Turn Left @ hypocrisy.com

In the end, it wasn’t even close. I had spent the two days before the election glancing at headlines that read things like: ‘polls tightening,’ ‘McCain gains ground,’ ‘Obama’s lead shrinks,’ but refusing to read the verbiage attached to them. I really began to worry that John McCain might actually be our president, bringing with him the dreaded (and dreadful) Sarah Palin. But that is not what happened. On November 4, 2008, a new chapter in American history was written when we elected our first African-American president, Barack Obama. It was so easy to get caught up in the euphoria because the Obama voters crossed all ethnic and racial lines - it was clearly a mandate for change. Obama simply rolled to victory.

My vote was never in question because I’m a Democrat and I firmly believe that - between the two men left standing - Barack Obama is the best man for the job. The bitter remnants of the John McCain camp can blame Sarah Palin for his loss all they want, but let’s remember that McCain chose Palin as his running mate. It’s also time for the McCainiacs to face the fact that he could barely differentiate himself from George W. Bush, whose popularity is - to put it bluntly - in the toilet (and rightfully so). Yet, in spite of the fact that I believe Barack Obama can improve the dismal state of our nation, is he enough of a progressive? There are issues where I, well, have issues with his positions. I was recently asked by a friend who reads my blogs if I intended to “quiet down and give Obama a chance.” It took me about two seconds to answer, and my answer was “no.” If Barack Obama is everything he says he is, he will embrace the opinions of the American people.

Aside from the the economy, which should be Obama’s priority, there are other clear-cut issues he must address in his first 100 days. The Bush administration has done extensive damage to civil rights in the name of fighting the shadow ‘war on terror.’ The biggest blight on America’s reputation is the illegal and immoral Guantanamo Bay. This has been the Bush administration’s playground for creating a whole new system of cowboy justice that violates US Constitutional and international law. Obama himself has pledged to close this facility. In 2006 he stated, “I have faith in America’s courts and in our JAGs. As President, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act, and adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Our Constitution and our Military Code of Justice provide a framework for dealing with terrorists.”

That being said, remember that this is a hot potato issue. Obama runs the risk of alienating some conservatives, but he must be held to his word. The inhabitants either have to be charged and sent to prisons to await trial or released. Those who are charged must also be given access to legal representation. There’s no question that some unsavory characters will be released. However, we cannot hold these so-called ‘enemy combatants’ for what they might do. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) believes that Obama will deal with the issue of Guantanamo fairly quickly. However, she intends to introduce legislation to close the facility early next year anyway.

There are other civil rights issues Obama must deal with. First and foremost, he must outlaw torture in all its forms and make sure that the United States abides by the rules of the Geneva Conventions. Then, there is the Patriot Act. President-elect Obama wants to rewrite it. There is no place for such an act in a free and open society. Nobody, neither the FBI nor the CIA, should be given unrestricted access to the financial and medical files of US citizens. The Patriot Act should not be rewritten. It should be abolished, repealed, and as soon as possible. The illegal wiretapping and Internet surveillance of American citizens must stop, and the retroactive immunity given to the telecoms who took part in this Bush fiasco must be revoked.

The issues of Iraq and Afghanistan are also areas where I have differing opinions from president-elect Obama. In 2003, Obama voted against the decision to invade Iraq, calling it a “dumb war.” In a February 2008 victory speech in Texas, Obama said he’d end the war in 2009 if elected, but what exactly does that mean? He has also said he will bring troops home over a sixteen- to eighteen-month period, meaning that troops will be in Iraq well past 2009. What is even more disturbing to me is that Barack Obama wants to redeploy troops to Afghanistan where, he says, the true cradle of terror lies. Afghanistan is a quagmire, and nobody really knows why were are there. We were supposed to be going after Osama bin Laden after the 9-11 attacks, but that turned out to be another Bush lie. Why are we in Afghanistan? And can we effectively fight terrorism by fighting a war?

In addition to getting out of Iraq, we must pay reparations for the harm we have done there. If Iraq did not have oil, it’s unlikely that we would have invaded. This was George Bush’s attempt to privatize Iraq’s oil supply. More than a million innocent Iraqis have died as a result of our occupation. Millions more have been displaced. We have left destruction and devastation in our wake. To add insult to injury, the contractors we have hired to ‘rebuild’ Iraq have fleeced our government out of billions of dollars and constructed buildings that are, in some cases, uninhabitable. Our reputation as a fair and just nation is at risk here, and Barack Obama must see that justice is done.

