THE DAY AFTER
September 11th, 2008 has come and gone once again. Each year we seem to get a little more distant in our remembrances of that day. I felt that the best way to express my feelings about that day is to offer an excerpt from my book that chronicles MY September 11th, 2001.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was sound asleep when my girlfriend (now wife) woke me up. She said something about a plane crash. I wasn’t planning to wake up for at least another hour or two, so I only processed about half of what she was saying. I asked her what she was talking about. She told me that an air plane had hit a building in New York.
In my half conscious state of mind, I rationalized it this way: This was bound to happen. I assumed that a plane had gone off coarse in a fog bank, and hit a building. I new I would see the news footage when I got up, so I mumbled my theory to my better half, and fell back asleep.
A few minutes later, she came back into the bedroom and demanded that I come out to the living room and see what was going on. By the tone in her voice, I new something wasn’t quite right. I sat down in front of the TV, and...as someone who is not a professional writer, I must admit, it’s hard to put into words what I saw and what I thought about it, but this is what I’ve come up with.
I sat down in front of the TV, and tried to compute the images that my eyes were relaying to my brain. I remember thinking; That looks like the World Trade Center, but it’s on fire. That can’t be real. I double checked the channel indicator, and started changing stations. She said she had already done that and it was on every channel. I asked her what happened. She said that she was watching her morning show, when they broke in with this bulletin about an air plane that had hit the World Trade Center.
She said "that’s when I tried to get you up the first time. Then a few minutes later, while they had the cameras on, another airplane hit the other tower."
I asked her if she was sure that there were two separate airplanes. Before she could answer me, they ran footage of the second airplane hitting the other tower. At this point, I rubbed my eyes, and looked around. I wasn’t totally sure that I was awake. I have always had extremely realistic dreams, so I wanted to be sure I was really seeing this. I was.
Darlene asked me how this could happen. I didn’t exactly know what to say, but I was sure it wasn’t an accident. Even though I had just woke up, I could see that the sky was crystal clear. I knew that the odds of two planes, running out of fuel at the same time, and hitting the same set of buildings were probably impossible to calculate. I told her that I had a feeling that someone did this on purpose. She asked me why someone would do that. The only thing I could think of was "religious wackos". Then, I thought back to the first attack on the Trade Center, those guys were members of a crazy Muslim outfit. I thought we took care of those guys a few years ago. Apparently not.
The question she asked me next, still replays in my head from time to time. She asked me what was going to happen to the people in the buildings. As I mentioned earlier in this book, I have a kind of knack for mechanics and engineering basics. On this day, I considered this to be a curse. I didn’t want to upset her, but I didn’t want to sugar coat it either. We were both adults.
On the TV screen, I pointed to the sections of the buildings under where the fire was visible. I said, "Everyone under this point should be OK for the most part, as long as they can get out of the buildings before the fire spreads to the lower floors." Then she asked, "What about the people above those points?". It took me a second, but I said, "They’re gone."
She suggested that we pray for them. I’m not a very religious man, but I didn’t know what else to do. My wife is a great person, and she knows that I am very private about my religious beliefs, she respected that and went back to bathroom to get ready for work. I did as she suggested.
My brother works for my Dad, and they don’t have a TV at the garage, they rarely listen to the radio either, (my Dad doesn’t want to offend his Mennonite customers). I knew they would want to hear about this, so I called the garage. I told my Dad everything I was seeing and hearing on TV. He said that he would run up to his house and check it out. He only lived two blocks away at the time.
After hanging up with Dad, my wife came out of the bathroom, it was time for her to go to work. I didn’t feel too comfortable about her going to work, but I didn’t want to scare her. Still, I wanted her to be careful and stay alert. I explained to her that things were going to change in America from this day on.
I told her to go strait to work, and come strait home. I told her not to stop for anything, or anyone. I reminded her that she worked for a large financial institution, and I told her to pay attention to her surroundings at work and to follow whatever security procedures that they use. She started to cry.
I didn’t know what to do, I knew that I would be going to work in a few hours, and I didn’t want her to get in trouble for not going to work. I had to assume that the Trade Center was the end of the attack. I couldn’t imagine that anything else could happen after something this major. I assumed that she would be OK at work. After trying to calm her down, I suggested that she go to work. I kissed her goodbye, and she left.
As I heard her get into her car, I called my Mom. I knew that she would be at work and most likely she was listening to her Christian music CD collection. So I thought that she might not know what was going on. I was right.
I told her to turn on her radio and tune in a news channel. I tried to describe to her what I was seeing on TV. "Both towers of The World Trade Center are on fire", I told her. I explained to her how it had happened. I was describing the massive amounts of smoke and debris coming from the upper sections of the buildings. As I was talking, they were shooting footage from a helicopter, that’s when the first tower fell. All I remember saying as this happened was "no, no, no,...Mom, one of the towers just fell down!" I never even considered this as a possibility. Somehow, I pictured them slowly burning to the ground.
I figured that there would be a long battle with the fire, but it would eventually burn itself out. After all, once the jet fuel burns off, the firemen could get closer to the fire. I never thought the tower would fall. After the tower fell, I was still trying to give a play by play to my Mom. I described the giant cloud of dust that was covering the city. The more I talked, the harder it got to find words.
Finally, I told Mom that I was going to hang up and watch the news. A few minutes later a different picture came on the screen. It was the Pentagon. It was on fire! I called my Dad again. I said "They just took out the Pentagon, I think were being attacked!" As always, he sounded skeptical, but he humored me. He told me that this was bound to happen, and to keep my eyes open at work tonight. The conversation was very short. Talking to my Dad takes patience and skill. This subject was so serious and unusual to both of us, that discussing it was not an option. I said goodbye.
I called my Mom back, and told her that the Pentagon had been attacked too. She told me that she had heard on the news that a plane went down somewhere near Pittsburgh and that one might be headed for Camp David. Now, I was starting to get scared. What do you do when your country comes under surprise attack? They forgot to mention this in grade school, or maybe I was out that day. My Mom was in no position to offer any advice either.
She did offer me and my wife a space at her and my stepfather’s mountain retreat in the event that this was going to be a full scale war. At first, I thought she was overreacting, then I looked at the TV screen again.
