The Republican party has told its share of whoppers in its day. However, the award for all-time outright dishonesty regarding a campaign message has to be bestowed upon the McCain-Palin ticket based on its many lies and dishonest assertions.
Let us examine precisely where this ticket stands on the issues of our day - and indeed, the issues salient to the decisions of voters as to whom they most identify with:
Taxes: McCain-Palin advocate making the tax cuts of the Bush administration permanent - even in the face of ballooning deficits ($407 billion this fiscal year alone according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office) and an impending $700 billion economic bailout for Wall Street. As has been proven time and again, the vast majority of those cuts were awarded the wealthiest wage earners - including those who walked away with golden parachutes as this financial crisis has escalated. As for the working class, McCain claims he will "cut taxes where he can". Not exactly a ringing endorsement for reform to benefit the working class.
Energy: McCain-Palin's own spokesperson, Rep. Heather Wilson, admitted that offshore drilling, the centerpiece of the Republican party platform, would produce oil that could be snatched up by our worst enemies due to McCain-Palin's advocacy of 'world market' trading preferences. In other words, AMERICAN oil would be pumped and traded as a worldwide commodity for the Russians, Iranians, and Venezuelans to commandeer. This strategy would INCREASE our dependency on foreign oil and place our country in a potentially dangerous national security position should we ever have a direct or indirect conflict with an enemy country that drills on federally-leased lands. Is this what McCain-Palin mean by 'America first'?
War in Iraq: McCain has expressed support for reinstituting the draft (are you listening, mothers of America?) - which should thrill the 30 and under crowd of undecided voters. In addition, McCain has opposed a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq - even as the Iraqi Prime Minister has expressed a desire to move toward transitioning power to the Iraqi government and security forces.
Health care: McCain-Palin wants more padding of the pockets of large insurance companies - you know, the companies that dropped Hurricane Katrina victims like a bad habit in 2005? As for any sort of health care reform to assist the struggling working class, there is no mention of that little tidbit of 'reform' from this ticket.
Civil rights: Women of America, don't be fooled here (Hillary voters, I'm speaking directly to you). Sarah Palin and John McCain oppose a woman's right to choose - under ANY circumstance. That's right, if you are raped or if a young girl is shamed by incest - both instances through no fault of the victim - Sarah Palin and John McCain have news for you: By their preference, you are to have NO choice as to whether you must carry a rape or incest child to term. They openly admit they want to overturn Roe v. Wade and return this country to the Machiavellian 'Amos and Andy' days of the 1950s. And oh by the way, if you are victimized by rape as a woman, Sarah Palin's record as mayor of Wasilla dictates that you, the victim, will be paying for that rape kit. Message to women by this ticket: Grab those aprons and roll back the clock. Archie Bunker will be home from work soon.
Ethics: Oh, how the McCain-Palin ticket LOVES to sidestep the fact that Palin fully supported the federally-subsidized 'Bridge to Nowhere' in Alaska before it became politically damaging to do so. In fact, they are still spouting the lie that she never supported it - even as a major Alaska newspaper and video of Palin confirm her support of the earmark.
Regulation of the Financial Markets: John McCain has been one of deregulation's staunchest supporters during his nearly three decades in Congress. Now that lack of regulation has led to financial crisis in American's financial markets, John McCain has decided that after three decades he has been 100% wrong regarding regulation of the financial markets. Michael D. Shear, writing for the Washington Post this past Wednesday, pointed out, "A decade ago, John McCain embraced legislation to broadly deregulate the banking and insurance industries, helping to sweep aside a thicket of rules established over decades in favor of a less restricted financial marketplace that proponents said would result in greater economic growth. Now, as the Bush administration scrambles to prevent the collapse of the American International Group (AIG), the nation's largest insurance company, and stabilize a tumultuous Wall Street, the Republican presidential nominee is scrambling to recast himself as a champion of regulation to end "reckless conduct, corruption and unbridled greed" on Wall Street."
Social Security: McCain has voted no less than three times to privatize Social Security via the stock market. Take a look at your 401K, folks. Enough said, case closed.
As we take the tally of policies promulgated by the McCain-Palin ticket, there is a striking resemblance to the explicit public policy beliefs of another not-so-popular Republican: President George W. Bush.
Bush does not believe in a woman's right to privacy. He was the architect of the Iraq War and tax cuts for the wealthy that have sunk our economy and killed over 4,000 American soldiers. He is against health care assistance for low and middle-income workers. He stands idly by while OPEC and other foreign oil producers unnecessarily hike the price of oil - all the while whining for more drilling so that our enemies can have even MORE of our own oil to blackmail us with.
In other words, McCain-Palin ARE Bush-Cheney - but with different names. They would bring change alright...a change of NAMES, nothing more. Their policies are direct reflections of the failed policies of the Bush presidency - and the only promise they can deliver upon is four more years of the same.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a 'maverick' is one that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group i.e. a dissenter. Take a good, long look at the policies championed by John McCain and Sarah Palin - then decide for yourself whether you consider George W. Bush to be a 'reformer' or a 'maverick'. If the answer to that question is 'yes', then by all means vote for McCain-Palin and four more years of failed Bush policies. However, if you see the congruence of policies that is strikingly apparent to the naked eye, then your true vote for change to move this country forward is the ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
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