Choosing to be Stupid... Or the GOP thinks you're stupid.
This has been bothering me since the end of the Republican National Convention. McCain is neck-in-neck with Obama in the polls, leading him in some cases.
Of course, during the duration of the convention, I was more often than not - angry by the extremely partisan attacks on Obama and Biden; which was compounded by their proclamation of 'We Love Small Towns'.
Lie upon lie upon lie.
Everything that I've seen coming out of the McCain-Palin ads have been utter nonsense, ludicrous. McCain is no longer the Vietnam Vet I respected for his 'maverick' moves up through the middle of this decade. He's a wishy-washy, flip-flopping liar.
Lie One: Obama-Biden would raise taxes on the middle class.
Truth: McCain-Palin would raise taxes on the middle class MORE than Obama-Biden. Obama-Biden would raise taxes on the RICH and END corporate welfare.
Lie Two: The GOP is for Small Towns.
Truth: Utter and complete and outright lies. The American small town has suffered insanely since the invasion of Iraq.
1) We are loosing our neighbors, friends, family in Iraq and Afghanistan. In towns where people know everyone else - we /all/ mourn the losses. And even if you don't know the victim, you know people who do, and you mourn with them.
2) Living in a small town is getting more and more expensive across the board. Most residents of the American Small Town (and Rural Americans) drive twenty to one-hundred miles to work or school (and no, I'm not exaggerating). With gas prices as they are - working is expensive - strike that, living is expensive. In addition, the price of food and essentials are skyrocketing (say 5.00 for a twelve-ounce box of cereal). Plus the Small Business owners are also suffering. That much is obvious with bare shelves and closed doors.
3) The education systems in the Small Town are taking the brunt of the hit. Art, music, language, physical education, sports, etc funding are being slashed. When you can barely make ends meet on your own - you can't afford to help the kids.
4) The elderly are suffering. Because of the high cost of living in a small town and most are on Social Security (and its existence is in doubt), those who don't drive cannot get to the Wal-Marts of the 'big towns', and they pay big money for everything they need.
5) They claim that security is fine in a small town - where you can leave your doors unlocked... Um... No... Our Police and Fire departments are suffering from lack of funding and lack of personnel. And that's besides the point that the crimes that go on in the 'Big City' happen in the Small Town.
Trust me on this one - because this is what I have /seen/ and /experienced/ with my own two eyes. I did graduate from High School in a class whose population was only sixty-three.
Lie Three: Palin has foreign policy experience.
Truth: This one should be flat-out obvious, especially to the cable pundits. Being close to Russia and 'seeing' it and having been in a layover in Ireland is not experience.
Lie Four: Palin is fiscally responsible.
Truth: No. Before her election as Mayor, the Wasilla city budget was balanced. After she left office, the city was 20 million in debt. "Mayor Palin a Master of Bush Economics, Leaves Wasilla $20m in Debt Mayoral performance. Palin, who portrays herself as a fiscal conservative, racked up nearly $20 million in long-term debt as mayor of the tiny town of Wasilla - that amounts to $3,000 per resident. She argues that the debt was needed to fund improvements."
Lie Five: Palin doesn't do earmarks.
Truth: One of the biggest lies of them all! She SUPPORTED the Bridge to Nowhere until it was unpopular (c'mon - 398 million dollars to build a bridge to a town that has only 50 people?). In fact: "People across the nation struggle with the idea of building a bridge because they’ve been under these misperceptions about the bridge and the purpose,” said Palin, who described the link as the Ketchikan area’s potential for expansion and growth. … Palin said Alaska’s congressional delegation worked hard to obtain funding for the bridge as part of a package deal and that she “would not stand in the way of the progress toward that bridge." - Palin, 2006. Not to mention the city of Wasilla got 27 million in /federal/ earmarks while she was mayor - before then, the city got no earmarks. Plus she's asking for 160.5 million for this year, and 198 for next! And this is for a state that has only an estimated 683,478 people! Obama's requests totaled 220 million... For a state with an estimated population of 12,852,548, not to mention that he's not planning on requesting any for 2009 (besides the fact that he's against earmarks).
Lie Six (the lie that annoys me the most): Palin is for women's rights because she is a woman.
Truth: Palin could care diddly about the working women of this country.
1) She is anti-choice, including that of cases of /rape/.