The separation between church and state has become totally blurred under eight years of Bush rule. In California, the Supreme Court ruled that the 2000 ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. Yet, somehow a Constitutional ban found its way onto the ballot in the 2008 election. The positions our
politicians take on gay marriage are clearly based on their religious ideology. This does not only refer to John McCain and Sarah Palin, but also to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton. While both Obama and Biden support equal rights for gay couples as well as civil unions, neither supports same-sex marriage. What is the difference? The difference is that the word ‘marriage’ is steeped in religion. That is the only difference.

The success of the discriminatory California initiative, as well as similar initiatives in Arizona and Florida, was bolstered by the very public positions that national politicians took on the issue. Regardless of the religious convictions these candidates hold, the issue of same-sex marriage is one of civil rights and upholding the basic tenets of the Constitution. That is the only position they should take on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Dennis Kucinich is the only presidential candidate who got this one right when asked, if elected, would he allow same-sex marriage. He replied, “The answer to your question is yes. And let me tell you why. Because if our Constitution really means what it says, that all are created equal, if it really means what it says, that there should be equality of opportunity before the law, then our brothers and sisters who happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered should have the same rights accorded to them as anyone else, and that includes the ability to have a civil marriage ceremony.” Where in the Constitution does it state that marriage is between a man and a woman? It doesn’t.This is a question of basic civil rights and it does not belong on any state ballot. In fact, it should not be left to the states. This should be a non-issue. Furthermore, since the Mormon Church put up thousands of dollars in support of Proposition 8 in California and even allowed phone bank calls from church property, it clearly violated the separation between church and state, and should immediately lose its tax-exempt status.

Reversing the Bush effect is a huge task and these are certainly not the only issues progressives see as critical. Which issues the president-elect chooses to address and the order in which he addresses them remains to be seen. However, the American people need only look back on the past eight years to be reminded about the danger of becoming a silent partner to the Obama presidency. It appears that we have a president-elect who will listen to the American people. Whether or not this proves to be true, it is incumbent upon all of us to never be silent again.

Sarah Palin declared during her debate with Joe Biden that she was going to take her message directly to the American people. I’ve decided to do the same tonight. I’m not writing about John McCain in the third person. I’m taking my case directly to the Senator himself after watching the third and final debate.

Senator McCain, I’m here to tell you why you do not deserve to lead this nation. You are simply not worthy of the task. Now, of course, the Republican pundits have you winning the third and final debate. Unfortunately, the American people didn’t quite see it that way, and they are all that matters in the final analysis. While you were indeed more aggressive than Barack Obama last night, the fact is that you have no plans. All you do is keep repeating over and over that you are going to bring about change in Washington. What change? Where are your plans? Let’s hear some specifics. You seem to have picked up some of your running mate’s bad habits. Instead of answering the moderator’s questions, you talked around them. It’s a case of Creeping Palinitis. There is no cure for this short of transporting Sarah Palin back to Alaska and obscurity.

Now, let’s address this “Joe the Plumber” guy. It’s all a lie, Senator McCain. You invented him so that you could use him to make your point during the debate. I can never figure out how people like you think you won’t be found out. Today I decided to find out more about Joe the Plumber. I found that he is a registered Republican who just happens to think that Barack Obama is a Socialist. He is also the brother of Charles Keating’s son-in-law. He owes the government back taxes, and he doesn’t even have a plumber’s license. It’s pretty apparent that you are a fraud, Senator McCain. There’s no way to spin it.

There’s also that matter of how low your campaign has gone. Now, you said that there have been some attendees at Senator Obama’s rallys that have worn offensive T-shirts. Let’s talk about your crowd. They yell things like, “kill him,” “terrorist,” or “off with his head” when referring to Senator Obama. Your crowds, Senator McCain, call for blood. Your campaign is out of control, yet you lied during the debate and said you repudiated every attack on Barack Obama. You have not. In fact, you have participated. Today, the day after the debate, your campaign released a ‘robocall’ linking Obama to William Ayers, even after vowing to return to a respectful campaign. At least two of your supporters have spent a considerable amount of time linking Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden, even going to the extreme in suggesting that the campaign should waterboard Senator Obama. And a California group has released a racist, tasteless cartoon of Barack Obama on the face of a food stamp (as opposed to actual currency). Pictured with Obama is some watermelon, a carafe of Kool Aid, some barbecued ribs and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Of course, the perpetrator insists she meant nothing racist by it. I believe she said, “It’s just food to me.” Right. Senator McCain, you are the commander of the ship. Therefore, you are fully responsible for spreading the fear that has dredged up the worst in our society. These people take their cue from nobody but you and your running mate.

