One of the best things about living in the day of digital archiving is that everything is on record. You can’t expect to say one thing today, contradict it tomorrow, and then claim it never happened. Well, I guess if you’re John McCain and the Republicans, you can and do. Self-ethering at its finest.
Plain and simple, the Republicans took to the stage last night and lied through their teeth to the American people. It’s pretty shocking and despicable when the Associated Press (a news service based on reporting facts, not opinion) has to take you to task for some of your inaccuracies. Here are just a few of the examples:
Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention
By JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ETST. PAUL, Minn. – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.
Some examples:
PALIN: “I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending … and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress ‘thanks but no thanks’ for that Bridge to Nowhere.”
THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a “bridge to nowhere.”
PALIN: “There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate.”
THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.
PALIN: “The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars.”
THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama’s plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain’s plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.
Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.
He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.
MCCAIN: “She’s been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America’s energy supply … She’s responsible for 20 percent of the nation’s energy supply. I’m entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America,” he said in an interview with ABC News’ Charles Gibson.
THE FACTS: McCain’s phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she’s no more “responsible” for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.
MCCAIN: “She’s the commander of the Alaska National Guard. … She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities,” he said on ABC.
THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under “federal status,” which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska’s national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.
FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin “got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States.”
THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor’s election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.
FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: “We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin.”
THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.
Keep this in mind when McCain hobbles on stage tonight and spews some more falsehoods.
Masterful. Inspirational. Heroic. Epic. Brilliant. Educational. Transcendent. A moment in history.
Was it the potential all-timer that I talked about yesterday? No, but it was up there. Again, I don’t recommend trying to blog at 6 AM, especially about an event as monumental as Barack accepting the Democratic nomination last night in Denver, but I’ll give some quick thoughts before I crash. My sleep schedule is so effed up.
First off, the spectacle was outstanding. Barack effortlessly pulled in 85,000+ people to watch him speak, not to mention the thousands that watched it from outside the venue and at special events all around the globe. Oh, and the millions on television. While the crowd wasn’t as large as the 200K he drew in Berlin, it speaks to the same undeniable inspiration that Barack has brought to the world. The Republicans have tried to attack him by saying this popularity is actually a negative, and he’s nothing more than a celebrity or phenomenon. How completely false.
Obama is not here because he’s a celebrity, he’s a celebrity because he’s here. He’s a celebrity because of the man he is, what he’s accomplished, and what he has already meant to the world. Without his fundamental ideals, morals, policies, and passions, he would not be in this position. Any attempt to trivialize that is absurd. I’m sorry John McCain pulls crowds the size of local musicians and can’t read off a teleprompter. Perhaps if he could, or had any worthwhile ideas and policies (did you hear he was a prisoner of war?), the Republicans would focus their campaign around their candidate. Since he’s a sham, they have no choice but to try to tear down Barack.
Unfortunately for them, it won’t work and tonight Barack struck back. The difference between McCain’s attacks and Barack’s is that Obama stays focused on the issues and policies to score direct hits. McCain and his cronies continue to insinuate that Barack is an “other” and he’s not ready to lead this country. While there are surely legitimate criticisms centered around Barack’s “inexperience,” far too many are using that word as code for “different,” or perhaps too bluntly, “black.”
As I mentioned last night, Barack is one of us. He’s the face of the new America. The multi-racial America. The America that is pushing past the social problems of our past like Usain Bolt down the straightaway. Is he all the way there? No, he’s not. For example, like many in his age group, he’s a little behind on gay rights. However, he still understands that everyone deserves equal treatment and even if his religion doesn’t understand them, he welcomes “our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters” into the fold. That is what a true leader does. When speaking at a college during the primaries, he said that he “may be on the wrong side of history” in respect to his personal beliefs on homosexuality and I think that will ultimately be proven true. The important thing is that he understands this and understands the importance of looking towards the future.
This election is not about rich vs. poor, white vs. black, left vs. right, blue vs. red, etc.. This election is about the past vs. the future, and whether we want to be progressive in moving forward, or conservative while holding on to the notion of “the good ol’ days.” You know what? The good ol’ days had their share of bright spots, but they were far from perfect. We’ll never achieve any sort of utopia, but we must always strive to “work towards a more perfect union.” We can be better in the future, every single one of us. We can be smarter. We can be healthier. We can be friendlier. We can be more understanding. We can be harder, better, faster, stronger.
But, we have to work for it. For Barack to become president, we all have to show people how important this particular election is and how we are teetering on a knife’s edge. Do you think we can afford four more years of the current policies? Not if you want to maintain or better your standard of living and participate in the global economy of tomorrow, no way in hell. Make sure you and everyone you know are registered to vote. [Hov] It’s so necessary [/Jay] and it’s easy, especially if you know how to use a computer.
Hmm, I guess that rules John McCain out. Think about it people: he can’t even use a computer (“ahhh…it’s beeping at me!”), so how could he possibly guide the free world without basic understanding of the single most important invention of our time? I’m adding a rule to my presidential threshold test: if you don’t know how to use the internet, you can’t be president. I’m sorry, it’s 2008. I demand you to be elite.
