WARNING! WARNING! THE SOCIALISTS ARE COMING! BARACK OBAMA WANTS TO SPREAD THE WEALTH!
Of all the scare tactics employed in this election season, this latest gambit by the McCain-Palin ticket is among the most ludicrous, and would be amusing if it were not for the seriousness with which some people are fearing Armageddon.
Come on, people. Sharing the wealth has always been an American tradition. Sometimes it’s achieved through the largesse of individuals. On other occasions religious and charitable organizations undertake the task of distributing generous donations collected from individuals and businesses. And frequently, we rely upon government to assist us in spreading around the wealth.
Nor is our socialization limited to sharing the wealth. We’re also a nation given to sharing risk and to collectively carrying the burden of catastrophe or disaster. That’s a major part of what defines us as a civilization.
In a little over a month our community will unite behind one of the most incredible annual acts of generosity in which each of us takes pride - the Annual WLNH Children’s Auction. Literally hundreds of local residents volunteer their time, energy and money to this charitable endeavor, and hundreds more anxiously await the opportunity to bid on items they don’t necessarily want or need, frequently donating them back for resale, or providing them for use by other charitable organizations and groups.
This year each of us will be asked once again to pay a share of our income to support the County Nursing home, committed to ensuring our elderly a safe, secure and healthy life no matter their economic or familial circumstances. I’ve not met anyone who believes we should turn these people out on the streets to fend for themselves.
Each month thousands of seniors in the Lakes Region rely upon a check arriving in the mail from Social Security. Get the name? Social Security? It’s socialism, my friends. We’re all asked to contribute a portion of our income to ascertain that seniors and the disabled are not abandoned to poverty. All of us contribute during our working years to support those generations that came before us, and we expect that ensuing generations will continue that tradition.
And what is Medicare but socialized medicine? Again, we all contribute to the pot because we don’t believe being old should mean being denied health care services that are beyond one’s ability to pay.
Let’s look at insurance. All insurance. The purpose of insurance is to share the risk and the costs. It’s a socialization of risk. I’ve driven an automobile for over forty years, dutifully paying my insurance premiums which have amounted to tens of thousands of dollars. Yet the only claim I’ve ever filed cost the carrier $450 and that was in 1970. Nevertheless, I still regard insurance as an important expenditure.
Rarely does a day pass when I don’t traverse at least a segment of our streets and roadways, crossing bridges, passing beneath viaducts, all on a complex network built by shared contributions.
When I awaken in the morning the first thing I do is flip on the kitchen light and brew a pot of coffee, trusting that electricity will flow into my home unless some dastardly storm or errant vehicle has somehow interrupted the transmission system. Like you, I share in the cost of supporting the nation’s electrical grid, aware that it’s highly unlikely that I’d be able to generate my individual energy needs without incurring monumental expenses.
Within minutes of pouring my first cup of coffee I’m greeted by the outdoor sounds of children heading off to school, another collective cost that we share. Yes, our schools are expensive, consuming a large slice of our local tax dollars, yet few of us fail to recognize that public education is a necessary and valuable investment, providing lifetime rewards.
Over the past five years New Hampshire has sacrificed 23 lives in Iraq and another five in Afghanistan. Laconia residents have contributed in excess of $30 million to the costs of the wars. It’s a collective burden, borne most heavily by those families who’ve lost loved ones, yet apportioned to all of us.
Barack Obama has come to the conclusion that too much of the shared burden has fallen upon the middle class, and that for eight years the Bush administration has shifted much of the onus onto future generations, compiling nearly $5 trillion in debt that will be a millstone around the necks of our children and grandchildren. That kind of irresponsibility must stop.
We face serious and expensive problems, from two wars to crumbling infrastructure, and from energy dependence to a financial meltdown. Fixing these problems is going to be costly and necessary. And it can’t be done by bankrupting the middle class.
So yes, the wealthiest among us are going to have to pay a bit more. That’s the American way. We’re all in this together, sharing the same ship of state. It’s time to set aside the petty bickering and senseless name calling and recognize that each of us has a responsibility for our nation’s future. And if John McCain is so opposed to sharing burdens perhaps he should give up his government funded health insurance and disability pension. After all, he and his wife are worth an estimated $150 million.
Showing posts with label John McCain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John McCain. Show all posts
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
McCain's supporters reveal the dark underside of humanity
Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin are dangerous. They've moved beyond being mere liars and crooks to stoking violence and fascism.
