Tag Archives: McCain

Fall Sunday Stats #5: Ronald Reagan, Commie Scum; John McCain, Terrorist Fundraiser.

Posted on November 2, 2008 | 3 comments

The Republicans have pushed me over the edge with their latest lunatic ranting.  The most impressive thing about McCain’s — very funny — appearance on Saturday Night Live last night is that he managed it without visibly looking under the Weekend Update desk for commies hiding under it.

I’m not going to link to all of the videos of Republican candidates and talking-point spewing mouth breathers slandering Obama by calling him a socialist, Marxist, or communist; they’re available on in the ‘tubes.  Google “Obama socialist” and you’ll find plenty.  Let me get through the stats for the week and I’ll give you my rebuttal.

Miles run today:  None.  The Mrs. is singing excerpts from the Faure Requiem at church this morning, and I don’t miss her performances except for emergencies.  She’s got a wonderful voice.

Words written:  590 words of the short story I’m working on.  Between a tough week at work and election coverage at night, I haven’t been getting much writing done.  Back on track after Tuesday!

And now, my Keith Olbermann-style special comment:

REAGAN WAS A SOCIALIST!

Okay, Republican neo-McCarthyites, what in your mind makes Obama a socialist? Is it his support for the progressive income tax structure (increasing marginal rates as income goes up)? McCain/Palin support the same structure, they just differ over the rates. Let’s assume that you don’t believe we’re living in a socialist state today.  The top marginal income tax rate is currently 35%.  Obama has proposed raising the top rate to 39.6%, which is where it was during the boom years of the 1990s. Are you saying that the line between a capitalist society and a socialist society is crossed somewhere between 35% and 39.6%? Where is that line, exactly? Is it 36%? 37? 38.2%?  Were we socialists during the tech boom?

I also think that it’s unfortunate that you’re defaming Ronald Reagan by calling him a socialist. If Obama’s a socialist for proposing a 39.6% top marginal rate, Reagan must have been positively Stalinesque in his support for the communist system, because under his self-proclaimed “tax reform” the top marginal rate from 1982 through 1986 was 50%. What a pinko! Now, to give credit where credit is due, maybe the Gipper saw the light, because in 1986 he signed another tax bill that lowered the top marginal rate to 38.5%. Perhaps that’s the line we should never cross – 38.5%=capitalist market economy, freedom, and the shining city on the hill, while 38.51% = socialism, tyranny, oppressed masses, and another Evil Empire.  Who knew the red revolution would be so subtle, and yet so well defined?

All tax systems are redistributionist, even a flat tax.  Back in 2000, McCain called the Bush tax cuts “irresponsible.”  So is going back to the pre-2001 top rate “socialistic” or simple fiscal responsibility?

MCCAIN FUNDED RADICAL PALESTINIAN TERRORIST!

As for Khalidi, while McCain served on the board of the International Republican Institute, that organization gave Khalidi several hundred thousand dollars in grants in the 1990s. Obama spoke at a dinner where the guy was in attendance, and says that in a couple of conversations Khalidi challenged some of Obama’s biases. Assuming Khalidi is some kind of radical terrorist (a charge for which there doesn’t appear to be any evidence), which association is more offensive?

Let’s get this straight:  Obama, not a socialist, not someone who pals around with terrorists.  He’s just the guy who’s kicking Republican ass.

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Can You See the Tire Tracks on Her Back?

Posted on November 1, 2008 | 1 comment

Because McCain just threw his running mate under the bus.  The clip isn’t up yet, but it will be soon right here if you missed it.  I have to give the cranky old SOB credit — that was damn funny.

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There Are Pigs Flying Through the Snow in Hell Tonight.

Posted on October 17, 2008 | 1 comment

The Chicago Tribune just endorsed Barack Obama for President, the first Democrat the paper has ever endorsed for President.

Remember to vote early if you can — you never know what could happen to you between now and Election Day.  I voted yesterday.

One more reason to vote for Barack:  Unfocused Junior told me this evening, “John McCain was the cranky old man who lived on the corner of your block when you were a kid.”  I explained that McCain had never lived on my block.  “Well, then,” he said, “John McCain is just a cranky old man.”  Exactly.