My Mom is prone to overreacting, we usually just make fun of her. Today I wasn’t laughing. I actually considered her offer. I thought back to the previous year when her and my stepfather were so concerned about the "Y2K bug", that they fortified his hunting cabin with months of supplies and ammunition, just in case anarchy ensued. We ripped on her for a long time after that...now it was looking like a viable option.
Having no idea when this was going to stop, who was going to get hit next, or what other methods of attack were going to be implemented, I did the only thing that a Pennsylvania good ol’ boy could think of. I got out my .45 semi automatic and started cleaning it. I didn’t know what else to do. I wasn’t worried so much about meeting up with a terrorist, I was more concerned with how we would react.
Would there be panic in the streets? Would there be looting? Would I be able to get to my wife again if this all got out of hand? Looking back now, reaching for my gun as a first impulse may have been a little presumptuous, but think about it. Unless you were around on Dec. 7, 1941, you had never been in this situation before.
What did you do on that day? Did you just blow it off as something that didn’t concern you? Did you hide in the closet? Maybe you pretended that you were watching a movie, and smoked another bowl. Did you consider your family and how to defend them if necessary? Whatever you did, you did not know for a fact that you were safe, I don’t care how detached from reality you are.
On that day, the most productive and practical idea I could come up with was to clean my gun. For you city folk, understanding someone’s desire to carry a firearm may seem a little foreign, but in the country it’s not much more unusual than carrying a Palm Pilot. We’ll get into that later though.
As I was sitting on the couch, cleaning my gun and watching the news, I watched the second tower fall. I just couldn’t believe that this was happening. I started feeling something inside of my chest, it was anger. Someone was attacking my country, the only home that I have ever known. A spark of liberalism shot through my mind, I tried to imagine how other countries felt as they saw a US tank coming over the hill in their homeland. I almost considered the idea that maybe we have been asking for this. That concept faded into oblivion as soon as I looked at the screen again.
We didn’t deserve this. Those people jumping from the top of the building, just to get one last gasp of fresh air never asked for this. They just went to work one day. I remembered that America is the good guy. We don’t invade countries for no reason. If you see a US tank coming at you, it means that we are trying to free somebody. It means that we are trying to help. I tried to think of a country that we invaded and claimed as our own in the last couple of hundred years, I couldn’t think of one. Pilgrims invading the new world doesn’t count because we were fleeing an oppressive country and we would have shared with the Indians, but they weren’t the sharing type.
As I watched our country come under attack, I new that things would never be the
same. I knew that our enemies would be exposed and our allies would help us. I knew that our attitudes would have to change.
I had big ideas about how our nation would join together and rise up to fight the evil bastards that did this to us. I assumed that there would be lines around the block at the recruiting offices. I just knew that everyone would be on the same page from now on. I thought back to all the times I said, "War is never the answer." After today, it was clear that pacifism was not an option. How could anyone disagree with that now?
Looking back, I know that I was being too idealistic. I don’t think I was being naive, I truly believe that was how it should have happened. Of coarse I was wrong, but one thing was for sure, September 11, 2001, was the day I woke up. From here on I was a different person. Those terrorist killed more than thousands of people that day, they killed the liberalism in me.
The day went on. I went to work just like every other day, except this day every one was different. Usually I get to work early to socialize with the other drivers before we head out on our runs. We joke around, and talk about the latest company gossip or current events.
On this day, everyone was very subdued. There was no joking around. We all had the same look on our face. To this day, it’s hard to describe that look. I imagine it’s the same look you might have if your doctor just told you that you have cancer. A look of disbelief, helplessness, shame, and anger, all rolled into one. We talked about what happened that morning, and how it was going to effect traffic in Washington DC, as well as the effects it would have on our job in general. We kept the conversation simple. We didn’t plan it that way, I think we just didn’t know what to say or how to say it. We all just wanted to be home with our families, but we had jobs to do.
My run was to be a "back-haul". A back-haul is when you are dispatched to a warehouse or factory to bring a certain product back to your distribution center. As I was walking out the door with my paperwork, another driver was coming in from his run to DC. His face was lit up like a Christmas tree. He was talking as fast as he could, and you could tell he was shook up. He had been on the road all day and was only able to hear about the attacks on the radio. He told us how he was sitting on the DC beltway, when a group of jet fighters buzzed his truck. He said the sound of the jets coming up on him without warning scared him to death. He said that he could see the smoke from the Pentagon from the highway. The more he talked, the more animated he became. I went on out the door to get my assigned truck.
For me, the safest place in the world is behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler. This is where I am the most comfortable, but that day I just wanted to be home with my wife. I was worried about her and hoping that she was doing OK at work. I didn’t feel safe at all. I still had no reason to believe that the attacks were over. I still hadn’t found out about the rumor of the plane going down at Camp David. I only live 30 miles from there. DC isn’t that far away either. If I was allowed to carry my gun in the truck, I may have felt a little better.
My destination was also no real comfort to me either. I was to pick up a load of detergents in Camp Hill PA, which is right next to Harrisburg PA. There is an international airport there, not to mention Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant. Would a nuclear power plant be considered a target? I tried not to think about it too much.
As I made my run that day, my ears were glued to the radio. Again, AM stations were proving to be the most informative. You could definitely tell that the press was also shook up. The reports were many. No fluff pieces, no commercials. Some of the FM stations were still playing their boxes of records. I found out later that most of them didn’t even activate the Emergency Broadcast System. I guess they felt that an attack on our country didn’t justify cutting into a Motley Crue tune for a news break.
I got to my destination ahead of schedule. I had to wait for a while until a forklift operator was available. I went to the driver’s break room to get a soda. In the break room was a television with a crowd of truck drivers around it. Again, the images of destruction were in vivid color. It was unusual to see big, surly, truck drivers with such a sobering look about them. I got a soda out of the machine and watched for a while. It seemed as though the attacks were over, but no one on the news would risk saying that yet. By this time, more footage was coming into the news rooms and making it’s way onto the TV screen. None of it was pretty.
