Although the Republican party is wrong on pretty much everything, I was impressed with Sarah Palin’s speech. Really a nobody, she thundered onto the stage. Even though she is likely clueless on many major issues, she made clear tonight that she is willing to come our swinging. The upcoming debates are sure to be extremely interesting.
WD, just to preface, the following are somewhat stream of consciousness.
Yes, with the conventions over we are now within the last 60 days before the election. Now is the time when each candidate will do his best to appeal to people outside his traditional base. It also tends to be the time you see candidates start to flip flop on issues. The first noted post convention flip flop belongs to Mr. Obama.
Prior to this weekend, Mr. Obama has declared that he will not raise taxes on anyone making less than 250k per year. This weekend, Mr. Obama somewhat backed off that statement by saying that he might leave the taxes for those individuals at the same level depending on how the economy is at that juncture. This is clearly an effort to attract wealthier Americans.
The problem with Mr. Obama’s plan is that it does not balance out. In order to do that he needs a larger infusion of money. If he does not raise the taxes, where will this money come from? Furthermore, his current plan(and also McCain’s to be frank) is flawed. If he took the entire Defense budget and used it for his programs and raised the taxes on the richer folks as he has said, he would still be close to $3 billion short. Where will that additional money come from? He has two options: raise taxes on the middle class or take out loans from countries like China or Japan. Neither option is particularly good. In the end, Mr. Obama will likely have to raise the taxes of the middle class in order to get his economic plan through.
What is also interesting is of course the issue of race. Generic Republican-Democratic numbers have the Dems way out ahead of the Republicans. Many people don’t want to admit to being racist, but all of us are in some way. With Palin on the ticket, it might give some people on the fence “an easy out” to vote McCain. In their heart they might not want to admit racial prejudice, but they might see voting for a woman for VP as a “historic choice”. In that way they can let themselves feel better that they voted for a woman and not against a black man.
I also have to question some of Mr. Obama’s recent choices. Neglecting the obvious choice of Mrs. Clinton for Mr. Biden is surprising to me. If I was Mr. Obama I would have chosen Mrs. Clinton and Gov Bill Richardson WELL ahead of Mr. Biden. Both Mrs. Clinton and Gov Richardson brings plenty of executive and leadership positions which Mr. Obama lacks. They would have been excellent choices in my mind. I don’t see how Mr. Biden helps Mr. Obama more than those two. Some people say that Mr. Biden is very knowledgeable about Foreign Policy. I agree, he is. However, that skill would be far more useful as the Secretary of State not as the VP.
Some people might read this commentary (if they get through the whole thing) and think I am being unfair to Mr. Obama. They might ask me why am I not looking at Mr. McCain in the same way. They might believe I am biased in my thoughts. The reason I have focused on Mr. Obama is because it is his election to lose. The election is essentially a yes/no decision: Do you or do you not support Mr. Obama. If you do you will vote for him, if not you will likely vote for Mr. McCain.
I invite all feedback from all of the readers here. As you may/may not be able to tell I am something of a political junky and I love discussing the issues in an intelligent manner non confrontational manner. If anyone is interested in doing so I would love to have a discussion with you.
-BT
WD,
When I read your Palin comment, I thought for sure that someone hacked your web site!
Palin is a viper. I’ve already read articles where people claim she’s been heard making racist remarks not only about Obama — but also about the native people of Alaska…..allegedly calling them “Arctic Arabs”
We have plenty to be worried about with Palin….if by some twist of fate, Republicans win the election.
Also, WD, I was surprised that you overlooked her highly insulting remarks regarding Mr. Obama and “community organizers” —– your personal history, WD, as well as mine, and countless other self sacrificing individuals, was insulted.
Community organizing is to be ridiculed?
Sorry to be so critical of your blog post — it’s just that I think giving that woman credit for anything is a bad idea.
Certainly her speech should have personally offended you because you served in the peace corps, which is community organizing/volunteering.
Mr. Cappiello,
Do you have any legitimate websites that backup the notion that Gov Palin is a racist or is this simply hearsay and conjecture?
