russert with George W. Bush. Tim Russert with John McCain. Tim Russert with George H.W. Bush. Tim Russert with Rudy Giuliani. Tim Russert with John McCain. Tim Russert with Bill O'Reilly. Tim Russert with Fmr. Gov. Pataki. Tim Russert with John McCain. Tim Russert with George W. Bush Tim Russert with John Stack (Faux News Vice President) Tim Russert with Dick Cheney Tim Russert with John McCain. Tim Russert with Chris Wallace.
Shocked and for lack of a better phrase, "surprisingly surprised," I turned it back to MSNBC. It almost seemed like the producers were using this opportunity (the death of a well respected journalist known for his nonpartisanreporting) to stump for John McCain!
I just couldn't believe it.
A man who lived the greater part of his life being objective and unbiased. A man who lived the last years of his life playing hardball with politicians, from Bill Clinton to John McCain to Barack Obama to George W. Bush. A man who prided himself in doing his job SO WELL that even the closest of his friends had no idea what his political persuasion was.
A man who had just died suddenly...portrayed, through backdrops, the exact opposite of the type of man he was and wanted other journalists and news networks to be.
Shameful, disgraceful...TYPICAL of Faux News.
Mr. Tim Russert, wherever you may be, I wish you eternal happiness and my thoughts are with your family to get them through what will be a very rough time. I want to thank you for all that you have done for journalism, cable news & the hearts and minds of all whose lives you touched with your loving and sincere demeaner. You have made Meet the Press a legend. Your political analysis and objective opinions will be with us forever and always.
I grow weary of hearing about how Barack Obama is breaking his campaign promises.
NEVER FORGET and LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES: 99.9% of ALL Americans think the picture on the left is HORRIFIC and DID NOT APPROVE of the circumstances. However, now is not the time to, once again, lower our status with the middle east, not to mention the entire world. Wait till our troops get out of Iraq & Afghanistan...do not release damaging pictures until that is complete. Let's hope it's soon.
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