In viewing this video I was immediately reminded of film clips I've seen of Hitler's Brown Shirts. McCain is intentionally appealing to peoples' most base fears and prejudices, inciting hatred and creating an incendiary atmosphere that borders on treasonous.
One can only hope that wiser heads in the Republican Party exert pressure on McCain to halt his destructive campaign before it erupts into tragedy. Otherwise, all Republicans will be held responsible for the acts and behavior of these frightened people fueled by the inflammatory rhetoric of the leaders of their party.
Send a link to this to your family, friends and neighbors, whether they be Democrats, Republicans or Independents. We must stop McCain's and Palin's assault on civility and the rule of law and encouragement of a mob mentality.
In viewing this video I was immediately reminded of film clips I've seen of Hitler's Brown Shirts. McCain is intentionally appealing to peoples' most base fears and prejudices, inciting hatred and creating an incendiary atmosphere that borders on treasonous.
One can only hope that wiser heads in the Republican Party exert pressure on McCain to halt his destructive campaign before it erupts into tragedy. Otherwise, all Republicans will be held responsible for the acts and behavior of these frightened people fueled by the inflammatory rhetoric of the leaders of their party.
Send a link to this to your family, friends and neighbors, whether they be Democrats, Republicans or Independents. We must stop McCain's and Palin's assault on civility and the rule of law and encouragement of a mob mentality.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The American Insult
By Lynn Lagasse
While the focus of attention, debate and criticism continues to center primarily around Sarah Palin, the real issue remains obscure and less tangible to many voters, that being John McCain’s selection of a Vice-Presidential running mate. His motivations stridently defended are a thinly veiled disguise for political grandstanding intended to bolster up a floundering campaign.
Palin’s nomination while pandering to the base, targeted disaffected Hillary supporters yearning for a woman on the ticket and a means to defuse the groundswell of criticism and suspicions of elitism over the discovery of McCain’s eleven or so houses. (Really, after the first five or six does it really matter how many he has?) In this ill advised, unprepared and inappropriate choice, John McCain has dealt the American electorate the ultimate insult and in doing so has revealed his true colors. Motivated whole-heartedly by self-promotion and personal aspirations, John McCain chose marketing over substance, selling out his party, his constituents, his supporters and the American people, not to mention Sarah Palin herself, who is in way over her head but too afraid to blink.
As a campaign strategy, Sarah Palin’s obvious appeal is her astounding success story juxstaposed on a backdrop of “everyman” credentials complete with small town upbringing, beauty queen good looks, working-class lifestyle and family values. When this well woven storyline began unraveling over a daughter’s teen pregnancy and a quarter million dollar annual income the campaign managed to diffuse attention from these facts, by shifting greater focus to Ms. Palin’s maverick credentials, feisty attitude and tomboyish appeal as an avid hunter and outdoors enthusiast. While her well documented hunting exploits are especially appealing to sportsmen, I do not personally know a single hunter whose experience includes hunting from an airplane, helicopter or any other aerial device short of a tree stand, which most real hunters find far too exotic and elitist.
Sarah Palin’s role is more spokes-model for the McCain campaign, providing the perfect vehicle for connecting with average folks by delivering up a brand of plain speak and homespun zingers that John McCain could not possibly pull off. As a matter of fact, Sarah Palin barely gets away with it but she seems to combine all the right qualities of base appeal, gutsy feminism and “uncut gem in the rough” to turn out crowds of so-called supporters but I wonder how many are really supporters or just curiosity seekers.
Hell, I’d be tempted to attend a rally if she came to town just for the sheer novelty of seeing her in person. Chances are I probably wouldn’t find the marketing of Sarah Palin as deeply offending if there were a substantive, informed, prepared Vice-Presidential nominee behind the façade or if she were not so “in your face” with the sassy, girl-next-door, plain speak which I am positive has been coached to grating perfection on the Straight Talk Express.
The last time I heard the expression “Golly-gee,” was on a rerun of the Andy Griffith Show or Gomer Pyle and I can honestly say, I’ve never heard those words used in real life until they came out of Sarah Palin’s mouth. The gosh darnit, geewiz, down-home, back-slappin’, “gettin’ folksy with ya’ll” routine was already wearing thin on me when the final blow was delivered.
