Sunday, August 24, 2008
OBAMA CAMPAIGN ENERGIZED
The announcement has been made that candidate Obama has chosen Senator Joe Biden as his running mate, and the two have just appeared on stage together in Springfield, Illinois. They made a highly inspirational tandem in front of an enthusiastic crowd gathered in the candidate’s home state. Biden brought tears to the eyes and tingles to the spines of sympathetic listeners.
Obama’s campaign has seemed to lack energy lately. Perhaps it didn’t, but the media made it appear so. With McCain hitting in short, concise bursts of criticism suitable for sound bites, and Obama replying more at length, there was a disparity in point coverage.
The event sponsored by church of the fundamentalist religious leader, Rick Warren, was something of a fiasco. Warren either lied or was misinformed about McCain not being in the building and in a “cone of silence” as stated. McCain appeared coached. A cloud of suspicion hangs over the event, similar to that about the ages of those Chinese girl gymnasts.
McCain’s answers appeared to be rehearsed, while Obama tended to give a more thoughtful discourse. Evaluations depended upon the kind of voters answering the polls. There are those voters who prefer quick, simple answers to all problems, even if wrong. Others prefer more thoughtful answers that recognize the complexity of issues.
As witness to the above, look at the favorable public response to McCain’s “drill here, drill now” exclamations, even though such action will make no difference in oil supplies or prices for ten years and then only a negligible effect.
This writer was advised several times when he was young, “You can’t reason with a drunk or a fool.” The staccato of McCain’s diversionary, false, and misleading criticisms have been honored by next day responses involving reasoning and logic. As a result, Obama has been losing momentum with some of the voters on the street.
Joe Biden has shown himself capable of handling such distortions, and exposing the weaknesses in the opposition. Immediately he called out candidate McCain on his use of “swift-boat style” dirty campaign tactics he had once deplored.
From this corner, Senator Biden is an excellent choice for vice-president. He will call a shovel a spade in language the working class person understands, while Obama may tend to describe the design and purpose of the shovel.
“How many homes do you and your wife own?” Candidate McCain’s response to the question will haunt him throughout this election. It lends credence to Edwards’ campaign theme of “two different worlds,” and McCain does not live in the same world as most of us.
Candidate McCain lives in the world of those persons with wealth whom he seeks to protect with his tax policies. All the time he is pointing to crowds of ordinary republicans, and TV audiences of all kinds of people, telling them, “Obama wants to raise your taxes!” He knows that is not true.
Perhaps those voters who claim to care about family values will pay some attention to the personal conduct and values shown in the lives of Obama and Biden versus the ticket on the other side. The contrast should be bothersome to them.
Candidate McCain tries hard to keep from assuming the mantle of the republican administration he hopes to take over. His opponents should never let him escape his responsibility as a republican and supporter of the policies of the last eight years. Neither should voters let republicans in Congress escape that responsibility.
What do these responsibilities include other than the misbegotten war based upon lies and the fiscal and moral wreck of the country? Let us not forget the attempt to destroy Social Security through privatizing. Let us not forget the shaping of Medicare to benefit pharmaceutical company supporters of their party. Let us not forget siding with insurance companies against health care for children from families with limited income.
Let us not forget the energy policies written by Vice President Cheney and his oil cronies, including subsidies and favors, high prices, and windfall profits. Let us not forget republicans killing efforts to tax the hedge funds and private equity funds operated by billionaires.
Let us not forget the shipping of jobs overseas, and the failure of corporations to pay their taxes. How about those profitable “no bid” contracts for crony companies in Iraq? Should we mention wounded vets in squalor, prisoner torture, politicizing the U.S. attorney system, or some other things?
These and other “do not forgets,” which will no doubt be prominently featured during the democrat convention. Candidates running as republicans should not be allowed to disavow now the actions and proposals of their own party leaders, or their votes of support.
McCain, who says he supported President Bush more than 95% of the time, should not be allowed to distance himself from that to run in the guise of a maverick.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Obama’s campaign has seemed to lack energy lately. Perhaps it didn’t, but the media made it appear so. With McCain hitting in short, concise bursts of criticism suitable for sound bites, and Obama replying more at length, there was a disparity in point coverage.
The event sponsored by church of the fundamentalist religious leader, Rick Warren, was something of a fiasco. Warren either lied or was misinformed about McCain not being in the building and in a “cone of silence” as stated. McCain appeared coached. A cloud of suspicion hangs over the event, similar to that about the ages of those Chinese girl gymnasts.
McCain’s answers appeared to be rehearsed, while Obama tended to give a more thoughtful discourse. Evaluations depended upon the kind of voters answering the polls. There are those voters who prefer quick, simple answers to all problems, even if wrong. Others prefer more thoughtful answers that recognize the complexity of issues.
As witness to the above, look at the favorable public response to McCain’s “drill here, drill now” exclamations, even though such action will make no difference in oil supplies or prices for ten years and then only a negligible effect.
This writer was advised several times when he was young, “You can’t reason with a drunk or a fool.” The staccato of McCain’s diversionary, false, and misleading criticisms have been honored by next day responses involving reasoning and logic. As a result, Obama has been losing momentum with some of the voters on the street.
Joe Biden has shown himself capable of handling such distortions, and exposing the weaknesses in the opposition. Immediately he called out candidate McCain on his use of “swift-boat style” dirty campaign tactics he had once deplored.
From this corner, Senator Biden is an excellent choice for vice-president. He will call a shovel a spade in language the working class person understands, while Obama may tend to describe the design and purpose of the shovel.
“How many homes do you and your wife own?” Candidate McCain’s response to the question will haunt him throughout this election. It lends credence to Edwards’ campaign theme of “two different worlds,” and McCain does not live in the same world as most of us.
Candidate McCain lives in the world of those persons with wealth whom he seeks to protect with his tax policies. All the time he is pointing to crowds of ordinary republicans, and TV audiences of all kinds of people, telling them, “Obama wants to raise your taxes!” He knows that is not true.
Perhaps those voters who claim to care about family values will pay some attention to the personal conduct and values shown in the lives of Obama and Biden versus the ticket on the other side. The contrast should be bothersome to them.
Candidate McCain tries hard to keep from assuming the mantle of the republican administration he hopes to take over. His opponents should never let him escape his responsibility as a republican and supporter of the policies of the last eight years. Neither should voters let republicans in Congress escape that responsibility.
What do these responsibilities include other than the misbegotten war based upon lies and the fiscal and moral wreck of the country? Let us not forget the attempt to destroy Social Security through privatizing. Let us not forget the shaping of Medicare to benefit pharmaceutical company supporters of their party. Let us not forget siding with insurance companies against health care for children from families with limited income.
Let us not forget the energy policies written by Vice President Cheney and his oil cronies, including subsidies and favors, high prices, and windfall profits. Let us not forget republicans killing efforts to tax the hedge funds and private equity funds operated by billionaires.
Let us not forget the shipping of jobs overseas, and the failure of corporations to pay their taxes. How about those profitable “no bid” contracts for crony companies in Iraq? Should we mention wounded vets in squalor, prisoner torture, politicizing the U.S. attorney system, or some other things?
These and other “do not forgets,” which will no doubt be prominently featured during the democrat convention. Candidates running as republicans should not be allowed to disavow now the actions and proposals of their own party leaders, or their votes of support.
McCain, who says he supported President Bush more than 95% of the time, should not be allowed to distance himself from that to run in the guise of a maverick.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