John McCain and the Republicans are simply on the wrong side of history right now. They are wrong about the war. They are wrong about health care and social security. They are wrong about the rights of women and homosexuals. They are wrong about education. They are wrong about foreign policy. They are wrong about taxes. And most importantly, in our dollar euro dominated world, they are wrong about the economy.
They will do whatever it takes to maintain their power, so we have to rise above it and overpower them with our organization, numbers, and intelligence. We don’t want to stoop to their level, but instead we need to brush them off and keep pushing forward. Recognize and value where you’ve been, then apply what you’ve learned as you move in to the future. gObama.
“They thought I’d make another Illmatic,
But it’s always forward I’m movin’,
Never backwards, stupid, here’s another classic”
Remember how the Republicans were so quick to use footage of Joe Biden campaigning against Barack during the primary after he was selected VP? Well, since the rumors are that McCain will shortly be announcing Mitt “I strapped my dog on top of my roof during a family road trip” Romney as his own VP, this clip has surfaced right on cue. Regardless of who he picks, his options are horrible and Biden will pwn ’em in the debates.
That said, these clips are pointless. The entire point of the primary battle is to beat out your rivals, so you could find negative statements applied towards anyone. However, unlike EVERY other candidate on both sides, Barack never attacked his opponent’s character or legitimacy. Instead, he based his attacks around policy differences and campaign tactics. See what happens when you take the high road? You win.
There have been a lot of great Obama shirts during the campaign so far (I’m partial to my “Ninjas For Obama” jawn myself), but this one might have just taken the cake. UNDRCRWN recreated Vince Carter’s epic posterization of 7’2″ French center (and 1999 Knicks draft pick…good call fellas) Frederic Weis in the 2000 Olympics, appropriately substituting Obama and McCain for the players:
The funniest part of that clip is actually that Vin Baker was a part of USA Basketball. I forgot all about that. So, what store in town is selling these and wants to hook me up?
Spotted on Hypebeast…and just now on Spike Lee at the Democratic National Convention. That’s a good look.
Earlier today, Barack campaigned in Virginia and talked about McCain’s recent delusional comments. The Republicans have based their whole attack around this false premise that Obama is an “elitist,” or worse, an “other.” Keep in mind, McCain, just like Bush, Clinton, etc., is the product of an elite family from birth. Obama, on the other hand, grew up in a single parent home and was even on food stamps at one point. He worked incredibly hard to get where he is, without the help of a family name. McCain finished 894th in a class of 899 in college, and only got into the Navy because his father and grandfather were four star generals. Despite the Obamas recent financial success, their net worth is about 1/10th of McCain and his wife. Who is more likely to be an “elitist?”
But I digress, because I think it’s actually a pointless debate to have. All presidential candidates better be elite, but it’s clear they want to avoid the negative “elitist” tag. This is because every politician tries to pander to the lowest common denominator: the American moron. We have so many of them in this country, if you can paint your opponent as scary or different, you can generally win. However, McCain’s elitist attacks may start to backfire if he continues his string of recent hits:
You know, here’s a new rule: If you don’t know how many houses you own, first off, you’re a moron, and secondly, you can’t be president. Simple as that.
Oh, and to answer the question, McCain’s campaign released a statement saying “at least 4.” Closer inspection puts the number at 7. What morons.
I got word that the Republican National Committee’s official website doesn’t even make one reference to their own presidential nominee on the front page, so I checked it out and grabbed a screenshot. This is hilarious. The Republicans know McCain is an awful candidate and brings absolutely nothing to the table, so they’ve just decided to try to attack Barack. What happened to all that talk about McLame and the RNC running a straightforward, respectable campaign? If that’s the case, you might want to showcase some of your own positions and ideas on the site, rather than use it to try to tear down someone else…especially when you fail at that too.
LOL @ this. Get better RNC.
The governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, recently appeared on CNN to support John McCain. Unfortunately for McCain, his own surrogate can’t even explain how his economic policies differ from those of Bush. He tries to avoid the question but still falls flat on his face. Awwwkwaaaaard.
Still not as painful as McCain’s viagra-gate though.
I’ve been meaning to post this up for a week now, but better late than never. In a speech on July 15th, Barack laid out his policy on the war in Iraq and national security in general, in part to quell these nonsensical accusations that he’s flip-flopped on the issue. From day one, he’s maintained the same ideas and principles, and stated them numerous times. I’m tired of people complaining that Barack is just spouting empty rhetoric without any substance, only because they’re too lazy to do any research and dig past the soundbites they hear on TV. It’s imperative that you take the time to seek out more than the 30 second clips on the news, or the intentionally simplified stump speeches. I highly encourage everyone to read his last book, The Audacity of Hope (which you should be up on if you made your way to this URL), and the policies laid out on his website here. It’s all there if you’re willing to educate yourself.
In short, the 5 goals Obama outlined for his national security strategy in this speech are:
He explains the importance and strategy for each goal in the speech, and in even more detail on his site. Take the time to educate yourself, especially if you think he’s peddling empty hopes and dreams. There is real substance here. It’s correct, and drastically different from what McCain is proposing.