An apparent attempt to connect with us common folk down here on Main street, at the kitchen table or wherever else we ordinary people are storied to be found, the McCain campaign has come up with catchy nicknames for the American electorate which Sarah Palin used in addressing us during last week’s debate when she said, “for all you Hockey-Moms and Joe Six-Packs”. My blood immediately began to boil not because of the words used per-se, but because their meaning disclosed the darkest of truths about the McCain campaign. In those words a revelation of how John McCain and the Republican Party view the average American citizen became crystal clear.
These one-dimensional, unsophisticated, over-simplified characterizations describe who the McCain campaign thinks they are speaking to when they ask for your vote. To anyone who remains undecided I say, John McCain does not deserve your respect for his politics, your consideration for his candidacy and least of all your vote for our country’s highest office.
As a registered Independent for 30 years, I voted for John McCain in the 2000 primaries, considering him a man of principles, representing higher ideals in government and non-partisan politics. Admittedly a liberal leaning voter, I enthusiastically became a registered Democrat two years ago and now have absolutely no regrets, remorse or second thoughts about not supporting John McCain. How could anyone support a candidate who would trade our future, our security and our country’s best interests for personal gain, ego and self-promotion? John McCain is an insult to the intelligence of a nation and the dignity of its people.
My support and my vote goes to the candidate that respects the American voter and respects us enough to be honest, clear and straight forward about our circumstances and the difficult choices and sacrifices we will all have to make in the days ahead. The “Dumbing Down” of America encouraged and exploited by the current administration tells us that “The world is a scary place, we should fear evil doers and terrorists who would harm us - but not to worry, go about our business, live our normal lives, don’t be concerned with the war, the economy – they’ll take care of everything”.
Great leaders instead are straight with people, inspire people, ask people to participate in the solution, enabling everyone to be part of the process. I believe that Barack Obama is one of those great leaders who possess the qualities that inspire, unite and build up. In that, there is only one choice for us to make at a time where change in leadership is so desperately needed and only one candidate that can deliver on that tall order – our Democratic Presidential Nominee, Barack Obama.
While the focus of attention, debate and criticism continues to center primarily around Sarah Palin, the real issue remains obscure and less tangible to many voters, that being John McCain’s selection of a Vice-Presidential running mate. His motivations stridently defended are a thinly veiled disguise for political grandstanding intended to bolster up a floundering campaign.
Palin’s nomination while pandering to the base, targeted disaffected Hillary supporters yearning for a woman on the ticket and a means to defuse the groundswell of criticism and suspicions of elitism over the discovery of McCain’s eleven or so houses. (Really, after the first five or six does it really matter how many he has?) In this ill advised, unprepared and inappropriate choice, John McCain has dealt the American electorate the ultimate insult and in doing so has revealed his true colors. Motivated whole-heartedly by self-promotion and personal aspirations, John McCain chose marketing over substance, selling out his party, his constituents, his supporters and the American people, not to mention Sarah Palin herself, who is in way over her head but too afraid to blink.
As a campaign strategy, Sarah Palin’s obvious appeal is her astounding success story juxstaposed on a backdrop of “everyman” credentials complete with small town upbringing, beauty queen good looks, working-class lifestyle and family values. When this well woven storyline began unraveling over a daughter’s teen pregnancy and a quarter million dollar annual income the campaign managed to diffuse attention from these facts, by shifting greater focus to Ms. Palin’s maverick credentials, feisty attitude and tomboyish appeal as an avid hunter and outdoors enthusiast. While her well documented hunting exploits are especially appealing to sportsmen, I do not personally know a single hunter whose experience includes hunting from an airplane, helicopter or any other aerial device short of a tree stand, which most real hunters find far too exotic and elitist.
Sarah Palin’s role is more spokes-model for the McCain campaign, providing the perfect vehicle for connecting with average folks by delivering up a brand of plain speak and homespun zingers that John McCain could not possibly pull off. As a matter of fact, Sarah Palin barely gets away with it but she seems to combine all the right qualities of base appeal, gutsy feminism and “uncut gem in the rough” to turn out crowds of so-called supporters but I wonder how many are really supporters or just curiosity seekers.
Hell, I’d be tempted to attend a rally if she came to town just for the sheer novelty of seeing her in person. Chances are I probably wouldn’t find the marketing of Sarah Palin as deeply offending if there were a substantive, informed, prepared Vice-Presidential nominee behind the façade or if she were not so “in your face” with the sassy, girl-next-door, plain speak which I am positive has been coached to grating perfection on the Straight Talk Express.