2) Under her mayoral term, she MADE RAPE victims PAY for their RAPE KITS.
Lie Seven: Palin is qualified.
Truth: Um, not really. She graduated with a BA in journalism, became Mayor of a town which then had 5,000 people; then became governor of a State with about 160 million. She's also only been in office for a scant few months. She's also claimed that Obama doesn't have experience working with both parties - which is another lie - in fact he co-authored Public Act 90-0737 in Illinois in which "1998 in the Illinois Senate, Obama cosponsored an ethics overhaul that bars elected officials from using their campaign funds for personal use and and was called the the first major overhaul of Illinois campaign and ethics laws in 25 years. It also bans fundraisers in the state Capitol during legislative sessions. Obama’s Republican cosponsor Kirk Dillard even appeared in an Obama ad last summer describing Obama’s skills working with members of both parties to get legislation passed." (factcheck.org) In addition to others.
Wake up women of the United States. Seriously. Palin is a GOP poster girl, being used in a ploy by the Republicans just to stay in the White House. And that in itself is EXTREMELY sexist. Choosing Palin just because she is a female is choosing to be stupid.
In fact, voting McCain-Palin if you're - poor, working class, student with loans, in the military, on the East and Gulf Coasts, elderly, disabled, small business, in a small town, middle-class tax payer, a driver, a woman, a minority, Muslim, etc - is voting stupid. The truth is literally out there. The powers that be in the GOP believes that YOU ARE stupid America (if they didn't they wouldn't be sticking with telling lies in interviews on national television). Don't prove them right.
Not to mention Karl Rove himself (yes, mastermind behind Bush-Cheney 00 and 04) has weighed in on THAT situation. "Well, McCain has gone in some of his ads -- similarly gone one step too far, and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100-percent-truth test." - Karl Rove
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/mccains_lying_has_gone_too_far.php
Oh, by the way, Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment:
"John McCain says he's about change too, and so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out George Bush -- except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics -- we're really going to shake things up in Washington,'" he said.
"That's not change. That's just calling something the same thing something different. You know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. You know you can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change, it's still going to stink after eight years. We've had enough of the same old thing." - Senator Obama, as quoted by CNN
Plus John McCain used the same statement:
about Hillary!
McCain, you should have gone with your gut and not kowtowed to the far-right. Lieberman was the better choice, and you and I both know it. If it did erupt into chaos that would turn into discussion - that would be a maverick action. Staying with the herd is only... Staying with the herd. If you went with Lieberman, you would have gotten a media reaction that would state "McCain Stretches Across the Aisle" or "McCain isn't going Partisan" "McCain is still Maverick" instead of "McCain is Desperate" After all, you picked someone who didn't know what the Vice President does until just a couple weeks ago.
References:
http://ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/pubact90/acts/90-0737.html (Illinois Public Act 90-0737)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/us/politics/14campaign.html?_r=1&oref=slogin(Obama's earmarks)
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/gop_convention_spin_part_ii.html (showing the truth from the lies. Check it out! And thanks for telling me about it Silver!)
http://obamaforamerica.com (for Obama's positions)
http://www.wikipedia.com (for AK and IL's populations)
The Daily Show <3
The Colbert Report <3
(Seriously watch those shows. They may be labeled as the 'liberal media' but they're 'equal opportunity offenders' - not to mention that they have the cold-hard facts that either party wants you to see.)
Also note - if the Democrats were at the same level of slime-flinging as the GOP, please realize I'd be on their case also. I really don't appreciate insults to my intelligence on any level.
Just please don't vote McCain! If you don't like Obama: vote Bob Barr (Libertarian), Chuck Weil (Constitution), anyone who /isn't/ telling you that you're stupid.
Edit: Oh, by the way, Palin thinks that:
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan." - Sarah Palin
In other words - in her opinion the war is God's will. If they make that the case for Iraq and Afghanistan, we are /totally/ screwed. Plus in the GOP, invading Iran is one talking point... And the cold hard honest truth, the US military is overextended as is, and an invasion of Iran would no doubt break us - and this is me talking as a military brat.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html <-Liek ZOMG! she has a crazy pastor too!
And this is all besides her 'environmentalist' stance. But that's a whole 'nother post entirely. And besides Troopergate and her bullying of a librarian. Will the reasons why Palin is unqualified to be VP ever cease? The world may never know.
