I'm a bleeding-heart liberal; the type of guy who tips too much, and gives money to panhandlers on the subway because I just can't help it.
From that perspective, and because I care so much; I would like to offer some helpful advice to the GOP in this upcoming general election cycle.
While most were speculating about David Archuletta's father over the past week; President Bush spoke in front of the Israeli parliament (the Knesset) in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the nation’s inception. Ever so subtly, Mr. Bush used the opportunity to draw distinctions between himself, and ‘others:’
As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared, 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided. We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.
You see, some may say that this was a veiled shot at Obama’s stance that we should negotiate with nations ‘some’ have claimed to be our enemies; such as Iran. The White House denies it (except for ‘anonymous staffers’ who say that is exactly what it is in press reports); but in the interest of helping those in desperate need, I simply say STOP DOING THIS.
Let me share two graphics with you. First, this:
You see that? Doesn’t it inspire a visceral reaction within you? I’m sure there are people out there who are pleased as punch when struck with this image; but then again, some people wear fanny packs. Empirical evidence points out that these two constituencies are almost equally as pervasive in American society. What evidence? Try this:
Now, trying to be an optimist, and not hurt the feelings of my Republican friends; I’d first point out that that looks like one frickin’ sweet roller coaster! All descent, no boring hills to climb up; that sucker’s gotta get up to 150 MPH.
On the other hand, however, it is a slightly less favorable approval rating for a sitting president. Okay, I don’t mean to be confrontational (wouldn’t want to hurt feelings); but, um, it’s actually historically unprecedented. When people see that affable, yet callow mug spread eagle across the face of a public policy initiative or a theory of governance, there’s a tendency amongst the non-fanny pack rockin’ set to think that deception is afoot.
Now, tying that in with a country that feels trapped in a war with no good options (because we can’t pull out); and worried about the domestic effects of his fiscal policies possibly resulting in them trolling the Maytag factory for empty boxes to move into means that if you want to be President of the United States, it’s probably better to be attacked by this guy than endorsed by him.
So this is probably not the best idea:
Or this:
I have some news for Sen. Obama. Talking, not even with soaring rhetoric ... in unconditional meetings with a man who calls Israel a 'stinking corpse' ... will not convince Iran to give up its nuclear program. It is reckless ... to suggest that unconditional meetings will advance our interests.
I hate to be a stickler for facts here, Senator McCain; but those raving left-wing lunatics in the CIA kinda came out and said that Iran gave up their nuclear program... in 2003. And I thought that Bushie Bushington McBusharoo (he’d chuckle at that one) wasn’t talking about Obama?!
But we all know what happens next. The Democrats roll over, and offer to scout new places for the Crawford Cabal to bomb, so they don’t look weak on defense. Wait, what? Biden?
This is bullshit. This is malarkey. This is outrageous. Outrageous for the president of the United States to go to a foreign country, sit in the Knesset ... and make this kind of ridiculous statement.
He's the guy who's weakened us. He's the guy that's increased the number of terrorists in the world. His policies have produced this vulnerability the United States has.
Okay. But we’re Democrats. Surely our nominee is going to lie down and take it like a wimp? Right?
I don't take what Bush says personally, but I was offended by what is a continuation of strategy from this White House, now mimicked by Sen. McCain, that replaces strategy and analysis and smart policy with bombast, exaggerations and fear-mongering.
Wh-what’s happening?
The American people are going to look at the evidence. We don't get a sense that this has been a wise foreign policy or a smart foreign policy or a tough foreign policy. This has been a policy that oftentimes revolved around a lot of bluster and big talk, but very little performance, and what the American people want right now is performance.
He can’t be a Democrat.
I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy. I believe that there is no separation between George Bush and John McCain when it comes to our Middle East policy, and I think their policy has failed.
At this point we get serious. There hasn’t been a point at which the American people have been more susceptible to a progressive agenda on everything, INCLUDING (especially?) national defense in our history.
George Bush has lived out the greatest ambitions of conservative ideology, and explicated not only its moral bankruptcy; but also its gross incompetence. There is still a level of sensitivity that will be necessary when discussing foreign affairs; but at this moment in our history, we have reached a point where we will hang them with their own records. Where short bursts of truth in the face of promised doom will win out.
Make no mistake: this was a coordinated effort between the White House and the McCain campaign to attack Obama, and they got their ass handed to them. Every day they spend debating the issues and tying themselves to this administration is another day closer to their impending electoral doom.
What can they do to win? Call him a n****r. Over and over again. Maybe not in so many words; but through the guise of ‘welfare queens,’ ‘law enforcement,’ and every other subtly (and overtly) racist overture they have made since the birth of the Southern Strategy dawned the Conservative Era in American politics.
Their only hope is that the fear of a black man will override the obviously perceptible collapse of our society in leading the voters to assist in perpetuating it. I don’t believe it will happen. We are re-aligning. Their day is over. Rockin’ Ronnie’s left and gone away, hey hey hey.
We are going to throttle them across every corner of our nation. Let’s go at it, guns blazing (metaphorical guns, NSA/Secret Service/CIA/FBI/spy-agency-nobody-knows-exists-yet).