The last time I heard the expression “Golly-gee,” was on a rerun of the Andy Griffith Show or Gomer Pyle and I can honestly say, I’ve never heard those words used in real life until they came out of Sarah Palin’s mouth. The gosh darnit, geewiz, down-home, back-slappin’, “gettin’ folksy with ya’ll” routine was already wearing thin on me when the final blow was delivered.
An apparent attempt to connect with us common folk down here on Main street, at the kitchen table or wherever else we ordinary people are storied to be found, the McCain campaign has come up with catchy nicknames for the American electorate which Sarah Palin used in addressing us during last week’s debate when she said, “for all you Hockey-Moms and Joe Six-Packs”. My blood immediately began to boil not because of the words used per-se, but because their meaning disclosed the darkest of truths about the McCain campaign. In those words a revelation of how John McCain and the Republican Party view the average American citizen became crystal clear.
These one-dimensional, unsophisticated, over-simplified characterizations describe who the McCain campaign thinks they are speaking to when they ask for your vote. To anyone who remains undecided I say, John McCain does not deserve your respect for his politics, your consideration for his candidacy and least of all your vote for our country’s highest office.
As a registered Independent for 30 years, I voted for John McCain in the 2000 primaries, considering him a man of principles, representing higher ideals in government and non-partisan politics. Admittedly a liberal leaning voter, I enthusiastically became a registered Democrat two years ago and now have absolutely no regrets, remorse or second thoughts about not supporting John McCain. How could anyone support a candidate who would trade our future, our security and our country’s best interests for personal gain, ego and self-promotion? John McCain is an insult to the intelligence of a nation and the dignity of its people.
My support and my vote goes to the candidate that respects the American voter and respects us enough to be honest, clear and straight forward about our circumstances and the difficult choices and sacrifices we will all have to make in the days ahead. The “Dumbing Down” of America encouraged and exploited by the current administration tells us that “The world is a scary place, we should fear evil doers and terrorists who would harm us - but not to worry, go about our business, live our normal lives, don’t be concerned with the war, the economy – they’ll take care of everything”.
Great leaders instead are straight with people, inspire people, ask people to participate in the solution, enabling everyone to be part of the process. I believe that Barack Obama is one of those great leaders who possess the qualities that inspire, unite and build up. In that, there is only one choice for us to make at a time where change in leadership is so desperately needed and only one candidate that can deliver on that tall order – our Democratic Presidential Nominee, Barack Obama.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Media Announces Bailout Of McCain Campaign
WASHINGTON, DC -- Acting to avert a possible crisis in the U.S. presidential election, the media today announced a bailout of Sen John McCain's (R-AZ) campaign. Cable news commentators scrambled to prop up the Senator's sagging poll numbers Friday as the fast-disappearing dream of a nail-biting horse-race threatened to bring down America's entire punditry system.
A senior CNN political analyst speaking on condition of anonymity said that the collapse of McCain's campaign could prove disastrous to the pundit industry. "A horse-race is vital to our bottom line," he said. "Without neck-and-neck poll numbers we can't maintain an air of suspense right up to election day, and our ratings will suffer. I could be out of a job by this time next week."
....continue reading
A senior CNN political analyst speaking on condition of anonymity said that the collapse of McCain's campaign could prove disastrous to the pundit industry. "A horse-race is vital to our bottom line," he said. "Without neck-and-neck poll numbers we can't maintain an air of suspense right up to election day, and our ratings will suffer. I could be out of a job by this time next week."
....continue reading
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Do We Want An Actual, Ordinary American In The White House?
By Joanne Rosenfeld
Last Friday, Senator McCain picked Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in the presidential election. Though I like to avoid voicing political or even moderately serious thoughts of mine, I simply can't help but react to this latest McCain blunder. About a month ago, Palin said she wasn't ready to discuss being VP because she didn't know what the VP did; moreover, she wanted to stay in her more "busy" and "active" job as Governor of Alaska. It's certainly saying something that she thinks being second in line to become Commander in Chief is a smaller, less-productive role than being governor of less than 700,000 constituents.
Governor Sarah Palin's resume includes two terms on City Council and two terms as Mayor of Wasilla, a town with a population of 8,500. This means that anyone who's been president of a mid-sized university for that length of time has as much experience as she does. She's currently only two years into her first term as Governor of Alaska, which by the way has a population of 670,000, or just over half the population of that sprawling land mass, Rhode Island. But thanks to the erudite leadership of John McCain, a person who's never been voted for by more than 120,000 people and has never worked in national politics, is now a potential leader of the free world.
