Tuesday, October 14, 2008
This tickles me pink. The man who disowned his party at every opportunity is being disowned. The list of conservative intellectuals fleeing from McCain/Palin is long and getting longer. I do not endorse Obama, nor will I vote for him, but I'm glad not all Republicans have short memories.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
A few years ago a book was published called "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (and Al Franken is #37)." The Pendragon got in the act and this year's Republican presidential nominee was #6. In the interest of updating for this year, the Pendragon offers a new list, "Twenty Reasons I Will Never Vote for John McCain (and Sarah Palin is #19)." Those McCain supporters will please note that not a one of them is because McCain or Palin are too conservative, but because either of them is not conservative enough. I am not, nor will I ever be, a liberal. To commence!
20. McCain's age. It sounds cliche, but if, as he undoubtedly hopes, he serves two terms he will be eighty years old when he leaves office. He does not know anything about economics, and he doesn't know how to use email. We're not electing a president for the 1950s; we're electing a president for the 21st-century. Plus, since he is also a four-time cancer patient, the likelihood of him dying in office seems more possible than any president in recent memory, which brings us to #19.
19. Sarah Palin. VP's must be ready to be president. She is not. They must be competent advisors. She is not. She is undoubtedly a likable person but the fact that she has managed not to burn down Alaska in the less-than-two years she has been governor does not mean she can run a country. There are two elements to choosing a president: political agreement is certainly one of them, but the other is basic competence. The third choice might be electoral considerations. Palin fails two of the three. McCain fails the other one.
18. The Pendragon strongly believes whoever wins in November will be a one-termer. I'd rather have Obama for four years and run a real Republican in 2012, than have McCain for a term and then Hillary Clinton in 2012.
17. It's time for the Republican Party divorce itself from the South. We are the party of Lincoln, not Jefferson Davis yet it seems this is all we keep getting.
16. McCain's plan for America is nothing more than John McCain being President. He has no plan for health care, winning the war on terror, or the economy. He just babbles a few words and expects people to fall for it.
15. In 2000, John McCain unleashed bitter attacks on certain conservative Christians because they weren't falling in love with him the way he has come to expect in his narcissistic mind. He has never apologized, preferring to hope it goes away. I have to hand it to him: he is clearly right to bet on the short memories of Christians.
14. Only months after pledging to run a clean campaign, McCain has resorted to personal attacks and name-calling instead of clearly delineating the difference between him and his opponent. His campaign is much more reminiscent of John Kerry.
13. Which reminds me. Has anyone noticed that this is the second time in two election cycles that a longtime senator has run on his war service thirty years ago; has tried to use his rhetoric to overcompensate for a contradictory record; and chose a runningmate based entirely on good looks? I didn't like it in 2004 and I don't like it now. Just one example: McCain voted against Bush tax cuts everytime they came to the floor, but now that he wants to be president, he's Mr. Tax Cut.
12. McCain's morals are certainly not beyond reproach. As a POW, which normally wouldn't matter if he and his minions at FoxNews didn't keep bringing it up, he reaped the benefits of an activist wife, only to dump her for a younger model at the first opportunity. Another link to John Kerry.
11. His temper is legendary. He makes the Senate look unprofessional and that august body boasts Teddy Kennedy as a member. He told a fellow Republican to "f--- off" on national TV. Just the guy we want dealing with annoying foreigners.
10. His abandoning of the campaign trail to insert himself into the debates over the bailout was a selfish ploy for the national spotlight, which introduced volatile politics into an important discussion. And he voted for a version of the plan, laden with the pork he promised he would never use.
9. McCain has no governing experience. A senator is mostly a creature of discussion and debate, who only makes a decision after a lot of talk. A President has no such luxury. Read "The Federalist" for pete's sake!
8. His stance on gay marriage is questionable to say the least. Pseudo-conservatives like it because while he opposes the federal amendment, he supports state amendments. But he's about a century too late for that. If the federal government does not do it, the Supreme Court will strike down any state laws passed. You'd think having been in politics for a hundred years, he'd know that.
7. Judges! The Democrats were filibustering, so Republicans returned George Bush and a sizable majority to Congress to break the deadlock. What did McCain do? He offered the minority Democrats their choice of which judges would be voted on. And thus was Bush's entire second term scuttled at the outset by one who wants to succeed him.
6. McCain's loyalty is utterly to the wrong party. In 2001, he almost capsized slim Republican majority in the Senate by switching parties. Jim Jeffords beat him to it, and the ambitious McCain stayed put. More's the pity. He nearly joined John Kerry's presidential bid in 2004 and more often than not voted with the Democrats. On what does he base his claims to Republican loyalty in November?
5. On his supposed pro-life stance, McCain has waffled throughout the years, to the point of even refusing to talk about it when running for president the first time. He has never been a very outspoken advocate for the unborn and his wishy-washiness on judges suggests he won't be very strong in the future.
4. His "amnesty-by-any-other-name" immigration bill was mostly written by Ted Kennedy. As usual bi-partisanship for McCain means giving the other side everything they want.
3. His stance on Guantanamo? Close it down and turn the terrorists over to the same justice system that lets murderers and rapists walk free every day. Not a winning strategy for war.
2. Campaign Finance Reform. McCain's major legislative effort, ruled unconstitutional by the courts, restricts freedom of speech and has nothing to do with reining in bad spending and corruption.