Eventually, a forklift operator was available, I was loaded, and then I returned to the distribution center...I was glad to be going home.
My wife was there when I got home, we were both relieved to see each other. That night we held each other a little tighter.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
SEXISM 08'
Due to recent event's, I thought it would be a good time to write about an old school political topic. Before there were swiftboat veterans, hanging chads, or even the Watergate Hotel, there were men and women. Since the creation of the male and female form, there have been differences between the two. Aside from the obvious, there are differences that we tend to joke about, but not always take seriously.
Let's be honest, men and women think differently. Does this mean that one thinks better, or more effectively than the other? No. Besides, it almost always depends on circumstances. For instance, my wife can't understand my fascination with what most mothers refer to as "potty humor". But just as sure as a fart is funny, she can find total enchantment with most "chick flicks". Are one of us wrong? No. Just different.
I can look at most any kind of machine and probably figure out it's basic mechanical function dynamics within a matter of minutes, where as my wife would only see a "bunch of metal thingies". On the other hand, my wife can muti-task like a freaking robot. Are one of us wrong? No. Just different.
I accept these differences in thinking because there is no real reason not to. Yet there are some differences that need to be acknowledged and accepted regardless of social popularity. For instance, men are generally more able to handle physically demanding jobs such as firefighting or Alaska king crab fishing. Not because women are a lesser being, but because they are physically different.
When we ignore these difference for the sake of political correctness or liberal dogma, we end up with firefighters who can't carry a 250lb. man out of a burning building while wearing an oxygen tank and turn-out gear. Or you end up with a pregnant soldier who should be on the battlefield helping protect her fellow man, instead of taking up bed space and doctor time at a military hospital for the sake of her childbirth.
As Sarah Palin makes her first steps toward Vice President of the United States, there are a few things that we should remember. Presidents are usually not required to carry people out of burning buildings or storm enemy strongholds. They are usually not required to wrestle steel crab pots onto the bow of a moving crab boat while being thrown around by the Bering Sea. They are usually not required to tear down and re-assemble a 454 big block either.
They are required to understand the Constitution and make the decisions that are required to protect it. If my wife is any indication of the decision making abilities of a typical woman, I think we have nothing to fear from a conservative VP that happens to be a woman. My wife's decision making skills are usually "spot on". After all, she married me.
Due to recent event's, I thought it would be a good time to write about an old school political topic. Before there were swiftboat veterans, hanging chads, or even the Watergate Hotel, there were men and women. Since the creation of the male and female form, there have been differences between the two. Aside from the obvious, there are differences that we tend to joke about, but not always take seriously.
Let's be honest, men and women think differently. Does this mean that one thinks better, or more effectively than the other? No. Besides, it almost always depends on circumstances. For instance, my wife can't understand my fascination with what most mothers refer to as "potty humor". But just as sure as a fart is funny, she can find total enchantment with most "chick flicks". Are one of us wrong? No. Just different.
I can look at most any kind of machine and probably figure out it's basic mechanical function dynamics within a matter of minutes, where as my wife would only see a "bunch of metal thingies". On the other hand, my wife can muti-task like a freaking robot. Are one of us wrong? No. Just different.
I accept these differences in thinking because there is no real reason not to. Yet there are some differences that need to be acknowledged and accepted regardless of social popularity. For instance, men are generally more able to handle physically demanding jobs such as firefighting or Alaska king crab fishing. Not because women are a lesser being, but because they are physically different.
When we ignore these difference for the sake of political correctness or liberal dogma, we end up with firefighters who can't carry a 250lb. man out of a burning building while wearing an oxygen tank and turn-out gear. Or you end up with a pregnant soldier who should be on the battlefield helping protect her fellow man, instead of taking up bed space and doctor time at a military hospital for the sake of her childbirth.
As Sarah Palin makes her first steps toward Vice President of the United States, there are a few things that we should remember. Presidents are usually not required to carry people out of burning buildings or storm enemy strongholds. They are usually not required to wrestle steel crab pots onto the bow of a moving crab boat while being thrown around by the Bering Sea. They are usually not required to tear down and re-assemble a 454 big block either.
They are required to understand the Constitution and make the decisions that are required to protect it. If my wife is any indication of the decision making abilities of a typical woman, I think we have nothing to fear from a conservative VP that happens to be a woman. My wife's decision making skills are usually "spot on". After all, she married me.
Monday, September 8, 2008
FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER
As we prepare for the arrival of our second child, my attention has been drifting from the world of politics over the past few weeks. In fact, I almost took a hiatus from blogging and watching the news last week just to clear my head for the upcoming roller coaster that I/we will soon be riding. Then the Palin speech happened.
Though I am a relative newcomer to the political world, I like to think I've learned alot of things. But nothing compares to the education I received in the first week of September, 2008.
I learned that feminism is officially out of business. For decades now, the left has been brow-beating us into accepting the fact that a woman can do anything a man can do. They have scorned men for not accepting the fact that a woman can both "bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan." But as of last week, the liberal mantra has been that a woman should "stay home with the kids". Conversely, I learned that a father doesn't amount to a hill of beans. I can imagine how Todd Palin feels when the liberal media implies that Sarah Palin is practically abandoning her children by accepting the nomination for VP. He's probably thinking "Hey, what Am I? Chopped liver?"
I learned that a truly loving mother should throw the world's biggest guilt trip onto her daughter by rejecting an offer to be Vice President of the United States. I learned that a prospective Vice President's personal life is everyone's business...unless your name is Clinton, Obama, or Biden. After all, being a mother is a distraction to the duties of the office, but getting a "BJ" in the Oval Office and the resulting lies under oath are not our business.
I learned that P-Diddy thinks we should vote for people according to how many crack-heads and black people live in their state. I learned that P-Diddy seems to equate crack-heads with black people. I learned that P-Diddy thinks we should vote for people who's constituents are made up of crack-heads and criminals. I learned that P-Diddy thinks crime is a virtue to one's state.
I learned that Nancy Pelosi is the new Pope. I'm not even a Catholic, but even I know that Catholics have always said that life begins at conception.