Of course, during the duration of the convention, I was more often than not - angry by the extremely partisan attacks on Obama and Biden; which was compounded by their proclamation of 'We Love Small Towns'.
Lie upon lie upon lie.
Everything that I've seen coming out of the McCain-Palin ads have been utter nonsense, ludicrous. McCain is no longer the Vietnam Vet I respected for his 'maverick' moves up through the middle of this decade. He's a wishy-washy, flip-flopping liar.
Lie One: Obama-Biden would raise taxes on the middle class.
Truth: McCain-Palin would raise taxes on the middle class MORE than Obama-Biden. Obama-Biden would raise taxes on the RICH and END corporate welfare.
Lie Two: The GOP is for Small Towns.
Truth: Utter and complete and outright lies. The American small town has suffered insanely since the invasion of Iraq.
1) We are loosing our neighbors, friends, family in Iraq and Afghanistan. In towns where people know everyone else - we /all/ mourn the losses. And even if you don't know the victim, you know people who do, and you mourn with them.
2) Living in a small town is getting more and more expensive across the board. Most residents of the American Small Town (and Rural Americans) drive twenty to one-hundred miles to work or school (and no, I'm not exaggerating). With gas prices as they are - working is expensive - strike that, living is expensive. In addition, the price of food and essentials are skyrocketing (say 5.00 for a twelve-ounce box of cereal). Plus the Small Business owners are also suffering. That much is obvious with bare shelves and closed doors.
3) The education systems in the Small Town are taking the brunt of the hit. Art, music, language, physical education, sports, etc funding are being slashed. When you can barely make ends meet on your own - you can't afford to help the kids.
4) The elderly are suffering. Because of the high cost of living in a small town and most are on Social Security (and its existence is in doubt), those who don't drive cannot get to the Wal-Marts of the 'big towns', and they pay big money for everything they need.
5) They claim that security is fine in a small town - where you can leave your doors unlocked... Um... No... Our Police and Fire departments are suffering from lack of funding and lack of personnel. And that's besides the point that the crimes that go on in the 'Big City' happen in the Small Town.
Trust me on this one - because this is what I have /seen/ and /experienced/ with my own two eyes. I did graduate from High School in a class whose population was only sixty-three.
Lie Three: Palin has foreign policy experience.
Truth: This one should be flat-out obvious, especially to the cable pundits. Being close to Russia and 'seeing' it and having been in a layover in Ireland is not experience.
Lie Four: Palin is fiscally responsible.
Truth: No. Before her election as Mayor, the Wasilla city budget was balanced. After she left office, the city was 20 million in debt. "Mayor Palin a Master of Bush Economics, Leaves Wasilla $20m in Debt Mayoral performance. Palin, who portrays herself as a fiscal conservative, racked up nearly $20 million in long-term debt as mayor of the tiny town of Wasilla - that amounts to $3,000 per resident. She argues that the debt was needed to fund improvements."
Lie Five: Palin doesn't do earmarks.
Truth: One of the biggest lies of them all! She SUPPORTED the Bridge to Nowhere until it was unpopular (c'mon - 398 million dollars to build a bridge to a town that has only 50 people?). In fact: "People across the nation struggle with the idea of building a bridge because they’ve been under these misperceptions about the bridge and the purpose,” said Palin, who described the link as the Ketchikan area’s potential for expansion and growth. … Palin said Alaska’s congressional delegation worked hard to obtain funding for the bridge as part of a package deal and that she “would not stand in the way of the progress toward that bridge." - Palin, 2006. Not to mention the city of Wasilla got 27 million in /federal/ earmarks while she was mayor - before then, the city got no earmarks. Plus she's asking for 160.5 million for this year, and 198 for next! And this is for a state that has only an estimated 683,478 people! Obama's requests totaled 220 million... For a state with an estimated population of 12,852,548, not to mention that he's not planning on requesting any for 2009 (besides the fact that he's against earmarks).
Lie Six (the lie that annoys me the most): Palin is for women's rights because she is a woman.
Truth: Palin could care diddly about the working women of this country.
1) She is anti-choice, including that of cases of /rape/.
2) Under her mayoral term, she MADE RAPE victims PAY for their RAPE KITS.