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Political Rant: Ayers Is a Phony Issue.

Posted on October 12, 2008 | 2 comments

It’s been difficult to concentrate on anything this week, with both the presidential campaign and the global economy teetering on the edge of the abyss.  I had been pretty successful until a few weeks ago in keeping some distance from political and financial news, with the exception of watching the conventions and debates.  In the last couple of weeks, though, McCain and Palin — Palin especially — and their surrogates have been whipping up their supporters into a strange frenzy.  I was glad to see McCain back away from it on Friday, telling his audience that Obama is a decent man with whom McCain has many fundamental disagreements.

McCain and Palin continue to bang away at the “Obama pals around with domestic terrorists” meme, however, arguing that Obama’s associations with University of Illinois professor and former leader of the Weather Underground William Ayers demonstrate something important about Obama’s patriotism or judgment.  Obama denies any meaningful connection with Ayers, and The New York Times ran a long piece recently, concluding that there isn’t, and never was, much of a relationship between Obama and Ayers, but McCain and Palin keep coming back to it.

There isn’t any more support for the allegations now than there was when the Times wrote its story, but it’s still out there.  The Daily Beast, former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown’s latest project and my new favorite news and commentary aggregator, has unfortunately had it as its lead story the entire weekend, giving the claims far more credibility than they’re worth, with blurbs that are mostly skeptical of the Obama’s explanations and the Times story.  The pundits quoted don’t actually have any facts to share, they just try to poke holes in Obama’s version as backed up by the Times.

The Daily Beast would do well to add a link to today’s Chicago Sun-Times.  There’s a good story, based on work done by FactCheck.org, showing that the alleged relationship between Obama and Ayers consists of a couple of common board memberships, a small fund raiser in 1995, and a $200 donation in 2001.  Ayers was never convicted of anything, and doesn’t appear to have ever actually hurt anyone.  Sure, he could have hurt someone, and I’m not condoning what he admits to having done, but let’s be serious about this:  compare Obama’s tenuous association with a guy who is now generally considered non-toxic (he’s a state employee, for Pete’s sake) with Palin’s support of a group that advocates Alaska’s secession from the Union:

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Safety, Prosperity, Peace, and Drill, Baby, Drill: The GOP Convention Is Finally Over.

Posted on September 4, 2008 | 3 comments

I’m starting this as McCain is giving his speech — a protester just threw off his opening.

Another protester.

And another one.

Who’s the dumbass who gave these people credentials?  The Republicans can’t even run their own convention, how are we supposed to trust them to run the country?

Strangely, I was not roused by McCain’s speech.  I expected to be typing a vituperative rant during the entire thing, but honestly, he hasn’t said anything that makes me really angry.  A little misrepresentation of Obama’s positions here, a few gratuitous slaps at unions there, but … whatever.  So far, the most annoying thing he’s said is to repeat his party’s ridiculous insistence that we can drill our way to energy independence, leading to another round of “Drill, Baby, Drill” chants from the delegates.

There was some good stuff about how, as a former navy officer from a navy family, he hates war and wants most of all to work for peace.  More about his very impressive personal story, of course, but the rest of the speech was reheated, leftover GOP talking points, not delivered terribly well.

The speech is probably most remarkable for being so incredibly at odds with every other speech at this convention.  The previous speakers have been angry and sarcastic, for the most part, without any realization that their words would be heard by anyone outside their echo chamber in St. Paul.  McCain had a few snarky moments, but was mostly very earnest in cataloging the failures of his own party.

I would like to point out John McCain has been in Congress for 28 years, and his party has been in the White House for eight years — would someone please explain to me how he’s the outsider?  He may have been a maverick eight years ago, and he’s had some skirmishes with President Bush, but let’s not forget about his voting record in the Senate:  90% of votes with the Bush administration.  He’s not an outsider, and when Republicans run against Washington in 2008, they’re running against themselves.

The conventions are finally over — just like Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy say the McCain-Palin campaign is.  Thank goodness.

One final note:  worst of all, Mrs. Unfocused points out that the music in McCain’s video (and Palin’s, too) was ripped off from the theme for Dallas.

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