I do not know you but from your comments, I take it that you are either a Democrat or are leaning towards Obama in this election. I find it fascinating how much the people of the left are terrified of Gov Palin. Instead of choosing to attack her political opinions, they attack her personally. Your comment that Palin is a “viper” points to that sentiment of fear.
I have wondered what has driven the Left to use these personal attacks against Gov Palin and her daughter and it dawned on me a few minutes ago what it is: it is the fear that they will lose. I think that the Dems see that in a generic election, the Dem trounces the Repub. Yet the Mr. Obama- Mr. McCain matchup is basically dead even. Now with Gov Palin on board with Mr. McCain, there is life and talk amongst the right. Many independents, moderates, and fringe democrats are taking a close look.
I think the reason the left makes personal attacks against Gov Palin is that they are afraid that they will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again.
As a side note, I have no problem with Gov Palin’s remarks about community organizing. They were in response to Mr. Obama’s campaign message that derided her role as a mayor of a small community. Neither the mayor of a small town nor being a community organizer is enough leadership experience to be President in my mind. However, most people would say that a mayor has more leadership responsibilities than a community organizer.
What are your thoughts on the matter Mr. Cappiello and anyone else that is reading this?
-BT
I felt the same way as Matt. I listened to Gov Palin’s speech and thought she did an excellent job in delivering the speech. I thought it was a very negative speech, tones of Karl Rove, but it made her seem like she has a spine of steel, an admirable impression after a week of being dragged through the grind of the press. However, I have nothing in common with her or her beliefs, and aside from being the new kid on the block my impression is that she may add some relative youth and attractive looks but beyond that I am not sure what there is to vote for.
I thought Obama’s pick of Biden, in addition to the foreign policy strengths, provided a working class focus as well as focus on the family, in particular the importance of the role of a father. This is one of the issues that Obama is very sensitive to, and I think he can make a difference here. We will see.
BT,
There is video of Palin in a church (six months ago) saying that God is involved in getting an oil pipeline in Alaska and in the Iraq war.
It was aired on MSNBC.
She is a fanatic.
More will come out in due time, I am sure.
The claims I make are all over the internet, on web sites, in news articles.
As for her comment on community organizers that was in her speech at the convention. The RNC convention during which reporters were being bloodied, and arrested in violation of the 1st amendment.
When I say she is a viper, I mean it. She was part of the pentecostal church and they play with snakes and speak in tongues.
David C
P.S.
She hasn’t even clearly answered whether or not she believes in the sep of church and state.
Am I afraid of her? No. Afraid of her becoming President (should McCain win and take ill at some point?) YES YES YES.
It would be bad for America and further tarnish our image abroad.
She can prove me wrong…. through her public comments. But there are so many lies, that I’d think she’s related to Nixon.
David C
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tc7BF_Fd7I
CNN fact checking Palin’s speech
Palin Church Video
Pipeline God’s will
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q9MMJESywA&feature=related
Iraq war God’s will
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H-btXPfhGs&feature=related
Sorry about the ever-changing theme. I found the comments difficult to read in the prior theme as they were not properly separating paragraphs. Hopefully this familiar look will help foster the lively debate that is currently underway.
Mr. Cappiello,
I asked you for some credible evidence to support your claims about Gov Palin being a racist and till now you have yet to provide any. You mention that it is “all over the internet, on web sites, in news articles” yet you do not provide any credible links. It is hard to discuss a specific point with you without credible evidence to back up your claim. As I am sure you know, the internet is full of lies. I can create a website that claims that Mr. Obama likes to cut the heads off chickens, pour their blood into a bathtub, and then bathes himself in their blood as he sings the score off the H.M.S. Pinafore. That story could then spread like wildfire across the internet and be accepted as truth. Even print media can print lies, so you have to be very skeptical of everything you read.