Senator McCain, the lowlife campaign you have run in desperation for a win is quite convincing. It’s clear that you are not the right choice to lead this nation back to greatness.

*For those of you who do not know about the Keating Five, It’s unlikely that Senator McCain will fill you in. Please click here for details!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. John McCain is using distraction and drama to try to win the 2008 presidential election because he’s got precious little else to run on. That’s what this whole “suspending my campaign” propaganda is all about. That McCain has told lies since this campaign’s inception is hard to argue. The facts are the facts, and he has been caught in every single one because, frankly, he’s not a particularly good liar either. The night he stood up David Letterman, he was supposed to be putting his country first and flying back to Washington because this whole bail out issue had to be resolved right now. This minute. Instead, he was displaying his incredible lack of judgment by being in the very same studio as David Letterman being interviewed by Katie Couric. To Letterman’s credit, he rightfully embarrassed the Senator. Someone called it a ‘hissy fit’ on Letterman’s part but, let’s face it, John McCain is a liar and got what he deserved.

He’s a liar because the next morning he was still in New York speaking at Bill Clinton’s feel good Global Initiative. He wasn’t in Washington building bi-partisan consensus, which is the outright garbage he tried to feed the American people. John McCain has absolutely no expertise in money and markets. In fact, he has not even demonstrated that he understands the Wall Street problem. He has very little to offer in the way of help and members of his own party said that, when he finally did show up, he was more of a hindrance than anything else. As of Tuesday night, McCain admitted in an interview that he hadn’t even read the two-page requisition for slimy Hank Paulson’s $700 billion dollar blank check. How does it take to read something like that? If you’re challenged, maybe ten minutes. Yet, he wants us to believe he put country first and had to rush back to Washington to solve the problem. He flatters himself because John McCain has proven that he’s not the solution to anything.

John McCain is a liar because he looked the American people in the eye and told them he was “suspending” his campaign. He did not suspend his campaign. The bash Obama ads continued to run. His campaign staff continued to go on air with interviews throughout the day touting their selfless maverick candidate. Suspending a campaign means everything stops. What John McCain should have said to the American people was, “I’m down in the polls and I’m a disorganized candidate. I’ve picked an uniformed, unqualified vice presidential candidate who is embarrassing my candidacy with the interviews she’s giving. So, I’m going to go to Washington to try to get some attention and see if I can get this train wreck back on track. Oh, yeah, I also want to try to avoid the debate if I can.” That would have been much more accurate. I mean, if he’s honest John McCain, let’s just be honest here.

The one thing Senator McCain has done is prove that he lacks judgment on all fronts, particularly in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate. Most inexperienced people get better as time goes on, but Sarah Palin gets worse. Why? Because it isn’t simply lack of experience. She really isn’t all that intelligent. She cannot speak to the issues because she doesn’t understand the issues. She barely has command of the English language. If anybody thinks her interview with Katie Couric was coherent and lucid, I want some of what they are smoking. It was painful to watch from my perspective. I thought Dan Quayle was just about the worst. I was wrong. It can get much, much worse. Oh, by the way, this notion that Sarah Palin represents everyone in small-town America is an insult to those who proudly live there. The American people are much smarter and much more aware than Sarah Palin.

Senator McCain is no leader. Apparently, he has a problem multitasking. He has to suspend a campaign (lie) to go back and deal with the Wall Street debacle? How is he going to run the country? Take a look at the mess his friend, George Bush, is leaving him. We have two wars going absolutely nowhere and people dying every day. Now, we’re fighting the Pakistanis, our supposed allies in the war on terror. We have economic disaster everywhere, not just on Wall Street. People are losing their homes and jobs at alarming rates. We clearly have an energy crisis going on that will need a lot more than the childish “drill, baby, drill” antics on display at the Republican convention. So, how is John McCain going to run this country? I think that’s a valid question at this point. John McCain should show up at the debate to night and put his ideas in front of the American people. Let’s see if he can win their hearts and minds. Let’s see if he has any ideas. Let’s see if he has any solutions to the challenges facing this nation. At this point, make him prove he deserves the job.