I learned that I no longer have to worry about paying my mortgage because the government will just bail me out. I learned that just because Jamie Geurelic, Rahm Emmanuel, and Harold Ickes just happen to be on the boards of Fannie May and Freddie Mac, that's no reason to stop accusing Republicans of corruption.
I learned that being a "community organizer" is akin to being a head of State, yet being a Governor of a state is akin to being a Cub Scout leader. What is a "community organizer" anyway? I think that depends on the community, and exactly what you're organizing. If you're organizing a softball team or a meals on wheels program, you might be on the right track. But what if you're organizing something with guidance from anti-American church leaders or un-apologetic terrorist bombers? What if you're "organizing" a corrupt voter fraud outlet like ACORN, or a "commie camp" for city youth like "Public Allies"?
I think we are supposed to overlook the fact that the ambiguity of a term like "community organizer" can mean anything from book club leader to head of a chapter of the Black Panthers.
What a week.
As we prepare for the arrival of our second child, my attention has been drifting from the world of politics over the past few weeks. In fact, I almost took a hiatus from blogging and watching the news last week just to clear my head for the upcoming roller coaster that I/we will soon be riding. Then the Palin speech happened.
Though I am a relative newcomer to the political world, I like to think I've learned alot of things. But nothing compares to the education I received in the first week of September, 2008.
I learned that feminism is officially out of business. For decades now, the left has been brow-beating us into accepting the fact that a woman can do anything a man can do. They have scorned men for not accepting the fact that a woman can both "bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan." But as of last week, the liberal mantra has been that a woman should "stay home with the kids". Conversely, I learned that a father doesn't amount to a hill of beans. I can imagine how Todd Palin feels when the liberal media implies that Sarah Palin is practically abandoning her children by accepting the nomination for VP. He's probably thinking "Hey, what Am I? Chopped liver?"
I learned that a truly loving mother should throw the world's biggest guilt trip onto her daughter by rejecting an offer to be Vice President of the United States. I learned that a prospective Vice President's personal life is everyone's business...unless your name is Clinton, Obama, or Biden. After all, being a mother is a distraction to the duties of the office, but getting a "BJ" in the Oval Office and the resulting lies under oath are not our business.
I learned that P-Diddy thinks we should vote for people according to how many crack-heads and black people live in their state. I learned that P-Diddy seems to equate crack-heads with black people. I learned that P-Diddy thinks we should vote for people who's constituents are made up of crack-heads and criminals. I learned that P-Diddy thinks crime is a virtue to one's state.
I learned that Nancy Pelosi is the new Pope. I'm not even a Catholic, but even I know that Catholics have always said that life begins at conception.
I learned that I no longer have to worry about paying my mortgage because the government will just bail me out. I learned that just because Jamie Geurelic, Rahm Emmanuel, and Harold Ickes just happen to be on the boards of Fannie May and Freddie Mac, that's no reason to stop accusing Republicans of corruption.
I learned that being a "community organizer" is akin to being a head of State, yet being a Governor of a state is akin to being a Cub Scout leader. What is a "community organizer" anyway? I think that depends on the community, and exactly what you're organizing. If you're organizing a softball team or a meals on wheels program, you might be on the right track. But what if you're organizing something with guidance from anti-American church leaders or un-apologetic terrorist bombers? What if you're "organizing" a corrupt voter fraud outlet like ACORN, or a "commie camp" for city youth like "Public Allies"?
I think we are supposed to overlook the fact that the ambiguity of a term like "community organizer" can mean anything from book club leader to head of a chapter of the Black Panthers.
What a week.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
BETWEEN THE LINES OF OBAMA'S SPEACH
Full Text of Sen. Barack Obama's Historical Speech: With commentary by "Roadhouse".
To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation. With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the United States. Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, (CARRIED ME) and especially the one who traveled the farthest -- a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and yours -- Hillary Rodham Clinton.
To President Bill Clinton, who made last night the case for change as only he can make it (LIED); to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service (UNLESS YOU'RE IN A CAR CRASH WITH HIM); and to the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time (I THOUGHT HE SAID "BIDEN"), a man at ease with BULLYING everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.
To the love of my life, our next first lady, Michelle Obama, and to Malia and Sasha -- I love you so much, and I'm so proud of you.
Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story -- of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to (SOCIALISM AND RACISM). It is that promise that has always set this country apart -- that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.
That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women -- students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive. We meet at one of those defining moments -- a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more (THANKS TO LIBERALISM). Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less (NOT TRUE). More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN STUPID DECISIONS.
These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics (LIBERALISM) in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush. CERTAINLY NOT THE DEMOCRAT LEAD CONGRESS.
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this. This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work. We're a better country than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for 20 years and watch it shipped off to China THANKS TO HIGH CORPORATE TAXES, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news . We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty (NEVER HAPPENED, THEY DO THAT ON THEIR OWN); that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes (RAY NAGEN, MARY LANDREW, WILLIAM JEFFERSON).
Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land -- enough! This moment -- this election -- is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight.
On November 4, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough." Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, UNLIKE ME, and for that we owe him our gratitude and our respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need. But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Sen. McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time? ANSWER; HE'S ASTUTE.
I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change. The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives -- on health care and education and the economy -- Sen. McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this president (IT HAS). He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong (THEY ARE).
And when one of his chief advisers -- the man who wrote his economic plan -- was talking about the anxieties that Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners." A nation of whiners? YES. Tell that to the proud autoworkers at a Michigan plant (UNION CRY BABIES) who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made.
Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty BECAUSE OF ANTI-WAR ACTIONS OF LIBERALS IN CONGRESS AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
These are not whiners. They work hard and they give back and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know BUT WON'T VISIT IN GERMANY.Now, I don't believe that Sen. McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans? BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT MORE TAXES ARE PAID BY CORPORATIONS THAN POOR PEOPLE, AND THAT'S HOW THE ECONOMY WORKS. How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement? BECAUSE HE KNOWS THESE DECISIONS ARE TO BE MADE BY THE PEOPLE, NOT GOVERNMENT. It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.
For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy -- give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else (IT DOES). In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is that you're on your own (EXACTLY THE WAY I WANT IT). Out of work? Tough luck. You're on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps -- even if you don't have boots. You are on your own. IT'S CALLED SELF RELIANCE AND DIGNITY...LOOK IT UP.
Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America. And that's why I'm running for president of the United States. You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country (NO KIDDING) . We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma ON SOMEONE ELSE'S DIME. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president (DOT COM BUBBLE)-- when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000 like it has under George Bush (WRONG AGAIN).We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without losing her job (THAT'S WHY DEMS ARE ALWAYS BAD FOR THE ECONOMY)-- an economy that honors the dignity of work.
The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great -- a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight. Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country (LIB FACTORIES) with the help of student loans and scholarships.
When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed THANKS TO HIGHER TAXES AND EXCESSIVE REGULATION. And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business or making her way in the world, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman.
She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well. Now, I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped my life. And it is on behalf of them that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.
What is that American promise? It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect LIKE REVEREND WRIGHT AND BILL AYERS WOULD. It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs (THAT'S NOT THEIR PURPOSE OR RESPONSIBILITY), to look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road. Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves (NO SUCH THING)-- protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools (VOUCHERS) and new roads and science and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. OR BETTER YET, GET OUT OF OUR WAY. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work. That's the promise of America -- the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper. UNLESS MY BROTHER IS A TOTAL SLACKER. That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas (THEY GO OVERSEAS BECAUSE OF THE HIGH TAXES HERE...DUH, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America (UNLESS THEY PRODUCE OIL).
I'll eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will, listen now, cut taxes -- cut taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class. And for the sake of our economy, our security and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East (NOT WITHOUT DRILLING YOU WON'T). We will do this.
Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and by the way John McCain's been there for 26 of them. And in that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels (FOR GOOD REASON). And today, we import triple the amount of oil that we had as the day that Sen. McCain took office BECAUSE MY PARTY WON'T LET YOU DRILL FOR YOUR OWN HERE. Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.
As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I KNOW THOSE WAYS ALREADY EXIST, BUT MY PARTY WON'T LET US DO THAT EITHER. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW.
I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW. And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. RUSSIA AND CHINA SAY "THANKS".
America, now is not the time for small plans.Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education VOUCHER, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.
You know, Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education AND THE DNC LIKES TO PLAY THE RACE CARD. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance TO LIVE OFF THE GOVERNMENT.
I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support BECAUSE I BELIEVE THROWING MONEY AT THE PROBLEM IS ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO FIX IT. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American -- if you commit to serving your community or our country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most. BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN GOVERNMENT MAKING YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS FOR YOU.
Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their job and caring for a sick child or ailing parent AND BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO RUN A BUSINESS.
Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A GREAT INVESTMENT. And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons. Now, many (ALL) of these plans will cost money (YOURS), which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime -- by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow BUT KEEP BUSINESSES HERE.
But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less -- because we cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy. And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength."
Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient OR ELSE!!! Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents BUT I'M WORKING ON IT; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility to provide love and guidance to their children.
Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility -- that's the essence of America's promise AND MY MORTAL ENEMY. And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander in chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.
For while Sen. McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats that we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. You know, John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell -- but he won't even go to the cave where he lives. (OBAMA KNOWS WHERE BIN LADEN LIVES?)
And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush administration, even after we learned that Iraq has $79 billion in surplus while we are wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war. NOTICE HOW I NEVER SAY "WIN THIS WAR". That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. BUT ALLOWING TERRORIST AND DICTATORS TO CONTINUE THEIR ANTICS WILL.
We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past. You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq, UNLESS THE LEADER OF IRAQ IS FUNDING TERRORISTS AND TREATENING AMERICA. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington, YET I CLAIM TO BE ANTI-WAR AND PRO-DIPLOMACY. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've, WELL, ACTUALLY ME AND MY PARTY strained our oldest alliances.
If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice -- but that is not the change that America needs. We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans -- have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.
As commander in chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle UNLESS IT'S A STRATEGIC DEFENSE MISSILE SYSTEM and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home LIKE A COURT MARSHAL FOR KILLING TERRORISTS.
I will end NOT WIN this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan BUT NOT IRAQ. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. THAT MEANS I WILL GIVE TERRORIST LEGITAMACY BY TALKING TO THEM.
I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future. BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE MY COUNTRY NOW, AND DON'T ASK ME HOW.
These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain BUT ONLY AS OFTEN AS I HAVE TO. But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and each other's patriotism.
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. SO I HAVE A WHOLE NEW PARTISAN PLAYBOOK. So let us agree that patriotism has no PLACE IN MY party.
I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America -- they have served the United States of America. So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.America, our work will not be easy.
The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past EXCEPT OF COURSE FOR SOCIALISM. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits.
What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose. That's what we have to restore. We may not agree on abortion BECAUSE I'VE VOTED FOR KILLING BABIES BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE WOMB, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. JUST DON'T LOOK AT MY SECOND AMMENDMENT VOTING RECORD.
I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. You know, passions may fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child (NEVER HAPPENED) or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.
But this, too, is part of America's promise -- the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort. I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. HIS NAME IS ROADHOUSE. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters. OH, AND BECAUSE MY VOTING RECORD PROVES IT.
If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.You make a big election about small things.And you know what -- it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.I get it.
I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington. I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WHAT SO EVER. I HANG OUT WITH PEOPLE WHO HATE AMERICA. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE FREE MARKET OR BASIC ECONOMICS. I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND A PERSON'S BASIC RIGHT TO BE BORN.
But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. (TELL THAT TO THE MEDIA) It's about you. It's about you.
For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us -- that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it -- because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. America, this is one of those moments.
I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. Because I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, where we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO LOBBY CONGRESS, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorist UNLESS THEY ARE A DICTATOR IN IRAQ. And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and the young at heart, those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did FOR "OPERATION CHAOS".
I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day even though they can't afford it than see their friends lose their jobs BECAUSE OF HIGH CORPORATE TAXES, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.
You know, this country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores. Instead, it is that American spirit -- that American promise -- that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend. That promise is our greatest inheritance AND WITH MY RECORD OF VOTING FOR THE INHERITANCE TAX, IT WILL BE YOUR ONLY INHERITANCE.