Governor Palin is married to her high school sweetheart, who happens to be a competitive snowmobiler. I don't know what that is, but apparently it is in line with the activities of "ordinary" Americans. She has five children, the youngest of which is named Trig, like trigger, as in gun (!!). Sarah is applauded for having had Trig even though she and her husband were well aware he had Down Syndrome a few months into the pregnancy. That is not only a sacred and personal decision, it is one that takes both courage and resilience as a parent, and I do applaud her conviction in her beliefs. You see, when you have the freedom to choose, you get to display conviction to your own beliefs, not just the ones McCain/Palin would like to legislate.
A small part of me rejoices in this, the latest in a series of misguided campaign decisions, because now, I am certain, McCain will not be elected. No one can say in seriousness that Sarah Palin is ready to lead a nation (some are saying it out of a habit of making hypocritical statements, but that's a whole 'nother issue). Despite a strengthened belief in an Obama/Biden victory this November, however, I am still plagued by the worry of what-if.
What if McCain wins? Sure the idea of a woman in the White House is exciting on face value alone, but this particular woman will likely prove to be an incapable vice president for a number of reasons, chief among which is her startling lack of experience. When she does so, which she will, she risks hurting the cause of so many other aspiring female candidates in the years to come. If Kennedy hadn't been such a salient and capable president, no one would point to him as a shining example of religious difference in the Oval Office, thus encouraging the political careers of the many well-qualified Catholic, Jewish, etc. men and women who followed his groundbreaking presidency. And if Sarah Palin flops as she surely will do, she will become an all-too-visible and simply unrepresentative example of the kind of bumbling misdirection a woman will bring to the White House. I can just hear it now: "Don't bring any more in. Remember that Sarah Palin chick? What a mistake that was."
Considering the average life expectancy of an American male is 77 years old, it would simply be imprudent to ignore the possibility that 72-year-old will not make it thorough 4 years in the White House. What then? One would think McCain would make an extra effort to assuage such fears and concerns related to his age and health with his VP pick. I certainly assumed he would choose a person with a resume that rivals his own; someone whose years of experience on the national and even international level could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he/she was ready to lead the second "VP" turned to "P". Instead, he picked Sarah Palin. We want a president who is in touch with ordinary Americans, sure, but do we really want an actual, ordinary American in the White House? We seriously, seriously do not.
The greatest problem that I have with McCain's VP pick is that, once again, his decision has proven how misguided and illogical he is as a leader. Every move he has made in this campaign has been motivated by a follower's mentality: What do the voters want to hear? How do I get them to like me? What will make them like me more? A true leader works to change minds, inspire others, and move forward with an agenda he or she believes in and remains loyal to. Instead, McCain has become almost cartoonishly desperate for approval and support, lowering his standards, which should be presidential to the level of TMZ and perezhilton.com. This time, instead of carefully selecting a viable vice presidential candidate, he jumped a bandwagon that wasn't wound up with a soccer mom.
No one doubts this was a political decision; this is, after all, politics. But if McCain is after the women's vote, or more particularly, the vote of hardheaded Clinton supporters, he would have done better to align himself with someone who is not her ideological opposite. Women are not going to go after anything with boobs that moves like a drunk in a dive bar, and it is frankly both disturbing and insulting that McCain thinks otherwise.
Last Friday, Senator McCain picked Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in the presidential election. Though I like to avoid voicing political or even moderately serious thoughts of mine, I simply can't help but react to this latest McCain blunder. About a month ago, Palin said she wasn't ready to discuss being VP because she didn't know what the VP did; moreover, she wanted to stay in her more "busy" and "active" job as Governor of Alaska. It's certainly saying something that she thinks being second in line to become Commander in Chief is a smaller, less-productive role than being governor of less than 700,000 constituents.
Governor Sarah Palin's resume includes two terms on City Council and two terms as Mayor of Wasilla, a town with a population of 8,500. This means that anyone who's been president of a mid-sized university for that length of time has as much experience as she does. She's currently only two years into her first term as Governor of Alaska, which by the way has a population of 670,000, or just over half the population of that sprawling land mass, Rhode Island. But thanks to the erudite leadership of John McCain, a person who's never been voted for by more than 120,000 people and has never worked in national politics, is now a potential leader of the free world.