1. "If we are to have an enemy at the head of the government, let it be one we can oppose and for whom we are not responsible." --Alexander Hamilton.
Is Obama any better? By no means. But at least we can spend the next four years fighting him. Republicans should focus on taking back Congress; the White House is a lost cause.
20. McCain's age. It sounds cliche, but if, as he undoubtedly hopes, he serves two terms he will be eighty years old when he leaves office. He does not know anything about economics, and he doesn't know how to use email. We're not electing a president for the 1950s; we're electing a president for the 21st-century. Plus, since he is also a four-time cancer patient, the likelihood of him dying in office seems more possible than any president in recent memory, which brings us to #19.
19. Sarah Palin. VP's must be ready to be president. She is not. They must be competent advisors. She is not. She is undoubtedly a likable person but the fact that she has managed not to burn down Alaska in the less-than-two years she has been governor does not mean she can run a country. There are two elements to choosing a president: political agreement is certainly one of them, but the other is basic competence. The third choice might be electoral considerations. Palin fails two of the three. McCain fails the other one.
18. The Pendragon strongly believes whoever wins in November will be a one-termer. I'd rather have Obama for four years and run a real Republican in 2012, than have McCain for a term and then Hillary Clinton in 2012.
17. It's time for the Republican Party divorce itself from the South. We are the party of Lincoln, not Jefferson Davis yet it seems this is all we keep getting.
16. McCain's plan for America is nothing more than John McCain being President. He has no plan for health care, winning the war on terror, or the economy. He just babbles a few words and expects people to fall for it.
15. In 2000, John McCain unleashed bitter attacks on certain conservative Christians because they weren't falling in love with him the way he has come to expect in his narcissistic mind. He has never apologized, preferring to hope it goes away. I have to hand it to him: he is clearly right to bet on the short memories of Christians.
14. Only months after pledging to run a clean campaign, McCain has resorted to personal attacks and name-calling instead of clearly delineating the difference between him and his opponent. His campaign is much more reminiscent of John Kerry.
13. Which reminds me. Has anyone noticed that this is the second time in two election cycles that a longtime senator has run on his war service thirty years ago; has tried to use his rhetoric to overcompensate for a contradictory record; and chose a runningmate based entirely on good looks? I didn't like it in 2004 and I don't like it now. Just one example: McCain voted against Bush tax cuts everytime they came to the floor, but now that he wants to be president, he's Mr. Tax Cut.
12. McCain's morals are certainly not beyond reproach. As a POW, which normally wouldn't matter if he and his minions at FoxNews didn't keep bringing it up, he reaped the benefits of an activist wife, only to dump her for a younger model at the first opportunity. Another link to John Kerry.
11. His temper is legendary. He makes the Senate look unprofessional and that august body boasts Teddy Kennedy as a member. He told a fellow Republican to "f--- off" on national TV. Just the guy we want dealing with annoying foreigners.
10. His abandoning of the campaign trail to insert himself into the debates over the bailout was a selfish ploy for the national spotlight, which introduced volatile politics into an important discussion. And he voted for a version of the plan, laden with the pork he promised he would never use.
9. McCain has no governing experience. A senator is mostly a creature of discussion and debate, who only makes a decision after a lot of talk. A President has no such luxury. Read "The Federalist" for pete's sake!
8. His stance on gay marriage is questionable to say the least. Pseudo-conservatives like it because while he opposes the federal amendment, he supports state amendments. But he's about a century too late for that. If the federal government does not do it, the Supreme Court will strike down any state laws passed. You'd think having been in politics for a hundred years, he'd know that.
7. Judges! The Democrats were filibustering, so Republicans returned George Bush and a sizable majority to Congress to break the deadlock. What did McCain do? He offered the minority Democrats their choice of which judges would be voted on. And thus was Bush's entire second term scuttled at the outset by one who wants to succeed him.
6. McCain's loyalty is utterly to the wrong party. In 2001, he almost capsized slim Republican majority in the Senate by switching parties. Jim Jeffords beat him to it, and the ambitious McCain stayed put. More's the pity. He nearly joined John Kerry's presidential bid in 2004 and more often than not voted with the Democrats. On what does he base his claims to Republican loyalty in November?
5. On his supposed pro-life stance, McCain has waffled throughout the years, to the point of even refusing to talk about it when running for president the first time. He has never been a very outspoken advocate for the unborn and his wishy-washiness on judges suggests he won't be very strong in the future.
4. His "amnesty-by-any-other-name" immigration bill was mostly written by Ted Kennedy. As usual bi-partisanship for McCain means giving the other side everything they want.
3. His stance on Guantanamo? Close it down and turn the terrorists over to the same justice system that lets murderers and rapists walk free every day. Not a winning strategy for war.
2. Campaign Finance Reform. McCain's major legislative effort, ruled unconstitutional by the courts, restricts freedom of speech and has nothing to do with reining in bad spending and corruption.
1. "If we are to have an enemy at the head of the government, let it be one we can oppose and for whom we are not responsible." --Alexander Hamilton.
Is Obama any better? By no means. But at least we can spend the next four years fighting him. Republicans should focus on taking back Congress; the White House is a lost cause.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
It's hard to know who is more pathetic...endorsers or endorsees. If it's not Hollywood starlets swooning over Obama, it's loser football players or tough guys making love to McCain.