Lie Seven: Palin is qualified.
Truth: Um, not really. She graduated with a BA in journalism, became Mayor of a town which then had 5,000 people; then became governor of a State with about 160 million. She's also only been in office for a scant few months. She's also claimed that Obama doesn't have experience working with both parties - which is another lie - in fact he co-authored Public Act 90-0737 in Illinois in which "1998 in the Illinois Senate, Obama cosponsored an ethics overhaul that bars elected officials from using their campaign funds for personal use and and was called the the first major overhaul of Illinois campaign and ethics laws in 25 years. It also bans fundraisers in the state Capitol during legislative sessions. Obama’s Republican cosponsor Kirk Dillard even appeared in an Obama ad last summer describing Obama’s skills working with members of both parties to get legislation passed." (factcheck.org) In addition to others.
Wake up women of the United States. Seriously. Palin is a GOP poster girl, being used in a ploy by the Republicans just to stay in the White House. And that in itself is EXTREMELY sexist. Choosing Palin just because she is a female is choosing to be stupid.
In fact, voting McCain-Palin if you're - poor, working class, student with loans, in the military, on the East and Gulf Coasts, elderly, disabled, small business, in a small town, middle-class tax payer, a driver, a woman, a minority, Muslim, etc - is voting stupid. The truth is literally out there. The powers that be in the GOP believes that YOU ARE stupid America (if they didn't they wouldn't be sticking with telling lies in interviews on national television). Don't prove them right.
Not to mention Karl Rove himself (yes, mastermind behind Bush-Cheney 00 and 04) has weighed in on THAT situation. "Well, McCain has gone in some of his ads -- similarly gone one step too far, and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100-percent-truth test." - Karl Rove
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/mccains_lying_has_gone_too_far.php
Oh, by the way, Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment:
"John McCain says he's about change too, and so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out George Bush -- except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics -- we're really going to shake things up in Washington,'" he said.
"That's not change. That's just calling something the same thing something different. You know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. You know you can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change, it's still going to stink after eight years. We've had enough of the same old thing." - Senator Obama, as quoted by CNN
Plus John McCain used the same statement:
about Hillary!
Click to viewMcCain, you should have gone with your gut and not kowtowed to the far-right. Lieberman was the better choice, and you and I both know it. If it did erupt into chaos that would turn into discussion - that would be a maverick action. Staying with the herd is only... Staying with the herd. If you went with Lieberman, you would have gotten a media reaction that would state "McCain Stretches Across the Aisle" or "McCain isn't going Partisan" "McCain is still Maverick" instead of "McCain is Desperate" After all, you picked someone who didn't know what the Vice President does until just a couple weeks ago.
References:
http://ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/pubact90/acts/90-0737.html (Illinois Public Act 90-0737)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/us/politics/14campaign.html?_r=1&oref=slogin(Obama's earmarks)
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/gop_convention_spin_part_ii.html (showing the truth from the lies. Check it out! And thanks for telling me about it Silver!)
http://obamaforamerica.com (for Obama's positions)
http://www.wikipedia.com (for AK and IL's populations)
The Daily Show <3
The Colbert Report <3
(Seriously watch those shows. They may be labeled as the 'liberal media' but they're 'equal opportunity offenders' - not to mention that they have the cold-hard facts that either party wants you to see.)
Also note - if the Democrats were at the same level of slime-flinging as the GOP, please realize I'd be on their case also. I really don't appreciate insults to my intelligence on any level.
Just please don't vote McCain! If you don't like Obama: vote Bob Barr (Libertarian), Chuck Weil (Constitution), anyone who /isn't/ telling you that you're stupid.
Edit: Oh, by the way, Palin thinks that:
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan." - Sarah Palin
In other words - in her opinion the war is God's will. If they make that the case for Iraq and Afghanistan, we are /totally/ screwed. Plus in the GOP, invading Iran is one talking point... And the cold hard honest truth, the US military is overextended as is, and an invasion of Iran would no doubt break us - and this is me talking as a military brat.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html <-Liek ZOMG! she has a crazy pastor too!
And this is all besides her 'environmentalist' stance. But that's a whole 'nother post entirely. And besides Troopergate and her bullying of a librarian. Will the reasons why Palin is unqualified to be VP ever cease? The world may never know.