Governor Palin is married to her high school sweetheart, who happens to be a competitive snowmobiler. I don't know what that is, but apparently it is in line with the activities of "ordinary" Americans. She has five children, the youngest of which is named Trig, like trigger, as in gun (!!). Sarah is applauded for having had Trig even though she and her husband were well aware he had Down Syndrome a few months into the pregnancy. That is not only a sacred and personal decision, it is one that takes both courage and resilience as a parent, and I do applaud her conviction in her beliefs. You see, when you have the freedom to choose, you get to display conviction to your own beliefs, not just the ones McCain/Palin would like to legislate.
A small part of me rejoices in this, the latest in a series of misguided campaign decisions, because now, I am certain, McCain will not be elected. No one can say in seriousness that Sarah Palin is ready to lead a nation (some are saying it out of a habit of making hypocritical statements, but that's a whole 'nother issue). Despite a strengthened belief in an Obama/Biden victory this November, however, I am still plagued by the worry of what-if.
What if McCain wins? Sure the idea of a woman in the White House is exciting on face value alone, but this particular woman will likely prove to be an incapable vice president for a number of reasons, chief among which is her startling lack of experience. When she does so, which she will, she risks hurting the cause of so many other aspiring female candidates in the years to come. If Kennedy hadn't been such a salient and capable president, no one would point to him as a shining example of religious difference in the Oval Office, thus encouraging the political careers of the many well-qualified Catholic, Jewish, etc. men and women who followed his groundbreaking presidency. And if Sarah Palin flops as she surely will do, she will become an all-too-visible and simply unrepresentative example of the kind of bumbling misdirection a woman will bring to the White House. I can just hear it now: "Don't bring any more in. Remember that Sarah Palin chick? What a mistake that was."
Considering the average life expectancy of an American male is 77 years old, it would simply be imprudent to ignore the possibility that 72-year-old will not make it thorough 4 years in the White House. What then? One would think McCain would make an extra effort to assuage such fears and concerns related to his age and health with his VP pick. I certainly assumed he would choose a person with a resume that rivals his own; someone whose years of experience on the national and even international level could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he/she was ready to lead the second "VP" turned to "P". Instead, he picked Sarah Palin. We want a president who is in touch with ordinary Americans, sure, but do we really want an actual, ordinary American in the White House? We seriously, seriously do not.
The greatest problem that I have with McCain's VP pick is that, once again, his decision has proven how misguided and illogical he is as a leader. Every move he has made in this campaign has been motivated by a follower's mentality: What do the voters want to hear? How do I get them to like me? What will make them like me more? A true leader works to change minds, inspire others, and move forward with an agenda he or she believes in and remains loyal to. Instead, McCain has become almost cartoonishly desperate for approval and support, lowering his standards, which should be presidential to the level of TMZ and perezhilton.com. This time, instead of carefully selecting a viable vice presidential candidate, he jumped a bandwagon that wasn't wound up with a soccer mom.
No one doubts this was a political decision; this is, after all, politics. But if McCain is after the women's vote, or more particularly, the vote of hardheaded Clinton supporters, he would have done better to align himself with someone who is not her ideological opposite. Women are not going to go after anything with boobs that moves like a drunk in a dive bar, and it is frankly both disturbing and insulting that McCain thinks otherwise.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sarah Palin's Leadership Promise
Not enough attention has been paid to John McCain's rationale behind the choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate. Clearly he envisions an important leadership role for the athletic young frontierswoman whose vivacious energy adds spark and vigor to his lethargic leadership.
Monday, August 25, 2008
For A Vet, McCain's Record Sorely Lacking
By Seth Lovell
On July 7, at a town hall meeting in Denver, a Vietnam veteran confronted John McCain about his support of veterans' issues.
"I have a perfect voting record from organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and all the other veterans service organizations," responded McCain.
Although this sounds good, it is inaccurate and misleading. The VFW and American Legion do not compile congressional voting records, and other veterans' organizations that do compile records aren't favorable.
Disabled American Veterans is an organization that was founded following World War I, and today has 1.4 million members.
It not only tracks this legislation, but tracks how politicians vote. John McCain is documented as having voted with DAV-supported legislation 34 percent of the time. Barack Obama has voted with the DAV 89 percent of the time.