Do I doubt that Gov Palin has certain prejudices? No, of course not. All of us humans have some prejudices in life. I have them, you have them, and WD has them. In fact, some prejudices are great and very necessary to have. These are representative heuristics and are important to have in navigating our world. The less desirable prejudices are the ones most people think about are ones people think about. So, I am not naive enough to think that Gov Palin does not have prejudices but I have not seen any credible evidence that she has expressed them.
I took a look at your video where she was speaking in a church about God and Iraq. The problem with your video is that it is an 18 second soundbite. There is no context to her statement. What was the rest of it? I have no idea. Without the rest of the speech, its hard to understand the crux of her argument. For example, examine the following line, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” Sounds a little goofy perhaps somewhat arrogant. How about this one, “We are now in this war. We are all in it — all the way. Every single man, woman and child is a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history. We must share together the bad news and the good news, the defeats and the victories — the changing fortunes of war. ” As you can see taking a small soundbite can render a powerful speech quite useless.
I am confused by your statement that Gov Palin “hasn’t even clearly answered whether or not she believes in the sep of church and state.” The word that confuses me is “even”. I was trying to figure out why you chose to utilize that word. The word “even” in this circumstance is very interesting because it changes the tone of your statement. The word “only” seems to indicate that you hold a belief that this is an area that she absolutely must address. This is interesting to me because you could have chosen to leave the word out. The choice of that word tells me that separation of church and state is an extremely important issue for you. That interests me because separation of church and state is not a big issue for me. And whats even more interesting? I am not a bible thumping Christian!
The last statement you made in post 6 saddens me the most. And this is not directed towards you but moreso towards the American public. People become very fired up about rhetoric and get very heated and typically refuse to listen to opposing viewpoints. They say that that a candidate has not answered a specific issue but then when the candidate does, they simply dismiss it as a bunch of lies.
What I think everyone is forgetting is that to be elected President, you have to be a politician. Mr. Obama, Mr. McCain, Mr. Biden, and Gov Palin are ALL politicians. Whether you like one over the other, never forget that they are all politicians and will say ANYTHING in order to get elected. Mr. Obama has moved towards the center away from his Left Wing values to get moderates and independents. Mr. McCain moved from the political center to the right in order to shore up his base and get elected.
Both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama have talked a good game about change but none of their ideas are “new”. Mr. Obama’s ideas are based on FDR principals and Mr. McCain seems to have taken a page from the Gipper’s playbook.
That’s why I don’t listen to what people say, I look at their actions.I look at voting records, I look at speeches they have given, and I research who they really are underneath. I am not swayed by political ads, debates, nor what the press says. I make up my mind based on issues and facts.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the first quote I referenced was a section from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the second was one of FDR’s fireside chats.
-BT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwRnOHsRS48
Funny video that captures some truth about Sarah Palin.
It seems like my comment from a couple days ago, never made it. I have taken the liberty of copying it from a saved file.
Mr. Cappiello,
I am disappointed with our conversation. I was hoping to have a conversation with you that was based on our own individual interpretations of the issues. I was hoping this would be a wonderful exchange of ideas where each of us would discuss the issues from our own perspectives. I was hoping you would provide a Liberal perspective to my Libertarian views. It was my hope that this would become an ongoing dialogue that would continue up to the election and possibly even further. I have a very good friend of mine who is currently in Taiwan who I do have these types of conversations. I was hoping this would be another.
Sadly, this conversation has not resulted in the dialogue that I was hoping. I have taken the time to fully explain my point of view and hoped you would do the same. When you did respond, you tended to do so in an emotional fashion and did not provide any credible sources for your information. Even when I asked you for your sources (so that I could read and then respond), you provided You Tube soundbites that have now shown to be out of context. I took the time to carefully word and elucidate my points, whereas it seemed that you did not.
It seems to me that you really have no desire to discuss the issues. This has been clearly evident in your responses and especially so in your last post, “Funny video that captures some truth about Sarah Palin.” This video does nothing to add to the discussion and is merely another partisan based attack on Gov Palin.
If you feel at some point you are ready to discuss the issues utilizing credible sources and doing so in a non emotional way, let me know. Till then, I don’t think we have anything further to discuss.
-BT