Obama Vs. McCain Blues
July 5th, 2008
Is it just me or has the general election campaign thus far been, well, rather boring? All that has come out are two candidates with no amazing policy ideas bickering. We’ve had no debates, no real discussion, no clear vision, nothing but back and forth charges that end every day with no real resolutions and no actual conception of how this country is going to move forward.
For well over a year now I have been warning people who have jumped aboard the “change” bandwagon on both sides that I this election was going to look no different than any other. From the beginning neither party or candidate had present a radical thought about how they would alter the country. Aside from the marketing slogans and constant promises from both that they would “work across the aisle” every idea presented by the Democrats came straight out of the 1970’s and every idea from the Republicans straight from the 1980’s.
Now, here we are. Already in July, the race determined on both sides, ample opportunity for either candidate to look or act or sound different than every other candidate we’ve had over the last twenty years and…. nothing! Nothing at all.
So when is the change going to come? After the conventions? I doubt it. Sometime in October? No probably not then either. Please, either candidate, anyone, give me some hope that in a time when our nation faces grave challenges one of you will present us with something unique, something no one has thought of before that just might work! Otherwise, this is going to be a very boring few months ahead.
Examples
Energy
Obama in pure 1970’s Liberal vision wants no domestic drilling, no real development in nuclear energy and lots of investment in solar, wind and “green” technology.
McCain in pure 1980’s wants drilling in ANWR, drilling off coasts, moderate expansion in alternative energy.
Neither will budge until their own priorities are met. So, deadlock.
War
Obama wants and end to war, to talk to dictators, bring an end to the CIA/Military Industrial complex vision of the world that was prevelent in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
McCain like Ronald Reagan wants to talk tuff and send a clear bomb ready message to our enemies that only involves talking when our enemies are ready to submit.
Outcome? Neither policy keeps all the bad guys in play or can be used in every situation. A 3D vision of the world is lacking with Liberals denying there is right and wrong in the world and Conservatives unable to see areas of gray.
Health Care & Social Welfare
Obama is proposing massive expansions of government assistance programs while also claiming he is working toward reforming Welfare. While his words sound moderate his plans will cost billions, expand the role of government into Americans lives (even now by supporting faith-based charitable/welfare programs) and result in higher taxes. Meanwhile he is putting forward a universal health care plan believing the federal government has a role in that. However, like Dem ideas tried before, it really isn’t universal.
McCain on the other hand wants to cut the living daylights out of the federal government in true 1980’s spirit, deregulating business while removing government assistance for everything from welfare to agriculture subsidies while raising military spending instead.
The outcome? Neither vision of the world has worked in the last fifty years with our nation swinging back and forth between these extremes toward the ultimate insult of our bureaucracy, eight years of both parties spending every dime of the peoples money and then some on every plan available.
New Ideas?
None.
Posted in Election 2008 | 6 Comments »
July 5th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
A few typos to fix… ANWAR = ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) and “isle” is spelled “aisle” in this context.
When it comes to your ideas…You're horribly wrong. The roots of most of these policies trace back to the 1930s and 40s. Turns out that politicians prefer proven ideas that have constituencies. I'm sure that, as the election approaches, the candidate who's down will unveil a massive public works project or something. Wouldn't that just make your day? (Don't get me wrong–we need something huge to change this country's direction.)
July 5th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
To add a note…
I don't think you have any real understanding of presidential politics. We haven't had a Democratic president with the ability to (nearly) freely exercise his agenda since FDR. LBJ had the clout, but was handicapped by Vietnam. Carter…Let's not even go there. Foreign embarrassments and the conservative coalition prevented him from getting things done. And of course Clinton–he had a Republican Congress to battle for 6/8 years. Reagan and W. Bush have exercised far more power than any Democratic president. Their visions are proven failures; whereas Liberal visions have seen far more roadblocks.
Oh, and you're misconstruing Obama's positions on the war and taxes. He's in-line with the mainstream on both issues…A pragmatic stance. (He'd prefer to get out of Iraq soon, but pledges to do it carefully…It's far from what the far-left wants. On taxes, he outlines his policy as repealing the Bush tax cuts for those who make over $200,000 per year.) Read up on positions before you get up on your soap box.
July 5th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Well first off, I would say George Bush was pretty freely able to exercise his ideas during his first term, maybe the closest since FDR. Remember FDR wasn't able to steamroll everything he wanted to do either, there are always limitations. LBJ obviously a close second with Reagan pretty capable at pushing legislation through as well. The greater point to be made here though is that presidents are not Kings and so this notion that Obama will single handedly “change” Washington through sheer force of his personality alone is laughable, as much as it was for Bush, Clinton and just about every candidate who promises the same. Yet another “same old, same old” we have heard it all before campaign.
Second Obama has changed his position on the War several times through out the campaign from the far-left non-pragmatic vision of the world to a confusing “I will keep contingency troops, but have all troops out, I will send troops back in if violence erupts or a dictator steps in but there is no hope of progress” mess.
That is one of his tax policies. Along with the desire to raise the SS tax on earnings over $102,000 a year. Which is in itself not at all a new idea and in addition an unfair addition seeing as the reason there is a cap is because beyond $90,000 paid to the entitlement will never even remotely be paid back. In an entitlement, you pay in, you take out and then the next group does the same. Changing that makes it a progressive tax that puts a new unfair burden on the wealthy to support those that won't put in anything close to what they are taking out.
Now if anyone thinks we can add more entitlement programs, like health care, not to mention more spending for education, more spending for the military, more foreign aid etc. and not see those in the middle class pay higher taxes then they aren't living in the real world. Now add to that tax cuts for the middle class, spending for “green” technology”, infrastructure rebuilding, faith-based programs and other programs put forward by Obama and you see where this is going.
We've had eight years of spending without any control and we are living the consequences. There is absolutely nothing I have seen between Obama or McCain that is “new” or will actually revolutionize our economy or solve our nations problems.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I meant $102,000 on that second number, not sure why I wrote $90,000 after citing the 2008 number other than I spent the day doing landscaping work on the house and am REALLY tired. Same with the ANWR and isle. Thanks for noting.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Obama will fund his expansion of government programs including what amounts to socialized medicine by doubling the capital gains tax, doubling the tax on dividends, taxing income over $102,000 for social security, creating an excess profits tax on oil companies, and taxing the receipt social security benefits at a higher rate at higher income levels. While at first blush this seems like typical Robin Hood politics of a liberal democrat, in reality it directly hits the middle class. Guess what? Middle class people retire and depend on social security and investments to survive in retirement. When taxes on investments or their benefits skyrocket, the middle class will have less retirement income. The rich won't care as they have enough regardless. Moreover, if it is true that under Obama's health care plan he will extend benefits to 50 million people currently uncovered people, the current health care delivery system will be inundated with people, raising the price of medical services, creating long lines for basic procedures, and ultimately causing the rationing of medical care. Guess what? the middle class will be standing in those lines and sometimes behind illegal immigrants. Some middle class people may be deprioritzed in those lines encouraging them to die sooner (a Soylent Green approach). Taxing the big bad oil companies will only cause gas prices to go up further as the oil companies will just pass the tax onto consumers. I am just so glad Obama offers change we can all believe in.
The real problem is the American electorate knows very little about any of this and functions like a herd of wildebeasts crossing a river. This mentality could cause Obama's election. Things will then get worse or he will back off on his tax and spend liberlism once reality sets in just like he has already done on getting out of Iraq. Let's hope for the latter or that the electorate wises up.
July 13th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Yawn. I'm going to the Girls Next Door website right now.