Another organization that tracks legislation important to veterans is Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the first and largest organization dedicated to those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
IAVA is only concerned with bettering the lives of returning veterans, and advocating for their rights. Its records show McCain voting with IAVA 58 percent of the time, and receiving a "D" rating. Obama voted with IAVA 89 percent of the time, receiving a "B-plus" rating.
If the overall records do not speak for themselves the specific examples will. In April 2003 McCain urged Senate members to table a vote that would appropriate more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve Equipment in Iraq. In October of 2003 once again McCain voted to table a bill that called for an additional $322 million for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq.
On issues relating to veterans' health care McCain's record is even worse. Since 2004 McCain has voted twice against closing corporate tax loopholes to help fund healthcare for veterans. In March 2004 Senator McCain voted against an amendment that would have created a $1.8 billion reserve fund to increase Veteran's medical care.
Again in March 2006 McCain voted against an amendment to close corporate tax loopholes in order to increase veterans' medical services funding by $1.5 billion. In April 2006 McCain joined only 13 other senators in voting against an amendment to increase funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment of veterans. This amendment provided a paltry $430 million compared to the billions of dollars being spent each week in Iraq, yet McCain opted to vote against it.
His neglect of veterans goes on and on. Most recently in May of 2008 McCain spoke out against the updated GI Bill being sponsored by Virginia Sen. Jim Webb.
On the day of the vote McCain was not present, a convenient way to avoid criticism over his promised oppositional vote. The biggest injustice to those who worked so hard to make this bill a reality came when President Bush praised McCain for his work on this legislation.
Every American should appreciate and honor the service that Sen. McCain gave to our country during Vietnam. There is no doubt John McCain supports the war in Iraq.
It doesn't mean he supports the veterans who served.
Seth Lovell is a veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is pursuing his master at James Madison University. E-mail him at stlovell@comcast.net.
(Note: This column was first published on August 24, 2008 by The News Leader of Staunton, Virginia)
On July 7, at a town hall meeting in Denver, a Vietnam veteran confronted John McCain about his support of veterans' issues.
"I have a perfect voting record from organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and all the other veterans service organizations," responded McCain.
Although this sounds good, it is inaccurate and misleading. The VFW and American Legion do not compile congressional voting records, and other veterans' organizations that do compile records aren't favorable.
Disabled American Veterans is an organization that was founded following World War I, and today has 1.4 million members.
It not only tracks this legislation, but tracks how politicians vote. John McCain is documented as having voted with DAV-supported legislation 34 percent of the time. Barack Obama has voted with the DAV 89 percent of the time.
Another organization that tracks legislation important to veterans is Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the first and largest organization dedicated to those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
IAVA is only concerned with bettering the lives of returning veterans, and advocating for their rights. Its records show McCain voting with IAVA 58 percent of the time, and receiving a "D" rating. Obama voted with IAVA 89 percent of the time, receiving a "B-plus" rating.
If the overall records do not speak for themselves the specific examples will. In April 2003 McCain urged Senate members to table a vote that would appropriate more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve Equipment in Iraq. In October of 2003 once again McCain voted to table a bill that called for an additional $322 million for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq.
On issues relating to veterans' health care McCain's record is even worse. Since 2004 McCain has voted twice against closing corporate tax loopholes to help fund healthcare for veterans. In March 2004 Senator McCain voted against an amendment that would have created a $1.8 billion reserve fund to increase Veteran's medical care.
Again in March 2006 McCain voted against an amendment to close corporate tax loopholes in order to increase veterans' medical services funding by $1.5 billion. In April 2006 McCain joined only 13 other senators in voting against an amendment to increase funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment of veterans. This amendment provided a paltry $430 million compared to the billions of dollars being spent each week in Iraq, yet McCain opted to vote against it.
His neglect of veterans goes on and on. Most recently in May of 2008 McCain spoke out against the updated GI Bill being sponsored by Virginia Sen. Jim Webb.
On the day of the vote McCain was not present, a convenient way to avoid criticism over his promised oppositional vote. The biggest injustice to those who worked so hard to make this bill a reality came when President Bush praised McCain for his work on this legislation.
Every American should appreciate and honor the service that Sen. McCain gave to our country during Vietnam. There is no doubt John McCain supports the war in Iraq.
It doesn't mean he supports the veterans who served.
Seth Lovell is a veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is pursuing his master at James Madison University. E-mail him at stlovell@comcast.net.
(Note: This column was first published on August 24, 2008 by The News Leader of Staunton, Virginia)
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