Elevator ride turns violent, Senators McCain and Paul clash

Elevator ride turns violent, Senators McCain and Paul clash

Can you believe Barack Obama killed Lehman Brothers? And AIG?

Senator John McCain is one piece of work.  I used to respect him, anyone who gives as much as he has for his country deserves a lot of respect.  The irony for me is that I used to feel that way about Ralph Nader.  Now I think they are both full of crap.  I wonder if they recognize the hypocrisy of their actions, even if they refuse to admit it, but suspect they do not because they would never sleep if they did.

In light of recent events in our financial markets McCain blamed, and you know what’s coming, the Washington establishment caused all of this.  I got this quote from his web site (www.johnmccain.com):

We've heard a lot of words from Senator Obama over the course of this campaign. But maybe just this once he could spare us the lectures, and admit to his own poor judgment in contributing to these problems. The crisis on Wall Street started in the Washington culture of lobbying and influence peddling, and he was square in the middle of it.

Come again?  For months we have been told that Barack Obama didn’t have enough experience in governing, that he had spent only a few years in the Senate and yet he is also responsible for one of the biggest crises in recent memory?  I repeat what I said once before:  If Obama has this much power and can do this kind of thing from the Senate, or the campaign trail, we need to elect him.  Just think of what he can accomplish if given some real power.  Seriously, dude, make up your mind.

But let’s get back to John McCain for a moment.  Let’s think back to the McCain who admitted to Meet the Press that he didn’t really know that much about the economy.  He said it was not his strong suit that and he ‘needed to be educated.’  He also opposed the Dubya tax cuts before he wanted to make them permanent.  McCain promised to run an honorable campaign that would be based on issues and he has done anything but.  He said he would ‘rather lose and election than lose a war’ and said that both the presidential and vice presidential candidates need to be ready to serve on day one.  Had he done any of these things his candidacy would have retained some legitimacy but he has backed out on each of these statements.  Most candidates’ positions change – one could argue that they evolve (or change because of ‘intelligent design’?) – over the course of a career or campaign.  When Democrats do this it is pointed out until we are all sick to death, does anyone not know that John Kerry voted for a certain bill before he was against it?

John McCain has taken this ‘flip-flopping’ to an extreme.  He went from admitting his understanding of the economy wasn’t great to saying it was.  He said we should not bail out failing companies, then we should.  He said the Bush tax cuts were until he decided he liked them.  And because I am redundant, he said Barack Obama was not experienced enough to lead until he was so experienced that he caused our current economic crisis.

People’s attention spans may be short but seriously, get it together.  I don’t agree with anything McCain ’08 has said and that is a sad thing because the McCain that ran in 2000 would  never had gotten my vote but he would have had my respect.

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Where do we go from here?

 

Mllions of Hillary Clinton supporters are asking themselves that question after the former First Lady and junior Senator from NY officially suspended her presidential campaign yesterday.  If you believe her numbers, there are now 18 million people scratching their heads and asking this today.  Even if you do not think this is an accurate number, record numbers of people have voted this year and everyone has a strong opinion.  Moreover, while Hillary’s decision may not have surprised anyone alive and actively following this election but her actions were very carefully choreographed.  Had she dropped out too early, all of her supporters would have been so disenfranchised that they would have either opted not to vote or to support a Republican.  Wait too long and she would have risked doing further damage to the Democrats’ frail sense of loyalty.  Either way, the last thing Hillary wanted was to be the spoiler for her party.  She wants to be able to run again. 

 

The next few months will be very telling for the Democratic party and the country.  Whereas the GOP has made more mistakes over the past seven  years,  the Democrats seem determined to rip defeat from the jaws of victory.  Despite a bad war, bad economy, bad environmental news, Senators McCain and Obama seem to be running virtually neck and neck in most areas.  What’s up with that?  John McCain has voted WITH Dubya nearly 100 per cent of the time and we all can see what his administration would look like.  Barack Obama needs to educate the country.  Sure, he needs to let people get to know him.  Obama’s personal history is very compelling.  He also needs to expose John McCain for the extreme conservative that he is.  Obama doesn’t even need to go negative.  McCain’s voting record will do him in well enough.  In a change election like this one, youth/energy/raw talent should be able to beat age/cronyism/more-of-the-same that is John McCain.  And for the people who really feel they have been left out or that Hillary did not get a fair shake, get over it.  Now.  And do it quickly because we don’t have time to deal with your grief.  It’s funny because so many people have complained that the primary ‘has been so ugly that everyone has been hurt’ but in reality it has been much more tame than the general election would be.

 

Where do we all go from here?  We bury the hatchet – not in each others’ backs – and get down to work to win the election in November.

 

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