It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours -- a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot. And it is that promise that 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream. THAT PREACHER WOULD SLAP THE CRAP OUT OF ME IF HE WERE ALIVE TODAY. The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.But what the people heard instead -- people of every creed and color, from every walk of life -- is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one."We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back." America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate (INDOCTRINATE), and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many UNARMED families to protect THAT I WANT TO REMAIN DEFENSELESS and so many lives to mend OR DESTROY AT BIRTH, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.
America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone BECAUSE I WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO BE UP YOUR ASS AT ALL TIMES. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise -- that American promise -- and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.
Full Text of Sen. Barack Obama's Historical Speech: With commentary by "Roadhouse".
To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation. With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the United States. Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, (CARRIED ME) and especially the one who traveled the farthest -- a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and yours -- Hillary Rodham Clinton.
To President Bill Clinton, who made last night the case for change as only he can make it (LIED); to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service (UNLESS YOU'RE IN A CAR CRASH WITH HIM); and to the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time (I THOUGHT HE SAID "BIDEN"), a man at ease with BULLYING everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.
To the love of my life, our next first lady, Michelle Obama, and to Malia and Sasha -- I love you so much, and I'm so proud of you.
Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story -- of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to (SOCIALISM AND RACISM). It is that promise that has always set this country apart -- that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.
That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women -- students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive. We meet at one of those defining moments -- a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more (THANKS TO LIBERALISM). Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less (NOT TRUE). More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN STUPID DECISIONS.
These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics (LIBERALISM) in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush. CERTAINLY NOT THE DEMOCRAT LEAD CONGRESS.
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this. This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work. We're a better country than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for 20 years and watch it shipped off to China THANKS TO HIGH CORPORATE TAXES, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news . We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty (NEVER HAPPENED, THEY DO THAT ON THEIR OWN); that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes (RAY NAGEN, MARY LANDREW, WILLIAM JEFFERSON).
Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land -- enough! This moment -- this election -- is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight.
On November 4, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough." Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, UNLIKE ME, and for that we owe him our gratitude and our respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need. But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Sen. McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time? ANSWER; HE'S ASTUTE.
I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change. The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives -- on health care and education and the economy -- Sen. McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this president (IT HAS). He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong (THEY ARE).
And when one of his chief advisers -- the man who wrote his economic plan -- was talking about the anxieties that Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners." A nation of whiners? YES. Tell that to the proud autoworkers at a Michigan plant (UNION CRY BABIES) who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made.
Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty BECAUSE OF ANTI-WAR ACTIONS OF LIBERALS IN CONGRESS AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
These are not whiners. They work hard and they give back and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know BUT WON'T VISIT IN GERMANY.Now, I don't believe that Sen. McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans? BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT MORE TAXES ARE PAID BY CORPORATIONS THAN POOR PEOPLE, AND THAT'S HOW THE ECONOMY WORKS. How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement? BECAUSE HE KNOWS THESE DECISIONS ARE TO BE MADE BY THE PEOPLE, NOT GOVERNMENT. It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.
For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy -- give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else (IT DOES). In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is that you're on your own (EXACTLY THE WAY I WANT IT). Out of work? Tough luck. You're on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps -- even if you don't have boots. You are on your own. IT'S CALLED SELF RELIANCE AND DIGNITY...LOOK IT UP.
Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America. And that's why I'm running for president of the United States. You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country (NO KIDDING) . We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma ON SOMEONE ELSE'S DIME. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president (DOT COM BUBBLE)-- when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000 like it has under George Bush (WRONG AGAIN).We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without losing her job (THAT'S WHY DEMS ARE ALWAYS BAD FOR THE ECONOMY)-- an economy that honors the dignity of work.
The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great -- a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight. Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country (LIB FACTORIES) with the help of student loans and scholarships.
When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed THANKS TO HIGHER TAXES AND EXCESSIVE REGULATION. And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business or making her way in the world, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman.
She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well. Now, I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped my life. And it is on behalf of them that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.
What is that American promise? It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect LIKE REVEREND WRIGHT AND BILL AYERS WOULD. It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs (THAT'S NOT THEIR PURPOSE OR RESPONSIBILITY), to look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road. Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves (NO SUCH THING)-- protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools (VOUCHERS) and new roads and science and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. OR BETTER YET, GET OUT OF OUR WAY. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work. That's the promise of America -- the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper. UNLESS MY BROTHER IS A TOTAL SLACKER. That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas (THEY GO OVERSEAS BECAUSE OF THE HIGH TAXES HERE...DUH, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America (UNLESS THEY PRODUCE OIL).
I'll eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will, listen now, cut taxes -- cut taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class. And for the sake of our economy, our security and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East (NOT WITHOUT DRILLING YOU WON'T). We will do this.
Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and by the way John McCain's been there for 26 of them. And in that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels (FOR GOOD REASON). And today, we import triple the amount of oil that we had as the day that Sen. McCain took office BECAUSE MY PARTY WON'T LET YOU DRILL FOR YOUR OWN HERE. Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.
As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I KNOW THOSE WAYS ALREADY EXIST, BUT MY PARTY WON'T LET US DO THAT EITHER. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW.
I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW. And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. RUSSIA AND CHINA SAY "THANKS".
America, now is not the time for small plans.Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education VOUCHER, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.
You know, Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education AND THE DNC LIKES TO PLAY THE RACE CARD. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance TO LIVE OFF THE GOVERNMENT.
I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support BECAUSE I BELIEVE THROWING MONEY AT THE PROBLEM IS ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO FIX IT. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American -- if you commit to serving your community or our country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most. BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN GOVERNMENT MAKING YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS FOR YOU.
Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their job and caring for a sick child or ailing parent AND BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO RUN A BUSINESS.
Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A GREAT INVESTMENT. And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons. Now, many (ALL) of these plans will cost money (YOURS), which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime -- by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow BUT KEEP BUSINESSES HERE.
But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less -- because we cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy. And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength."
Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient OR ELSE!!! Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents BUT I'M WORKING ON IT; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility to provide love and guidance to their children.
Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility -- that's the essence of America's promise AND MY MORTAL ENEMY. And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander in chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.
For while Sen. McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats that we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. You know, John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell -- but he won't even go to the cave where he lives. (OBAMA KNOWS WHERE BIN LADEN LIVES?)
And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush administration, even after we learned that Iraq has $79 billion in surplus while we are wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war. NOTICE HOW I NEVER SAY "WIN THIS WAR". That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. BUT ALLOWING TERRORIST AND DICTATORS TO CONTINUE THEIR ANTICS WILL.
We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past. You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq, UNLESS THE LEADER OF IRAQ IS FUNDING TERRORISTS AND TREATENING AMERICA. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington, YET I CLAIM TO BE ANTI-WAR AND PRO-DIPLOMACY. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've, WELL, ACTUALLY ME AND MY PARTY strained our oldest alliances.
If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice -- but that is not the change that America needs. We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans -- have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.
As commander in chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle UNLESS IT'S A STRATEGIC DEFENSE MISSILE SYSTEM and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home LIKE A COURT MARSHAL FOR KILLING TERRORISTS.
I will end NOT WIN this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan BUT NOT IRAQ. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. THAT MEANS I WILL GIVE TERRORIST LEGITAMACY BY TALKING TO THEM.
I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future. BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE MY COUNTRY NOW, AND DON'T ASK ME HOW.
These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain BUT ONLY AS OFTEN AS I HAVE TO. But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and each other's patriotism.
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. SO I HAVE A WHOLE NEW PARTISAN PLAYBOOK. So let us agree that patriotism has no PLACE IN MY party.
I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America -- they have served the United States of America. So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.America, our work will not be easy.
The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past EXCEPT OF COURSE FOR SOCIALISM. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits.
What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose. That's what we have to restore. We may not agree on abortion BECAUSE I'VE VOTED FOR KILLING BABIES BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE WOMB, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. JUST DON'T LOOK AT MY SECOND AMMENDMENT VOTING RECORD.
I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. You know, passions may fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child (NEVER HAPPENED) or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.
But this, too, is part of America's promise -- the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort. I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. HIS NAME IS ROADHOUSE. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters. OH, AND BECAUSE MY VOTING RECORD PROVES IT.
If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.You make a big election about small things.And you know what -- it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.I get it.
I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington. I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WHAT SO EVER. I HANG OUT WITH PEOPLE WHO HATE AMERICA. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE FREE MARKET OR BASIC ECONOMICS. I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND A PERSON'S BASIC RIGHT TO BE BORN.
But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. (TELL THAT TO THE MEDIA) It's about you. It's about you.
For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us -- that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it -- because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. America, this is one of those moments.
I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. Because I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, where we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO LOBBY CONGRESS, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorist UNLESS THEY ARE A DICTATOR IN IRAQ. And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and the young at heart, those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did FOR "OPERATION CHAOS".
I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day even though they can't afford it than see their friends lose their jobs BECAUSE OF HIGH CORPORATE TAXES, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.
You know, this country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores. Instead, it is that American spirit -- that American promise -- that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend. That promise is our greatest inheritance AND WITH MY RECORD OF VOTING FOR THE INHERITANCE TAX, IT WILL BE YOUR ONLY INHERITANCE.
It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours -- a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot. And it is that promise that 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream. THAT PREACHER WOULD SLAP THE CRAP OUT OF ME IF HE WERE ALIVE TODAY. The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.But what the people heard instead -- people of every creed and color, from every walk of life -- is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one."We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back." America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate (INDOCTRINATE), and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many UNARMED families to protect THAT I WANT TO REMAIN DEFENSELESS and so many lives to mend OR DESTROY AT BIRTH, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.
America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone BECAUSE I WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO BE UP YOUR ASS AT ALL TIMES. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise -- that American promise -- and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.
Friday, August 29, 2008
PALIN IN COMPARISON
OK, the title might be a bit weak. But hey, it's a blog, not heady literature. Like many conservatives, I have been luke-warm at best regarding the nomination of John McCain for President. Not because he's a dud, but because I think we could do so much better if we just stood up for our core beliefs instead of allowing the media to define us. He's not a "dud" but let's face it, he's way too willing to play the game on liberal terms which is pretty close to the dud zone.
I knew my support for him would hinge on his pick for VP. I was totally willing to sacrifice the next four years knowing that Obama's naive policies would create such a mess that the people would have no choice but to embrace a conservative candidate in 2012. Granted, this was not a great plan, but it's not like I had many options. After all, I'm only one vote.
I woke up Friday morning ready to accept the worst case scenario. If McCain picked Lieberman, I knew I would be staying home on election day. The same would happen if he picked Huckabee. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that he was going to surprise everyone by picking Fred Thompson. But as a realist, I knew that was a long shot.
Later that morning, I ran into a friend of mine at work who happens to be a fellow political junkie. He asked me what I thought of Sarah Palin from Alaska because he heard that was going to be the pick. I told him that I really didn't know much about her, but what I did know, I liked. In fact, until nine o'clock tonight, I couldn't pick her out of a line-up. Let's face it, conservatives are not known for their media coverage. Until today, I had only heard her in radio interviews and read about her in newspapers.
Later, it was confirmed by McCain himself at a rally in Ohio that Palin was the VP pick. This was followed by a speech by Palin herself that I was able to listen to on the radio. Let me just say, I'm on board for McCain.
Much will be made about her lack of experience compared to Biden. But what good is experience if you've been wrong on pretty much every issue for your thirty-plus years in Washington as Biden has been? Also, Governors actually manage and delegate authority for the extent of their term. Senators "legislate"...and not much else. Neither Biden or Obama have ever ran anything.
One dynamic that will be worth watching is Biden's tendency to bully people now that his prey is going to be female. Will he be able to "keep it in his pants" or will he walk out on that very thin branch and be his usual cocky/condescending self toward a woman for all the world to see? How will that play in middle America...especially with women voters? How will that contrast with the Obama claims of "change", civility and bi-partisanship? Will Biden's bullying make him look ridiculous if Palin is not impressed with his tactics and totally cleans his clock in their debate? Will the Obamas keep trying to claim "regular folk" status now that a hocky-Mom who's married to an oil worker/snowmobile racer is in the mix?