Drama after distraction after drama. From the ‘postponement’ of the Republican Convention because of Hurricane Gustav, to choosing Sarah Palin, to calling for the firing of the SEC Chairman, to suspending his campaign so he can fly back to Washington and save Wall Street, to not being able to commit to tonight’s debate…that’s what John McCain is all about. He’s like a child who will do anything for attention, even if it’s negative attention. It’s one thing for a five-year-old to do it. It’s another thing for a 72-year-old who wants to be president of the United States to do it. At McCain’s age, there’s usually something psychologically pathological about it.

One thing became abundantly clear this week: George Will was right. John McCain is not fit to be president of the United States.

There are a couple of things I’m still not sure about since the Republican Convention, both having to do with the American public. First, are they really ready for change? Secondly, do they even have the stomach to deal with the real issues. This is a discussion for another day. There are, however, two things I am absolutely certain of. The first is that John McCain is intent on winning this election at all costs. To hell with what is best for America. At this point, it’s what’s best for John McCain that really matters. What is his master plan? It’s clear that McCain is going to run on innuendo, distortion and lies. And if he is elected, don’t kid yourself, he intends to lead the same way.

Since the convention where Rudy Giuliani led the faithful in the chant of “drill, baby, drill,” the Republican ticket has gone on a bender of nasty innuendos, subtle distortions and outright lies. I bring up drilling because that’s one of the great American lies - we can become energy independent in a flash if we give the utilities more offshore oil leases to not use. Like his predecessor, our present imperial president, it’s hard to tell when McCain is telling the truth. One of the major realizations I had, however, is that no matter how ill-equipped Sarah Palin is to be vice president, John McCain is equally ill-equipped to be leader of what used to be the free world.

John McCain has sold his soul and compromised what few principles he may have had for the presidency, and anyone willing to do that should never have the job. He’ll twist whatever way the wind is blowing to ensure his victory. He continues on with his ‘maverick reformer’ distortion and even includes Mrs. Palin under that mantle. Sure, he’s clashed with his own party on campaign finance reform and spending earmarks, but most of that has been for show. In the late 80s, he got caught with his pants down in an a savings-and-loan influence peddling scheme with Charles Keating, who just happened to be Cindy McCain’s (then Cindy Hensley) business partner. Now, some conservatives wave this off, calling it “ancient history.” I will mention, however, that he got a small slap on the wrist for his transgression, even though some feel he was the most involved of the five senators who took part in what eventually cost the taxpayers $3.4 million. Do you wonder why McCain had the hubris to choose a vice presidential candidate who was already under investigation for her own ethics violations? Hey, it worked for him.

In spite of his continued bragging about fighting lobbyists and special interests throughout the 2008 election cycle, campaign filings show that McCain has accepted more than $100,000 in donations from employees at Greenberg Traurig, the international law and lobbying firm where none other than Jack Abramoff - who has gone from superlobbyist to convicted felon - served as Senior Director of Government Affairs. A listing of McCain’s top money raisers, released on July 15, 2008, reveal that of one-fifth who have brought in the largest amounts (and we’re talking more than $500,000 each) are lobbyists who work for lobbying firms that the ‘reform maverick’ supposedly disdains. None of this is ancient history. It’s all in the present tense and nobody seems to care. Am I surprised at the mainstream media’s lack of understanding? Hell, no. I gave up on them a few years ago. I am, however, shocked at the American people who have had to endure eight years of the worst lying and cheating ever recorded in modern American history. The fact that they could want more of the same may indicate some type of mass pathological illness.

Enter Palin: The reformer from the great white north

The marriage between McCain and Sarah Palin is like some kind of twisted shotgun wedding. If you think McCain’s idea of reform is sick, wait until you get a load of hers. It was Boston’s Tip O’Neill who coined the phrase “All politics is local,” but it’s Sarah Palin who has carried it to the absurd extreme. Once elected governor, she appointed a high-school friend, Franci Havemeister, as head of the $2 million State Division of Agriculture. Even though Havemeister came from a real estate background, she justified her $95,000-a-year position by talking about her childhood love for cows. This is just one of at least five high school friends she’s appointed to positions they were ill qualified for and at salaries far above what they earned in the private sector.

