First off I want to thank everyone who commented on my most recent post, “Who Will You Vote For?” Your comments were extremely thoughtful. I am amazed that so many of us seem to feel so similarly. It would be very encouraging if we were all going to run things for a while. But I must admit after sitting through two weeks of political conventions I am thrilled that football season is starting. I need a diversion to regain my sanity. As a perennial optimist I find myself struggling to keep emotionally afloat amidst the raging seas of political hijinx. Here are some thoughts.
- I really try to keep an open mind. I come from a ranching, take-responsibility-for-yourself Republican family. However, when I was 18 my very independent father vowed to take me to Canada rather than have me fight in a “politicians’ war waged for the military-industrial complex.” Dad was more of an Eisenhower Republican. George Bush would have caused my dad’s head to explode.
- Two years ago I talked to a former senior staffer for Joe Lieberman. She resigned because she said that lobbyists run Washington. Literally. Lobbyists write a law then they find a congressman to “buy” to sponsor it. They push their bills and agenda relentlessly. Day after day. Year after year. They’ve taken over running the FDA, the EPA and every other regulating body of our government. By the way, she resigned to teach yoga and open a day spa. She said the corruption was so rampant and revolting it made her physically sick.
- The Democrats are just as corrupt as the Republicans. They are just as delighted to accept lobbyist money. In two years running the Congress they have done nothing to improve our national train wreck or even slow down the conductor.
- I don’t understand why the religious right thinks the Republican leaders care anything about their hot-bottom issues. The Republicans controlled both houses, and Bush acted like an emperor making any law he wanted for his first six years. They didn’t do anything at all to create prohibitions on abortions. And their half-hearted attempts to limit partial-birth abortions were political stunts rather than sincere attempts to pursue their fiery pro-life rhetoric. Books have now been written about how Karl Rove and his cronies look at Christian conservatives as mental hillbillies they can manipulate. Isn’t it time to wake up?
- Democrats have no viable plan to end wasteful programs or pay for their ideas. For instance, if we don’t stop the escalation of health care costs we can never individually or collectively pay for it all. Hello.
- Republicans constantly talk about helping businesses by cutting regulations and lowering taxes. But they equate businesses not with the 95% of businesses that employ less than 500 people but the tiny few that control Wall Street. The financial establishment in New York racks up over $1 million a day in fines for breaking laws ($400 million per year), but it’s just the cost of doing business and big business complains the U.S. has the highest tax rates on business in the world. But guess what? Nearly no large business pays on the published rate because their lobbyists over years have come up with so many loopholes and accounting rules that on average 1/3 of the profitable companies of the Fortune 500 pay no taxes at all. Nearly everyone pays a small fraction of their rate. Yet small businesses that operate without lobbyists pay the full freight. Neither Wall Street nor the Republican leadership is a friend of real American Business; they just manipulate the hell out of us.
- I just do not understand how John McCain can act like he and his lobbyist advisors and his establishment friends are going to change anything except for the worst. Our country is broken and the same guys want to loot it.
- I enjoy Obama’s passion and inspiration, but seriously, where is a record of accomplishment that coincides with his years in state and national office? He seems extraordinarily competent at raising money and getting elected, but aren’t his seemingly meager actual achievements a little thin?
- No one, and I mean no one, can make the case that Sarah Palin is the most qualified Republican to stand behind a 72 year-old McCain. Nominating her was a political stunt to turn this campaign into a personality and beauty contest. It is an insult to all of us that McCain would gamble our country’s future to try to get elected. If Palin turns out to be any kind of heavyweight leader it was sheer luck. We deserve more than luck. (And yes, the difference of Obama’s candidacy is that he’s campaigned for 2 years and 18 million Democrats chose him. One man chose Palin.)
So, after the last two weeks I am still unresolved on whom to vote for. The blatant and excessive corruption of the past 8 years and watching 15,000 Rush Limbaugh clones lust after Sarah Palin makes supporting the McCain ticket unthinkable. But what evidence is there that Obama is what he claims to be? I don’t know…maybe my Washington friend was right. I should try yoga.
Your thoughts?