In any case, thing's just got a whole lot more interesting around here.
OK, the title might be a bit weak. But hey, it's a blog, not heady literature. Like many conservatives, I have been luke-warm at best regarding the nomination of John McCain for President. Not because he's a dud, but because I think we could do so much better if we just stood up for our core beliefs instead of allowing the media to define us. He's not a "dud" but let's face it, he's way too willing to play the game on liberal terms which is pretty close to the dud zone.
I knew my support for him would hinge on his pick for VP. I was totally willing to sacrifice the next four years knowing that Obama's naive policies would create such a mess that the people would have no choice but to embrace a conservative candidate in 2012. Granted, this was not a great plan, but it's not like I had many options. After all, I'm only one vote.
I woke up Friday morning ready to accept the worst case scenario. If McCain picked Lieberman, I knew I would be staying home on election day. The same would happen if he picked Huckabee. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that he was going to surprise everyone by picking Fred Thompson. But as a realist, I knew that was a long shot.
Later that morning, I ran into a friend of mine at work who happens to be a fellow political junkie. He asked me what I thought of Sarah Palin from Alaska because he heard that was going to be the pick. I told him that I really didn't know much about her, but what I did know, I liked. In fact, until nine o'clock tonight, I couldn't pick her out of a line-up. Let's face it, conservatives are not known for their media coverage. Until today, I had only heard her in radio interviews and read about her in newspapers.
Later, it was confirmed by McCain himself at a rally in Ohio that Palin was the VP pick. This was followed by a speech by Palin herself that I was able to listen to on the radio. Let me just say, I'm on board for McCain.
Much will be made about her lack of experience compared to Biden. But what good is experience if you've been wrong on pretty much every issue for your thirty-plus years in Washington as Biden has been? Also, Governors actually manage and delegate authority for the extent of their term. Senators "legislate"...and not much else. Neither Biden or Obama have ever ran anything.
One dynamic that will be worth watching is Biden's tendency to bully people now that his prey is going to be female. Will he be able to "keep it in his pants" or will he walk out on that very thin branch and be his usual cocky/condescending self toward a woman for all the world to see? How will that play in middle America...especially with women voters? How will that contrast with the Obama claims of "change", civility and bi-partisanship? Will Biden's bullying make him look ridiculous if Palin is not impressed with his tactics and totally cleans his clock in their debate? Will the Obamas keep trying to claim "regular folk" status now that a hocky-Mom who's married to an oil worker/snowmobile racer is in the mix?
In any case, thing's just got a whole lot more interesting around here.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
BIDEN? REALLY?
Like everyone, I was eagerly awaiting "Comrade Hopeski's" choice for Vice President. I must admit, I was sure he would pick Hillary. After all, I was under the impression that he actually wanted to win. I almost choked on my Golden Grahams this morning when I saw that he had picked Senator Joe Biden.
Think about it. If you have based your entire campaign on the idea of "change", why in the world would you pick one of the most none-"change" oriented people in Congress? To change, you would do something different, not status quo. Who's more status quo than Joe Biden? But that's just for starters.
With this pick, he has single-handedly alienated every female voter who had formerly supported Hillary Clinton and might have accepted an Obama/Clinton ticket. We already knew he was a racist, but now he looks like a sexist as well.
Then there is Biden's personality. I have seen enough of his antics on the Senate floor and in Congressional hearings to safely say that this man is a class "A" jerk. His condescending attitude and snideness is surely going to become a liability to Obama. Then again, maybe he chose Biden because he wanted someone who could make him look less arrogant. In that case, it was a genius pick.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure that McCain is going to make the right choice either. That pick will probably be what decides the election, and I'm biting my fingernails as we speak. In any case, it is going to be fun watching Obama try to convince people that his administration is about "unity" and "change" while Biden shoots his mouth off and looks down his nose at everyone he disagrees with. Then we can marvel at Obama as he tries to convince us how experienced he is while having a veteran Sentor as a VP. That's akin to Robin driving the Batmobile and Batman being forced to play second banana.
Let's not forget that only months ago, Biden went on record saying that he felt Obama was not ready for the Presedency.
For now, we'll all have the fun of watching the endless hours of Biden's greatest hits from the C-SPAN archives. Plus any new ones between now and November.
Like everyone, I was eagerly awaiting "Comrade Hopeski's" choice for Vice President. I must admit, I was sure he would pick Hillary. After all, I was under the impression that he actually wanted to win. I almost choked on my Golden Grahams this morning when I saw that he had picked Senator Joe Biden.
Think about it. If you have based your entire campaign on the idea of "change", why in the world would you pick one of the most none-"change" oriented people in Congress? To change, you would do something different, not status quo. Who's more status quo than Joe Biden? But that's just for starters.
With this pick, he has single-handedly alienated every female voter who had formerly supported Hillary Clinton and might have accepted an Obama/Clinton ticket. We already knew he was a racist, but now he looks like a sexist as well.
Then there is Biden's personality. I have seen enough of his antics on the Senate floor and in Congressional hearings to safely say that this man is a class "A" jerk. His condescending attitude and snideness is surely going to become a liability to Obama. Then again, maybe he chose Biden because he wanted someone who could make him look less arrogant. In that case, it was a genius pick.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure that McCain is going to make the right choice either. That pick will probably be what decides the election, and I'm biting my fingernails as we speak. In any case, it is going to be fun watching Obama try to convince people that his administration is about "unity" and "change" while Biden shoots his mouth off and looks down his nose at everyone he disagrees with. Then we can marvel at Obama as he tries to convince us how experienced he is while having a veteran Sentor as a VP. That's akin to Robin driving the Batmobile and Batman being forced to play second banana.
Let's not forget that only months ago, Biden went on record saying that he felt Obama was not ready for the Presedency.
For now, we'll all have the fun of watching the endless hours of Biden's greatest hits from the C-SPAN archives. Plus any new ones between now and November.
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