Rather than work with legislators and mayors when preparing her very first budget as Governor of Alaska, Palin worked in secrecy with her budget director and her husband, Todd, an oil field worker for BP who is not even on the state payroll. Together, they cut many millions of dollars of legislative programs to bring the budget in on the desired number. I guess this is reform of some type, although I’m not sure what kind of reform. It seems almost ignorant to isolate those who have to live with the budget every day and open the state government’s business to her spouse. The woman simply cannot seem to figure out the difference between official and personal business or, again, maybe she just doesn’t really care that there’s supposed to be a difference.

One of the reasons McCain chose Palin was to appeal to women, even liberal women. That so many women are opening their hearts and minds to this sneering, snarling, inept woman is an amazement to me. I find her attitude insulting, her politics repulsive, and her lack of knowledge quite frightening for the world in which we live. If you are a woman and a supporter, you really have to question your own sense of values. It is very difficult for women who have been raped to come forward, yet not only does Palin expect a woman to bear the rapist’s child, but she also charges their insurance for the rape kit. This goes beyond being insensitive. In a state where the rape rate is 2.2 times the national average and where 25 percent of all rapes result in unwanted pregnancies, it’s damned inhuman. Palin is against abortion of any kind, even when rape, incest and health of the mother is an issue, yet she managed to cut funding for a program that gets teen mothers back on their feet. Most forward-thinking women in positions of leadership are working toward empowering our younger women to think for and respect themselves, but not Sarah Palin. She’s moving back into the dark ages where patriarchy rules.

Continuing on with her ‘reform’ mantra, she stated to Charlie Gibson that Americans do not want “somebody’s big, fat resumé maybe that shows decades and decades in that Washington establishment where, yes, they’ve had opportunities to meet heads of state.” Palin was, of course, referring to Joe Biden, but somebody should advise her that the statement just as easily applies to John McCain. For most semi-conscious people, a progressive and truly reform viewpoint as well as many years of experience, both national and international, are not mutually exclusive. It doesn’t have to be about corruption and more of the same old lies. Sadly, this is a leap that the McCain-Palin ticket cannot seem to make.

Here’s the latest spin from the Land of Conservatives: Sarah Palin has foreign policy experience! Why? Because Alaska is close to Russia (see map). I’ve been in public relations for nearly 35 years. This little tidbit was offered up on, you guessed it, Fox News…otherwise known as the White House’s personal propaganda machine. Name one other credible news outlet whose mouthpiece would make that assertion. CNN is close, but they aren’t quite at the Fox level yet. Now, of course I can’t be positive, but I’m pretty sure there hasn’t been any contact between Sarah Palin and anyone in Russia. If all it takes to be credited with having foreign policy experience is to live in close proximity of Russia or another foreign nation, then Barack Obama IS MORE THAN QUALIFIED, PEOPLE. I vote that the Republicans continue to let Fox justify McCain’s ill-thought-out decision. It can only help Obama in the long run.

What? Fox doesn’t have enough credibility for you? No worry. Cindy (Barbie) McCain agreed that Palin has foreign policy experience. Yes, that’s right, our potential First Lady has shown how much gray matter she has. Don’t take my word for it, watch the video embedded in the link I provided. Mrs. McCain took it a step further, pointing out that Palin started her political career in the PTA “like everybody else.” Now, for those politicos who don’t know what the PTA is, it’s the Parent-Teacher Association. Got that? The PTA. Let that be a lesson to those who want to get into politics: Start with the PTA. It all seems so clear now.

To Fox, Barbie and John McCain and the rest of the conservatives who are trying to put the spin on this one, guess what? The selection of Sarah Palin is a national joke. It would be funny if it wasn’t such a damned dangerous choice for America. Let’s call it for what it is: It’s pandering at its best. John McCain needs the Christian conservative vote to win this election and he’s determined to win whatever way he must, even if it means selecting someone ill-qualified for the job.

Her own mother-in-law has stated that she doesn’t know what Palin brings to the ticket except that she’s a woman and a conservative. Let’s hope that Americans use their brains because you can bet your life that we’ll all be at risk if she’s forced to take command before McCain’s term is up. I’m not done with Sarah Palin yet. There’s more coming.